McKnight's Long-Term Care News articles from May 2002

McKnight's Long-Term Care News archives from May 2002

Publication of the first round of quality initiative pilot project data was postponed a week by federal officials. (Late Breaking News).
May 3, 2002... Publication of the first round of quality initiative pilot project data was postponed a week by federal officials, who said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson's schedule wasn't open until April 24 to announce it.

The average daily cost for a private room in a nursing home in the United States is $168, or $61,320 per year, according to a report by an affiliate of insurer MetLife. (Late Breaking News).
May 3, 2002... The average daily cost for a private room in a nursing home in the United States is $168, or $61,320 per year, according to a report by an affiliate of insurer MetLife. Costs ranged from $88 per day in Shreveport, LA, to $347 per day in...

Proposed changes to cut back the Medicaid upper payment limit were delayed another month. (Late Breaking News).
May 3, 2002... Proposed changes to cut back the Medicaid upper payment limit were delayed another month, until May 14, when a federal judge in Arkansas agreed not enough time had been given for review.

Mariner Post-Acute Network Inc. and Mariner Health Group Inc. were to become Mariner Health Care Inc. as part of their joint plan of reorganization. (Late Breaking News).
May 3, 2002... Mariner Post-Acute Network Inc. and Mariner Health Group Inc. were to become Mariner Health Care Inc. as part of their joint plan of reorganization. They were set to emerge from bankruptcy this month.

OSHA to start SNF probes.
May 3, 2002... About 1,000 nursing and personal care facilities will become the focus of a new round of workplace safety inspections starting this year, the federal government announced. The skilled nursing community had suspected that focused...

Bill would make survey process 'less punitive'. (News).
May 3, 2002... Innovative and significant changes would take place in the area of nursing home surveys if legislation recently introduced in the House by Rep. David Camp (R-MI) becomes law. The Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Facility Quality Improvement...

Back(s) in the spotlight: program zeroes in on nursing homes. (News).
May 3, 2002... Long-term care professionals who thought they had been granted a reprieve after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's ergonomics rule was overturned last year are now finding they're the focus of yet another ergonomic initiative...

GAO wants MDS procedure changes. (Resident Assessment).
May 3, 2002... To alleviate a lack of Minimum Data Set monitoring, the General Accounting Office is suggesting greater involvement between the federal agency and the states. Aggravating monitoring shortcomings is the fact that undereducated nursing home...

Form and function. (Advertisement: Focus; Considering Design).
May 3, 2002... Until fairly recently, function took precedence over form in many health care facilities and health care furniture wasn't winning any design contests. Not anymore. Duracase LLC, which sells Duraframe furniture now offer facilities...

Assisted Living Workgroup recommendations formed. (News).
May 3, 2002... Proposed recommendations for how the assisted-living industry should operate and he governed have begun to flow back to stakeholders from a unique public-private consortium created by Congress. The Assisted Living Workgroup, which includes...

Scully: quality focus is the only solution. (News).
May 3, 2002... Nursing homes must convince the public that their top priority is quality issues, Thomas Scully, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told industry leaders recently. "I don't think you're going to get any support...

PPS System corrections issued. (Regulatory Update).
May 3, 2002... Federal Register, 3-28-02. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a notice that noted corrections to several technical errors in the final rule, "Medicare Program, Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled...

Provider I.D. verification program. (Regulatory Update).
May 3, 2002... Federal Register, 4-16-02. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a new computer matching program. Its purpose would be to establish the conditions, safeguards, and procedures under which CMS would provide the Social Security...

S. 2110 would temporarily increase the Medicare assistance percentage for the Medicaid program. (Legislative Update).
May 3, 2002... S. 2110 would temporarily increase the Medicare assistance percentage for the Medicaid program. Sponsor: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

S. 2085 would clarify the definition of homebound with respect to home health services under the Medicare program. (Legislative Update).
May 3, 2002... S. 2085 would clarify the definition of homebound with respect to home health services under the Medicare program. Sponsor: Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). Referred to the Committee on Finance.

H.R. 4154 would provide coverage under the Medicare program. (Legislative Update).
May 3, 2002... H.R. 4154 would provide coverage under the Medicare program for compression sleeves and stockings for the treatment of lymphedema. Sponsor: Rep. Patsy Mink (D-HI). Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the...

H.R. 4153 would direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a demonstration Medicare program. (Legislative Update).
May 3, 2002... H.R. 4153 would direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to carry out a demonstration Medicare program to examine the clinical and cost effectiveness of providing medical adult day care center services to Medicare beneficiaries....

H.R. 4136 would authorize the use of estate-tax revenue to finance an outpatient prescription drug program under Medicare. (Legislative Update).
May 3, 2002... H.R. 4136 would authorize the use of estate-tax revenue to finance an outpatient prescription drug program under Medicare. Sponsor: Rep.Barney Frank (D-MA). Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Feds paying more attention to falsified resident records. (Legal Update).
May 3, 2002... Falsification of records at nursing homes is going to be more aggressively tracked, said an assistant U.S. attorney speaking recently before a meeting of the American Health Lawyers Association Institute on Medicare and Medicaid Payment Issues...

Nursing facility measure: projected state-by-state breakdown of Medicare reimbursement rates if all add-ons are allowed to expire Oct. 1, realizing the full effects of "Medicare diff.". (Marketing Monitor).
May 3, 2002... Market Monitor Nursing facility measure: Projected state-by-state breakdown of Medicare reimbursement rates if all add-ons are allowed to expire Oct. 1, realizing the full effects of "Medicare diff." (All values in dollars) ...

Lawmakers rip CMS for not putting staffing study online. (State News: Northeast).
May 3, 2002... Washington -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has come under fire for not publishing online a long-awaited second part of a nursing home staffing report. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) sent a letter to...

Maryland providers persuade lawmakers to cut less funding. (State News: Northeast).
May 3, 2002... Annapolis, MD -- Advocates for nursing facilities in Maryland convinced state lawmakers to decrease the proposed reductions in matching funds for the industry by $7.5 million, according to a report in the Baltimore Business Journal. ...

Report: state agency made multiple ALF report versions. (State News: Midwest).
May 3, 2002... Des Moines, IA -- Gov. Tom Vilsack fired the head of assisted living regulation for the Iowa. Department of Elder Affairs after a newspaper article said that the agency had created two versions of reports concerning an assisted living facility...

Courts calls Medicaid tax fund unconstitutional. (State News: Midwest).
May 3, 2002... Indianapolis -- A statewide property tax used to help fund Indiana's Medicaid program was declared unconstitutional by an Indiana Tax Court judge, the Indianapolis Star reported. In his April 3 ruling, Judge Thomas Fisher said that the tax,...

Wrongly called-in prescription kills facility resident. (State News: Midwest).
May 3, 2002... Sedalia, MO -- Someone posing as a healthcare worker phoned in a prescription order that ultimately killed a nursing home patient after she took two doses, authorities said. Nancy L. Dugent, 58, died April 10 after receiving a painkilling...

CMS drops quest of 'loophole' millions from Alabama. (State News: Southeast).
May 3, 2002... Birmingham, AL -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services decided to stop pursuing the full $290 million the agency says the state of Alabama owes it. The state and the federal agency had been disputing Alabama's use of the Medicaid...

Legislature overrides governor's veto of Medicaid budget. (State News: Southeast).
May 3, 2002... Jackson, MS -- Despite the possible threat of 13,000 nursing home residents being forced out of nursing homes, the Mississippi House and Senate overwhelmingly overturned Gov. Ronnie Musgrove's (D) veto of the state Medicaid budget. ...

State beats feds to the punch on background checks. (State News: Southeast).
May 3, 2002... Jackson, MS -- Mississippi lawmakers approved a bill that mandates criminal background and fingerprint checks for all employees of state-licensed nursing homes, hospices and hospitals. 'Legislation that includes similar clauses has recently...

Kindred posts strong financial results in post-bankruptcy. (State News: Southeast).
May 3, 2002... Louisville -- One year after emerging from bankruptcy proceedings, skilled nursing giant Kindred Healthcare said it had met financial expectations and even generated $20 million of positive net cash flow. The company reported $811 million...

Feeding fracas: providers like single-task worker proposal; rule could ease staffing shortages, but opponents fear expansion of lesser-trained employees. (Business).
May 3, 2002... Diane Jorgensen sees happier times ahead if a new single-task worker rule proposed by the Bush administration clears its current public comment period and is enacted soon. The director of nursing at 217-bed Sunset Home in Quincy, IL,...

Winners & Losers. (Stock Watch).
May 3, 2002... WINNERS & LOSERS Company name Percent change * Winners American Retirement Corp. (ACR) 117% Manor Care (HCR) 25% Omega Healthcare Investors...

Emeritus Assisted Living. (New Business).
May 3, 2002... * Emeritus Assisted Living, Seattle, acquired interest in eight communities from Integrated Living Communities LLC. Emeritus will assume seven leases and one mortgage on the facilities, four of which are in Texas and four in Louisiana. The...

Health Care Property Investors Inc. (New Business).
May 3, 2002... * Health Care Property Investors Inc., Newport Beach, CA, acquired $73.2 million in senior living properties during the first quarter of 2002. The company closed the purchase and leaseback of two retirement communities totaling 542 units and...

Kindred Healthcare Inc. (New Business).
May 3, 2002... * Kindred Healthcare Inc., Louisville, amended certain terms of its revolving credit facility and senior secured notes. According to the company, the agreements will allow it to make acquisitions and investments in healthcare facilities up to...

ILM II Senior Living Inc. (New Business).
May 3, 2002... * ILM II Senior Living Inc., Tysons Corner, VA, sold all of its rights, titles and interest in their senior and assisted living facilities and other assets to Five Star Quality Care Inc. Five Star paid ILM II $45.5 million. ILM II is in the...

Ventas Inc. (New Business).
May 3, 2002... * Ventas Inc., Louisville, offered $175 million of 8 3/4% Senior Notes due 2009 and $225 million of 9% Senior Notes due 2012. The Notes will be senior, unsecured obligations and the company will unconditionally guarantee them. The company said...

Regency Hospital Co. (New Business).
May 3, 2002... * Regency Hospital Co., Alpharetta, GA, begun accepting patients at its new long-term acute care hospital within Barberton (OH) Citizens Hospital. Regency operates a freestanding long-term acute care (LTAC) hospital in Florence, SC, and said it...

The Ottumwa (IA) Good Samaritan Health and Rehabilitation Center. (Construction).
May 3, 2002... * The Ottumwa (IA) Good Samaritan Health and Rehabilitation Center opened its new Rehabilitation Center, The new space will include a formal chapel, a family courtesy suite that doubles as a hospice suite, a children's playroom and a larger...

Marketing issues: bad report? Deal with it directly. (Business Matters).
May 3, 2002... Q: Do you have any suggestions how a facility might address their publicized results for the new federal Quality Initiative project -- whether they be positive or negative -- since it looks like we're all going to be involved with it sooner or...

Regulatory issues: Abuser registry makes sense for LTC. (Business Matters).
May 3, 2002... Q: What are your thoughts on Sen. Herb Kohl's "Patient Abuse Protection Act," which would mandate a national registry of abusive long-term core workers? A: In light of the recently- released General Accounting Office (GAO) report and...

Legal issues: 'granny' cams are not a good idea. (Business Matters).
May 3, 2002... Q: Does a facility have an obligation to allow residents or their families to install "granny" cams? A: Unless state law specifically requires it, a provider is not obligated to allow the installation of granny cameras. There are several...

Workplace issues: delve into skittish employees. (Business Matters).
May 3, 2002... Q: The pressure seems to keep getting to a certain nurse's aide, who is an otherwise fine employee but starts fumbling around and forgetting things when things get a little hectic, which they often do. Any advice for how to keep this employee?...

American Perceptions of Aging in the 21st Century. (Resources).
May 3, 2002... * The National Council on the Aging and the AARP Andrus Foundation issued a brochure addressing the attitudes of those over 65 towards aging. American Perceptions of Aging in the 21st Century was the third in a series conducted by the National...

The National Alliance for the Primary Prevention of Sharps Injuries (NAPPSI) has created a new list of needlestick-safety devices. (Resources).
May 3, 2002... * The National Alliance for the Primary Prevention of Sharps Injuries (NAPPSI) has created a new list of needlestick-safety devices. The compilation categorizes devices by their medical application and by whether they offer primary prevention...

Quality Customer Relations. (Resources).
May 3, 2002... * The Illinois Council on Long Term Care published a booklet to help nursing facilities train staff on proper service techniques. Quality Customer Relations looks at customer service issues and is written for both front-line and direct care...

The MDS Coordinator's Survival Kit. (Resources).
May 3, 2002... * HCPro has published The MDS Coordinator's Survival Kit, designed to offer all the resources surrounding MDS issues, quality indicators, PPS, and survey preparation. The kit includes an MDS troubleshooter - a 150-page guidebook with tips for...

Caring for Older Americans - Recommendations for Building a National Program for Graduate Nursing Education in Gerontology. (Resources).
May 3, 2002... * A new report on geriatric nursing education has been posted on the Web site of the American Academy of Nursing. The report, Caring for Older Americans - Recommendations for Building a National Program for Graduate Nursing Education in...

Leading LTC Firms.
May 3, 2002... Leading LTC Firms Top long-term care facilities Market 4/S 3/S Company capitalization * 1 1 Manor Care (HCR) ...

Housekeeping system is flexible and expandable. (New Products).
May 3, 2002... The labor-saving Metro Lodgix [TM] Housekeeping Cart system is modular in design and is available in a variety of standard configurations and options. All configurations come with a large center storage area with adjustable shelves, and an...

Bed alarm system with two-year air pad. (New Products).
May 3, 2002... UMP's newly redesigned Deluxe Bed Sentry System monitors residents with its two-year, 24' x 36" air pad -- the longest lasting monitoring pad on the market, according to the company. The Bed Sentry also includes new features like automatic...

Protective underwear smooth, dignified. (New Products).
May 3, 2002... The new TENA [R] Discreet [TM] protective underwear is smooth, comfortable and flattering, all without giving up effectiveness, according to the company. It is ideal for moderately incontinent residents. The new product design pulls up and down...

Angled cup provides secure grip and stability. (New Products).
May 3, 2002... Maddak's two-handled transparent cup with extra wide base provides a secure grip and stability while reducing the occurrence of accidental spills. Unique angled design provides space for nose and eyeglasses while making it possible to drink...

Device gives protection for bather safety. (New Products).
May 3, 2002... Powers introduces the Hydroguard HT 115, its newest thermostatic protection for the shower. The HT 115 is designed to instantly reduce the flow of water if the temperature reaches 115[degrees]. Once the temperature drops below 115[degrees], the...

Emergency response phone offers protection. (New Products).
May 3, 2002... Guardian introduces the Guardian Talker Emergency Response Telephone. When the Talker alarm button or the portable alarm button is pushed, the Talker will dial out and report the alarm to up to four telephone numbers. A digital or verbal...

Pellerin Milnor Corp. (Laundry Equipment).
May 3, 2002... Milnor has added a Fire Suppression System (FSS) to its line of small dryers, raising washroom safety to a new standard, it says. With FSS, an advanced sensor within the dryer can detect high heat or fire conditions. The sensor activates a...

Direct Supply Healthcare Equipment. (Laundry Equipment).
May 3, 2002... Direct Supply's new IPU catalog features high-quality laundry products made from the strongest PVC available in healthcare. According to the company, its PVC distribution carts, linen carts, hampers and laundry drying racks will never rust,...

American Dryer Corp. (Laundry Equipment).
May 3, 2002... The ADG-78 has a capacity of up to 75 pounds and gives fast, powerful drying with minimum maintenance. The higher, better drop allows more air to flow through the clothes, increasing the drying time, according to the company. The ADG-78 is a...

Ticklish transacting. (People & Opinions).
May 3, 2002... More risks in the long-term care sector led buyers to become more finicky than ever last year, surprisingly driving bed prices up. That could end soon, however, at least for assisted living. Stephen Monroe, a partner with Irving Levin...

How to bury the lawyers. (Commentary).
May 3, 2002... The liability insurance crisis pervades everything long-term care providers do. That's why anytime somebody floats a plan that could decrease pesky lawsuits --or better yet, pesky trial lawyers -- ears perk up. Thomas Scully, the...

Worth repeating. (People & Opinions).
May 3, 2002... "I don't see us slowing down unless this thing totally blows up." Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Thomas Scully, regarding prospects for the administration's new quality initiative, just prior to publication of pilot...

Empower yourself through information. (Having My Say).
May 3, 2002... It is no surprise that effective, professional licensed nursing home administrators are increasingly harder to find and, further, to recruit. Having been an administrator myself, I know first-hand the challenges administrators face, and the...

Letters.
May 3, 2002... WE MUST SING OUR OWN PRAISE To the editor: I am writing in support of an article in the March 1, 2002, edition of McKnight's Long-Term Care News, written by Jennifer Helfrich-Will ("Stop the Stigmas," p. 25). The article is focused on...

When were things best for you? (Reader Poll).
May 3, 2002... MARYJO RIPP, administrator, subacute unit, St. Elizabeth Hospital, Appleton, WI--"I like it best right now. I feel we're really listening to the elderly. They didn't always have the choices like today, the living options." FLOYD S. ALITIN,...

Successfully slashing staff turnover a noble cause. (LTC Profile).
May 3, 2002... When Mark Noble saw turnover of certified nursing assistants soar to 102% in the late 1990s, he knew some changes were needed to stop -- or at least slow -- the revolving door. Unfortunately, despite a staffing problem plaguing the entire...

SNFs to get $1 billion RUG reprieve.
May 24, 2002... The federal government granted long-term care providers a $1 billion reprieve when it announced it would delay refining Resource Utilization Groups this year. The April 23 announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services sent...

Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME). (Late Breaking News).
May 24, 2002... Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Ben Nelson (D-NE) announced they had collaborated with the National Governors Association on a bill that would provide $8.5 billion to $9 billion in temporary funding to state Medicaid programs.

American Health Care Association. (Late Breaking News).
May 24, 2002... Litigation costs rose 24% annually over the last decode for long-term care providers, according to a study sponsored by the American Health Care Association. The average per-bed cost of litigation rose to $2,360 last year from just $240 in...

Medicare overpaid home health agencies. (Late Breaking News).
May 24, 2002... Medicare overpaid home health agencies by nearly 35% more than the cost of actual care during the first half of 2001, according to a General Accounting Office report disputed by providers.

Consumer and insurance groups. (Late Breaking News).
May 24, 2002... Consumer and insurance groups rallied in Washington for passage of a House bill calling for long-term care tax incentives.

More than half of physicians. (Late Breaking News).
May 24, 2002... More than half of physicians in a poll said they were not sure if primary care physicians could properly diagnose and treat medical problems common among seniors. For more, visit www.miahonline.org.

Facilities seek help from new source: QIOs. (News).
May 24, 2002... Largely due to the federal government's new quality initiative, many skilled nursing facilities are taking a closer look at what their state quality improvement organizations (QIO) can do for them. QIOs, previously known as peer review...

Expert: state budget cuts still the biggest threat to quality care.
May 24, 2002... Although long-term care has recently been in the national spotlight because of the federal quality initiative project, experts say most quality improvement work regarding care and workforce issues is still done on the state level. And much...

Unequal pieces of pie. (Databank).
May 24, 2002... Unequal pieces of pie U.S. nursing facility ownership by bed count For-profit 66% Non-profit 27% Government 7% Source: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ("Health Care Industry Market Update, Nursing...

Pilot data hits the doorstep: publication of quality info termed a 'wake-up call' for the rest of nation, which will join the program this fall. (Quality Initiative).
May 24, 2002... The long-awaited publication of data from the pilot phase of the federal Nursing Home Quality Initiative came and went with few surprises -- and less media attention than many expected. There apparently were no immediate big shock waves...

Hard data.
May 24, 2002... 2.9 Percentage of drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration from 1975 to 1999 that were subsequently withdrawn because they turned out to be unsafe, according to researchers recently in the Journal of the American Medical...

Bill would mandate staffing levels, bring back Boren.
May 24, 2002... House Democrats have introduced a bill that would set nursing home staff levels. The Nursing Home Staffing Improvement Act of 2002 would require facilities that receive federal funding to provide each resident with at least 4.1 hours of...

New bill would boost Medicaid funding. (News).
May 24, 2002... All states would receive a 1.5% boost in federal Medicaid matching funding for three years under a new bill introduced by Sens. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and Gordon Smith (R-OR). States with high unemployment could receive up to a 3%...

Regulatory update: CMS lists Medicare, Medicaid changes. (Capital Briefing).
May 24, 2002... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rolled out its first Quarterly Provider Update, which lists changes in Medicare and Medicaid regulations occurring during the previous quarter or scheduled for the next three months. The agency will...

Legislative update. (Capital Briefing).
May 24, 2002... S. 2386 would authorize physical therapists to diagnose, evaluate, and treat Medicare beneficiaries without a requirement for a physician referral, and for other purposes. Introduced by Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Referred to the Committee on...

Bill to stave off provider lawsuits makes progress. (Midwest).
May 24, 2002... Columbus, OH -- A bill that would prevent the use of state nursing home inspection reports in civil lawsuits against nursing homes has passed the Ohio Senate and awaits House action. The bill also would limit the parties eligible to file...

Attorney General says Iowa agency didn't try to mislead. (Midwest).
May 24, 2002... Des Moines, IA -- Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller has said the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs was just confused about necessary information to keep when it created two sets of assisted living facility inspection records. There was no intent...

Occupancy rates, case-mix help boost Manor Care earnings. (Midwest).
May 24, 2002... Toledo, OH -- Nursing home chain Manor Care Inc. said Thursday that improved occupancy and a shift in case mix toward higher acuity residents, along with rate increases, powered its first-quarter 2002 earnings 38% higher than those of a year...

Missouri providers howling over bill to toughen penalties. (Midwest).
May 24, 2002... Jefferson City, MO -- Nursing home operators are protesting a bill that would increase the state's ability to revoke licenses, fine or otherwise prosecute providers in cases of resident abuse. The measure passed the House and is now being...

CDC funds study to examine ways to reduce senior falls. (West).
May 24, 2002... Sacramento, CA -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has granted California $825,000 to examine the effectiveness of strength training, vision screening and home safety modifications in lowering the number of falls among seniors....