June is National Elder Abuse Awareness Month. If you have a loved one living in a nursing home, this is a good opportunity to educate yourself on the signs of nursing home abuse and neglect, and to take action if you suspect something is amiss. The best defense residents of long-term care facilities have is their families. Visit often to play games, eat a meal, or simply talk. Frequent, unannounced visits to your loved one’s home remain one of … [Read more...]
Nursing Homes Fight to Force Arbitration
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that works with states to provide Medicaid and is in charge of the Medicare program, announced a rule earlier this year that is scheduled to take effect on September 16. The rule would bar nursing homes from forcing residents to sign arbitration agreements. Springdale Health and Rehabilitation Center and The Maples at Har-Ber Meadows, two nursing home facilities in Arkansas, … [Read more...]
Do Lower Fines for Nursing Homes Really Mean Fewer Violations?
The Trump Administration reports that nursing homes are paying less in fines than during the Obama Administration, but is that due to fewer violations or changes Donald Trump made in the amounts that nursing homes must pay for serious violations? Since he took office, Donald Trump has heeded multiple nursing home complaints about zealous oversight, and his administration granted an 18-month moratorium from being penalized for violating eight … [Read more...]
Medicare Incentive Program for Nursing Homes Takes Effect
The Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program required by the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), which was passed in 2014, officially took effect on October 1, 2018. The VBP program essentially provides bonuses to nursing homes that perform well and cuts funding for those that underperform. A nursing home’s performance is based on how many of their patients are admitted or re-admitted to hospitals for ailments that could have been prevented … [Read more...]