For the fifth year in a row, AHCA/NCAL has been named one of The Washington Post’s Top Workplaces. New this year is association head Mark Parkinson being singled out as Top CEO in the small-employer category for 2019.

CMS says it wants to update e-prescribing standards to reduce the regulatory burden on providers and speed access to needed medications for Medicare Part D beneficiaries.

AHCA denounces a proposal from the Trump administration that would impose tariffs on Chinese-supplied critical health care products used in nursing facilities.

The partnership will facilitate improved care transitions across 140 of Consulate’s facilities with the tens of thousands of providers on the Collective Medical network.

This latest positive news extends a mini-trend that has seen SNF occupancy advances since June 2018, according to NIC.

The plan is meant to guide state government, localities, and private groups in building an age-friendly environment so that all Californians “can age with dignity and independence.”

SNFs are now at the same level as acute-care hospitals for power restoration and inclusion of nursing facilities in pre-disaster emergency planning.

Families across the country with high health care costs face a constant stream of deductibles and high co-pays, and also pay out-of-pocket for various services and devices, the coalition said.

An AHCA spokesman says the public already has access to information on Nursing Home Compare that helps them identify facilities at risk but that visiting in person is the best way to learn about a center.

CMS announces a renewed focus on nursing facility oversight, starting with posting the names of Special Focus Facilities.

A key section would eliminate the requirement that regulated health companies distribute nondiscrimination notices and “tagline” translation notices in at least 15 languages to customers.

Federal authorities want to “right size” prescription opioids through the use of blister packaging, the type of dispensing method frequently used by nursing facilities.

Final rule aims to reduce administrative burden on PACE organizations, allowing clinicians to focus more of their time on patients and less time on paperwork.

Foundation builds momentum for Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative across care continuum.

Verma says skilled nursing care is a top initiative of the agency in 2019, but delves instead into questions on Medicaid, the cost of pharmaceuticals, and her opposition to Medicare-for-All.

Long term/post-acute care advocates urge panel to include observation stay classification issue in any effort to curtail bills that cause sticker shock.

New data point to the need to prioritize policies that lower the average cost of housing and care to make the system work for more income brackets.

CMS has released a new version of the Resident Assessment Instrument User's Manual.

LATE is the name researchers are calling an Alzheimer’s-like disease that has perplexed scientists for being distinct from Alzheimer’s but similar enough to cause confusion as to its clinical characteristics.

A top pain management expert says the path forward on not only curbing the use of opioids, but also in finding the best way to treat pain for people across the care continuum is by taking a person-centered approach.

Companies accused of defrauding the federal government can receive credit, or greater leniency, if they cooperate through voluntary disclosures, says assistant attorney general.

The changes will reduce administrative burden on providers, suppliers, beneficiaries, and appeal adjudicators, agency says.