Tuesday, May 09, 2006

CMS To Reduce Medicare Reimbursements To Long-Term Care Hospitals By 3.7% In July. CMS on Tuesday said that Medicare reimbursements to long-term care hospitals will decrease by an estimated 3.7% in July, rather than 11% as previously proposed, CQ HealthBeat reports (CQ HealthBeat, 5/2). In January, CMS proposed a regulation that would reduce Medicare reimbursements for "short-stay outliers," or beneficiaries who stay at LTCHs for relatively short periods of time... click link for more info. [Medical News Today RSS/XML Feed] 6:42:17 AM    comment [] Social Mealtimes Boost Wellbeing Of Nursing Home Residents. Providing a convivial and social environment at mealtimes improves the quality of life of nursing home residents, finds a study published on bmj.com today.Residents of nursing homes not only face physical deterioration but also loss of independence, privacy, and a familiar environment. These factors lead to high levels of loneliness and depression and a low perceived quality of life... click link for more info. [Medical News Today RSS/XML Feed] 6:38:25 AM    comment [] [Health Tracking] National Trends In Adult Hospice Use: 1991-1992 To 1999-2000. This study examines hospice use among adult hospice patients based on the 1992–2000 National Home and Hospice Care Surveys, the 1997–1999 National Nursing Home Surveys, and the 1991–2000 annual Underlying and Multiple Cause-of-Death Files. The total number of adult hospice patients tripled between 1991–1992 and 1999–2000. The majority of inpatient hospice patients resided in nursing homes. The increased hospice utilization rates and increased percentage of adult hospice patients with short stays in hospice indicate changes in hospice enrollment patterns over time. Hospice is still in the process of growing toward a steady state. [Health Affairs recent issues] 6:37:30 AM    comment []

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