As assisted living regulations evolve and tighten, Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements fluctuate, and healthcare reform begins to take effect, many states are facing their own challenges as they continue to develop, operate, and implement new rules and programs. Here is a collection of long-term care related stories from across the nation.
From Knoxville News Sentinel—Hillcrest HealthCare Changes Names of Three Tennessee LTC Facilities
Hillcrest HealthCare has changed the name of its three long-term care facilities in a move that brands each separately. The new names do away with the Hillcrest moniker, and instead take new ones that reflect the general location of each facility,” reports Knoxville News Sentinel. “The former Hillcrest Healthcare South at 1758 Hillwood Ave. is now Island Home Park Health and Rehab. Hillcrest Healthcare North at 5321 Beverly Park Circle has been renamed Beverly Park Place Health and Rehab. And Hillcrest Healthcare West at 6801 Middlebrook Pike is going by West Hills Health and Rehab.” Read more…
From KEYC TV (Fox)—Problems Plague Minnesota Nursing Home for Sex Offenders
Ground was broken on the Forensic Nursing Home at the Saint Peter Regional Treatment Center campus back in 2008…built with the intent to house dangerous sex offenders who are elderly. But after construction was finished, an inspection turned up dozens of infractions cited by the state,” reports Fox News’ KEYC TV. “The forensic nursing facility here in Saint Peter is licensed to hold up to 48 patients. And while it’s not at maximum capacity, state officials say more individuals are expected to arrive in the near future.” Read more…
From The Lane Report—Kentucky Reports 531 Deficiencies After Q1 Nursing Home Inspections
“State inspectors reported finding 531 deficiencies in 80 nursing homes they inspected in Kentucky in the first quarter of this year,” writes The Lane Report. “This latest report on the inspection of nursing homes in the state by the Office of Inspector General in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services was obtained through an Open Records Request by Kentuckians for Nursing Home Reform, a statewide advocacy organization.” View the list of nursing homes with 10 or more deficiencies.
From The Southern Illinoisan—Cuts Could Hurt Nursing Home Workers
“If proposed Medicaid cuts become a reality, more than 10 percent of the state’s nursing home employees could be out of work, the head of a state nursing home organization said Wednesday,” reports The Southern. “Pat Comstock, executive director of Health Care Council of Illinois, said a further reduction in the Medicaid rate Illinois pays to health care providers could be a crippling blow to nursing homes, and could result in the loss of 13,000 jobs. To help close the state’s $2.7 billion Medicaid funding gap, Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed a reform package that includes about an 8 percent reduction in the rate paid to providers.” Read more…
From UPI.com—Hepatits B Found in Virginia Assisted Living Centers
“Virginia health officials said hepatitis B virus infections occurred in four assisted living facilities from February 2009 to November 2011,” reports UPI.com. “A report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report said the initial acute hepatitis B virus infections were identified through routine viral hepatitis surveillance in each outbreak.” Read more…
From the Pittsburg Post-Gazette—Pennsylvania Must Rethink its Low-Income Senior Care System
“With more than 300,000 residents age 85 and over, Pennsylvania’s senior population is the largest it has ever been, and it is increasing at 10 times the rate of the rest of the population. Yet a proposed cut to the state budget would take away 4 percent of the funding — $100 million — for low-income seniors who receive at-home nursing care,” writes Ron Barth, of LeadingAge’s Pennsylvania chapter. “Pennsylvania needs to rethink how it provides services to its low-income seniors. We must abandon the old approach of continually cutting rates and hoping that care providers’ commitment to charity and stealth tax increases on private-pay residents will bail out the government.” Read more…
