A long-term provider group is urging regulators to continue work on fixing the “observation stay loophole” that makes it harder for Medicare beneficiaries to get nursing home care. “We are very appreciative of the renewed interest that CMS [Centers for Medicare &...
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Working with Weights May Help Stroke Rehab
In a study, a 6-month exercise program of combined aerobic and resistance training resulted in significant improvements in cognitive function in patients with motor impairments at least 10 weeks post stroke. Resistance training -- which is often overlooked in...
Family Caregivers Providing More Complex Senior Care to Avoid Nursing Homes
The market for potential assisted living or skilled nursing facility residents is being depleted by family caregivers who are taking on more and more senior care responsibilities, including medical and nursing tasks once only provided in hospitals, according to a new...
Whole peanuts recalled for possible salmonella contamination
The salmonella outbreak linked to a New Mexico peanut supplier has expanded again with the voluntary recall of thousands of bags of whole peanuts by Hines Nut Co. The Dallas-based company recalled bags of salted jumbo Virginia in-shell peanuts on Monday for possible...
Overnight dementia ‘camp’ allows caregivers rest
Just after 10 p.m., when most people their age are going to sleep, a group of elderly folks suffering from dementia are just getting started, dancing and shaking tambourines and maracas in a raucous version of "La Bamba." "It's a party," says an 81-year-old woman,...
Hospitals and Nursing Homes Brace for Medicare Cuts
Hospital and nursing home managers are reaching for the aspirin again. No matter who wins on Nov. 6, most Democrats and Republicans agree in principle that federal spending on Medicare and Medicaid will need to go under the knife, above and beyond the cuts written...
Hospitals’ readmission penalties revised by Medicare
October 03, 2012 | Kaiser Health News Medicare's new readmission penalties for hospitals just got a bit tougher. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has discovered errors in its initial calculations in August. As a result, 1,422 hospitals with...
Readmission penalties for hospitals revised by Medicare
Medicare's new readmission penalties for hospitals just got a bit tougher. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has discovered errors in its initial calculations in August. As a result, 1,422 hospitals with comparatively high readmission rates will lose...
Kellogg’s recalls select packages of Frosted and Unfrosted Mini-Wheats
The Kellogg Company announced Wednesday that it has initiated a voluntary recall of several of its cereals from the shelves of Sam’s Club and Walmart stores due to the possible presence of flexible metal mesh fragments. Those fragments made it in to several types of...
How Will The Election Change Medicaid?
The future of Medicaid -- the state-federal workhorse of the nation's health system that provides health coverage to the poorest and sickest Americans -- hangs in the balance on Election Day. President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney have vastly...