Long-Term Care

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Top Stories

• Long-term care insurance plan could partially offset the cost of healthcare reform

  A new insurance program for long-term care that Democrats included in the Affordable Health Choices Act, a bill that aims to overhaul the nation’s healthcare system, would provide approximately $58 billion in revenue for the government over the next 10 years, according to preliminary analysis conducted by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

• Pressure-relieving mattresses for all New Jersey nursing homes

  A new bill, signed by New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine in April, will require the state’s nursing homes to have pressure-relieving mattresses that prevent bedsores by 2012, according to Albert L. Buzzetti & Associates.

• Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes

  As the long-term care industry moves toward a resident-centered approach to care, the quality of life provided to nursing home residents is facing increased scrutiny. Although most SNFs are eager to improve the quality of life in their facility, many do not know where to start. Fortunately, the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign is here to help.

   

• Pharma may benefit from deal to cut Medicare drug costs

  In a deal reached between the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers (PhRMA) of America and Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus over the weekend, the pharmaceutical industry has agreed to spend $80 billion over the next 10 years to help reduce the cost of prescriptions for elderly Americans. However, senior citizens may not be the only ones who will benefit from the deal, which could actually increase business for pharmaceutical companies, according to The Wall Street Journal.

• Consumer and employee satisfaction improves in US nursing homes

  Despite the toll the recession has taken on many of our nation’s nursing homes, consumer and employee satisfaction increased last year, according to the 2008 National Survey of Consumer and Workforce Satisfaction in Nursing Homes by My InnerView.

  The report, which was released in May, details the results of satisfaction surveys completed by employees, residents, and family members in 5,075 U.S. nursing homes in 2008. The data gives long-term care leaders insight into the factors that affect employee and consumer satisfaction, opportunities for improvements, and how satisfaction impacts other areas of facility operation.

• MedPAC releases report to Congress

  The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its June 2009 Report to the Congress: Improving Incentives in the Medicare Program on June 15, according to a MedPAC press release. The report explores how current Medicare incentives reward volume, rather than quality of care, and presents information regarding the negative effects of some incentives. The report also discusses opportunities to modify incentives to provide better, more cost-effective care.

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