Less Seniors Relying on Investments for Income, Working Full-Time Instead

The financial, health and well-being incentives of continued employment could provide seniors greater independence as well as retirement reassurance, suggests a recent study by Boston College finding that more are relying on income from employment than from investments.  Despite current retirement security concerns, seniors have seen their income almost double in the past twenty years, according […]

Ecumen Gets $3 Million Grant to Develop Model Improving Rural Senior Living

Ecumen, a non-profit senior housing and services provider, has announced it has received a $3 million grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation meant to support the development of a model to improve senior care in rural settings.  The grant will enable Ecumen to transform Ecumen Detroit Lakes, a longstanding nursing home in rural Becker County, Minnesota, into a […]

Healthcare Loan Originations Up 6% Year-Over-Year

Originations among health care companies continue showing signs of growth during as a recent survey reports modest increases on quarterly and yearly basis. Health care loan originations detracted from the fourth quarter’s 49% rise in multifamily/commercial originations, falling 26% compared to the fourth quarter of 2011, according to a survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). However, […]

WSJ: “Hospital at Home” Model Getting Traction to Prevent Readmissions

House calls are making a comeback with a revamped, modernized model initiated by hospital healthcare providers looking for ways to prevent rehospitalizations and avoid Medicare reimbursement penalties. The latest in the ongoing efforts to reduce re-hospitalizations, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports that providers are sending teams of doctors, nurses, physician assistants and pharmacists to […]

Report Debunks Myth of Downsizing as Cheaper, Suggests Renting for Retirees

Although it’s become expected for “empty nesters” to downsize around the time they retire, it’s not necessarily the most economic way to increase retirement savings, according to personal finance resource GoBankingRates.com (GBR). While the assumption of downsizing is thought to reduce overall living costs, GBR encourages prospective retirees to first do the math, because they […]

Nurse Staffing, Work Environment Linked to Lower Hospital Readmissions

As policy makers and institutions clamor for a way to increase quality of care during these transitional phases, one study suggest that improving nurses’ work environments and staffing may be effective in preventing readmissions.   Nurse staffing levels and work environment were found to have a significant impact among Medicare patients readmitted for various heart […]

Medicare Over-Billing Most Common Among For-Profit Nursing Facilities

Following a November report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) revealing a $1.5 billion Medicare over-billiing by skilled nursing facilities, it turns out that for-profit providers are more prone to overcharge for unnecessary treatment than nonprofits, according to a recent article published by Bloomberg Businessweek. Claims from for-profit homes that were deemed unsuitable for […]

All Signs Point to Strong Boomer-Driven Home Remodeling Rebound

Improvements in home remodeling activity last year look to continue well into 2013, suggesting that recovery might already be underway, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA).  A product of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, LIRA projects homeowner improvement spending will continue on its […]