Literature Review
All posts tagged with “Post-Acute Care News | Nursing Home News.”
AARP is working to root out health care ageism
08/18/26 at 03:00 AMAARP is working to root out health care ageism AARP; by Megan O'Reilly; 7/27/26 ... In collaboration with the Gerontological Society of America, AARP launched a training program last year to help future health professionals recognize and stop age-based bias. Tested at 13 universities across the country with about 500 students, the program uses health care scenarios and practical tools that remind providers to listen first and treat people as individuals, not stereotypes. ... Additionally, AARP has pushed for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to allow Medicare to cover essential training for family caregivers. And we fought for a measure to assess hospitals’ commitment to improving care for older patients. We also collaborated with the Geriatric Emergency Department Collaborative to train ER personnel to recognize dementia symptoms. ...
A woman died while evacuating the Old Trails fire, the first known death tied to the blaze
08/18/26 at 03:00 AMA woman died while evacuating the Old Trails fire, the first known death tied to the blaze The Spokesman-Review; by Elena Perry; 8/14/26 A 73-year-old woman is dead from medical complications she suffered while evacuating a nursing home during the start of the Old Trails fire, her daughter said. In the scramble to evacuate Spokane Health and Rehabilitation on Aug. 1, resident and hospice patient Pat Speedy’s bowels ruptured, her daughter Kimberly Speedy said, likely from being wheeled in her hospital bed along the uneven terrain of the parking lot. She died on Aug. 9.
How SNF upper payment limits can hurt hospices
08/18/26 at 02:00 AMHow SNF upper payment limits can hurt hospices Hospice News; by Brandyn Simmons; 8/17/2 When it comes to healthcare — especially if it involves Medicare or Medicaid — one solution can lead to new problems. The Upper Payment Limit (UPL) program is no exception to this rule. Across the spectrum in healthcare, Medicaid reimbursements have typically been inadequate in covering all expenses for patient care. This is where the UPL comes in. Under this initiative, providers such as skilled nursing facilities (SNF) can receive a gap payment through Medicare to make up the difference. While this is a boon for SNFs, this can become a major headache for many hospice companies across the United States. ...
Who should palliative care see? Diane Meier, Bob Arnold, and Justin Sanders
08/17/26 at 03:00 AMWho should palliative care see? Diane Meier, Bob Arnold, and Justin Sanders GeriPal; by Alex Smith; 8/13/26 As Diane Meier remarks to start today’s podcast, palliative care has come a long way from the days when we were the “brink of death” consult. We’re seeing patients earlier and earlier in the course of illness. In fact, the evidence base for specialist palliative care is arguably stronger in the outpatient setting than the inpatient setting. In some ways, as Eric remarked, we are a victim of our own success. We’ve pushed on the boundaries of seeing patients earlier in the course of illness, we’ve demonstrated remarkable value to our colleagues and health systems: now they want us to see more and more patients, with conditions we would not have previously considered core to palliative care practice. Our guests modeled respectful disagreement, and we were somewhat surprised that there was more agreement than we expected.
Palliative care consults for the oldest-old: A retrospective study of referral patterns, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes
08/13/26 at 03:00 AMPalliative care consults for the oldest-old: A retrospective study of referral patterns, patient characteristics, and clinical outcomes Geriatric Nursing; by John Cameron, Kalli Stilos, Anita Chakraborty; 8/11/26Objective: This study describes the characteristics and outcomes of patients aged 90 and older (the oldest-old) receiving inpatient palliative care consultation at a tertiary care hospital, to identify gaps and opportunities to improve care. ... Conclusion: Referrals for specialist palliative care in the oldest-old occur late in hospitalization, predominantly among those with non-cancer illnesses and poor functional status. Systemic changes, including the use of prognostication tools and enhanced collaboration between geriatric and palliative care services, are needed. Nurses are pivotal in advocating for earlier advance care planning (ACP) and identifying patients who would benefit from timely palliative integration to ensure goal-concordant care.
Opportunities for improving end-of-life care for veterans receiving hospice in community nursing homes
08/08/26 at 03:10 AMNew York imposes six-month moratorium on new home care agencies, adding to national trend
08/05/26 at 03:00 AMNew York imposes six-month moratorium on new home care agencies, adding to national trendMcKnights Home Care; by John Roszkowski; 8/3/26New York has become the latest state to impose a temporary moratorium on new Medicaid enrollments for home care agencies, joining a growing number of states and the federal government that have imposed similar moratoria amid concerns over fraud and waste. New York has become the latest state to impose a temporary moratorium on new Medicaid enrollments for home care agencies, joining a growing number of states and the federal government that have imposed similar moratoria amid concerns over fraud and waste.
Why traditional primary care fails frail elders and the future need for specialized models | part two
08/03/26 at 12:00 AMWhy traditional primary care fails frail elders and the future need for specialized models | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Bethany Snider; 7/29/26 Traditional primary care wasn't designed for today's frail elders—and that gap may be one of healthcare's greatest challenges. As America's population ages, healthcare leaders face an urgent question: Is the traditional primary care model enough to care for frail older adults with complex medical, functional, and social needs? In Part One of this thought-provoking conversation, Chris Comeaux welcomes Dr. Bethany Snider, Chief Medical Officer of Everent Health, to explore why the future of serious illness care requires a fundamentally different approach. Together, they unpack the emerging concept of the frail elder practice—a longitudinal, interdisciplinary model that extends beyond office visits to meet patients where they are, both physically and emotionally.
Western Mass nursing home operator ordered to pay $2.1M
07/30/26 at 03:00 AMWestern Mass nursing home operator ordered to pay $2.1M Athol Daily News, Athol, MA; by Domenic Poli; 7/29/26 The co-founder of the limited liability company that owns two western Massachusetts nursing homes will be forced to compensate lenders $2.1 million after being found liable for fraud, breach of contract and violations of consumer protection law. A Middlesex County Superior Court jury determined after an eight-day trial that Joseph Cuzzupoli, who co-founded Blupoint Healthcare, persuaded Bradley Balter and his business, Arrakis Holdings LLC, to extend loans based on numerous fraudulent misrepresentations. ... Balter and Arrakis Holdings LLC sued Cuzzupoli, seeking declaratory relief and damages for breach of contract, unjust enrichment, fraud and consumer protection law violations in connection with unpaid loans extended to certain nursing homes and a hospice business that Cuzzupoli controlled.
Why traditional primary care fails frail elders and the future need for specialized models | part one
07/30/26 at 03:00 AMWhy traditional primary care fails frail elders and the future need for specialized models | part one Teleios Collaborative Network (TCN); podcast hosted by Chris Comeaux with Dr. Bethany Snider; 7/29/26 Traditional primary care wasn't designed for today's frail elders—and that gap may be one of healthcare's greatest challenges. As America's population ages, healthcare leaders face an urgent question: Is the traditional primary care model enough to care for frail older adults with complex medical, functional, and social needs? In Part One of this thought-provoking conversation, Chris Comeaux welcomes Dr. Bethany Snider, Chief Medical Officer of Everent Health, to explore why the future of serious illness care requires a fundamentally different approach. Together, they unpack the emerging concept of the frail elder practice—a longitudinal, interdisciplinary model that extends beyond office visits to meet patients where they are, both physically and emotionally.
At and end-of-life care home, a young cancer survivor finds his calling
07/29/26 at 03:00 AMAt and end-of-life care home, a young cancer survivor finds his calling The Buffalo News, Buffalo, NY; by Jon Harris; 7/28/26 Seated in the chapel at Sloan Comfort Care Home, 22-year-old Evan Folsom reflected on what working at the end-of-life facility has meant to him. "The Home did come at the right time for me," said Folsom, hours after finishing an overnight shift there, and a day before taking the daylong Medical College Admission Test. Folsom survived a brain tumor as a toddler and spent years recovering. That alone shaped an interest in medicine. ... His work at Sloan Comfort Care Home helped him come to terms with certain issues and fueled his interest in studying the complex moral and ethical questions that arise in medicine. So he took a "shot in the dark" and applied to Harvard Medical School's Master of Science in Bioethics program, along with a few other schools. He got into all of them but chose Harvard because Boston holds a special full-circle meaning for him. Massachusetts General Hospital, the largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, is where he received treatment as a toddler. "Harvard was specifically deep for me, because that's kind of where my journey started," he said. Folsom leaves for Boston on Aug. 1 ...
What does Medicare actually cover in a best-rated memory care facility?
07/23/26 at 03:00 AMWhat does Medicare actually cover in a best-rated memory care facility?U.S. News & World Report; by Vanessa Cacers; 7/21/26 |Memory care facilities offer a safe, supportive environment for those with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, but care can be costly. Learn what memory care services Medicare will pay for. |Key Takeaways
Restarting medications after deprescribing in adults discharged from hospital to skilled nursing
07/18/26 at 03:35 AMRestarting medications after deprescribing in adults discharged from hospital to skilled nursingJAMA Network Open; by Thomas J. Reese, Sandra F. Simmons, Eduard E. Vasilevskis, Emily K. Hollingsworth, Matthew S. Shotwell, Amanda S. Mixon; 6/26Question: Among older adults discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) after hospital-initiated deprescribing, what is the frequency and timing of medication restarts ...? In this cohort study analyzing data from 2 randomized trials with a total of 598 participants, 15.9% of deprescribed medications were restarted. Higher health literacy and longer intervention exposure were associated with fewer restarts, whereas more prescribers, higher number of baseline medications, and fewer pharmacies were associated with medication restarts; restart during the SNF stay was associated with greater 90-day hospital readmissions. Conclusions: In this cohort study, approximately 1 in 6 deprescribed medications were restarted within 90 days, with nearly half occurring soon after SNF discharge. Patient factors and markers of care fragmentation were associated with restart, suggesting that enhancing transitional care and postdischarge support may improve the durability of hospital-initiated deprescribing.
Savings in Medicare hospice payments for care provided in nursing homes
07/16/26 at 03:00 AMSavings in Medicare hospice payments for care provided in nursing homes U.S. HHS-OIG; Project Number OEI-02-26-00180; 7/15/26 The fixed daily rates that Medicare pays hospices for routine home care provided in a nursing home include personal care services. However, nursing homes are already required to provide personal care services to their residents. Paying the hospice the full routine home care rate that covers personal care services when these services are already required from the nursing home can undermine the efficiency of Medicare payments and add to the incentives that bad actors have to exploit the program. This review will determine Medicare payments for routine home care provided to hospice beneficiaries in nursing homes, estimate potential cost savings from reducing the payment to address the inefficiency in the payment structure, and examine practices of hospices with a high percentage of their beneficiaries in nursing homes.
After Nebraska sanctions and federal charges, Iowa nurse surrenders license
07/08/26 at 03:00 AMAfter Nebraska sanctions and federal charges, Iowa nurse surrenders license Iowa Capital Dispatch; by Clark Kauffman; 7/7/26 Almost two years after the State of Nebraska revoked a nurse’s ability to practice there for posing a “significant risk to public safety,” Iowa’s Board of Nursing has agreed to accept the nurse’s surrender of her license to practice in Iowa. The decision by the Iowa board comes after Brandy Wicks, a registered nurse from Treynor, was accused of stealing patient medications from a hospital, a home-hospice program and at least two nursing homes, and after her indictment on 11 federal criminal charges.
Medicare Advantage insurers deny prior authorization requests for post acute care at substantially higher rates than the overall denial rate
07/07/26 at 03:00 AMMedicare Advantage insurers deny prior authorization requests for post acute care at substantially higher rates than the overall denial rate KFF; by Jeannie Fuglesten Biniek, Meredith Freed, and Juliette Cubanski; 7/6/26 The OIG recently published two reports finding that Medicare Advantage insurers deny more than half of all prior authorization requests for the most expensive types of post-acute care, including 65% of requests for stays in long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and 54% of requests for stays in inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), as well as 12% of requests for stays in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
Nurse perceptions of end-of-life care quality across long-term care, home, and social model hospice home settings: A qualitative descriptive study
06/27/26 at 03:00 AMNurse perceptions of end-of-life care quality across long-term care, home, and social model hospice home settings: A qualitative descriptive studyAmerican Journal of Hospice & Palliative Care; by Helen Mavis Farrar, Kelley Easterling Scott; 5/26This qualitative descriptive study explored nursing perspectives on end-of-life care quality across 3 distinct community settings: long-term care facilities, patients' homes, and social model hospice homes. Nurses provide most of the direct end-of-life care in these settings, yet their perspectives remain understudied. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 licensed nurses who had provided end-of-life care across all 3 settings. Analysis revealed 4 major themes: (1) setting-based care disparities, (2) nurses as educators and translators, (3) mediation of caregiver burden across settings, and (4) relationship-based care as foundational for peaceful deaths. Care setting profoundly influenced these nurses' ability to deliver quality end-of-life care.
Olio and WeCare Centers raise the bar for transitions of care across Western Pennsylvania and New York
06/17/26 at 03:00 AMOlio and WeCare Centers raise the bar for transitions of care across Western Pennsylvania and New York BusinessWire, Indianapolis, IN; Press Release; 6/16/26 Olio announces a new partnership with WeCare Centers, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation operator with nine facilities primarily across Western Pennsylvania. Known for its commitment to compassionate, high-quality care, WeCare is adding Olio to bring the same rigor to what happens after a patient leaves the building. The partnership gives WeCare the infrastructure to formalize its outbound referral workflows, gain post-discharge visibility into home health and hospice partner performance, and demonstrate to payer and hospital partners a consistent, outcomes-driven approach across the full continuum.
Stakeholder perspectives on integrating ADEPT into end-of-life care for nursing home residents with dementia: A qualitative descriptive study
06/13/26 at 03:20 AMStakeholder perspectives on integrating ADEPT into end-of-life care for nursing home residents with dementia: A qualitative descriptive studyInternational Journal of Older People Nursing; by Susanny J Beltran, Latarsha Chisholm, Emily Jaijairam; 5/26Nursing homes care for a significant proportion of individuals with advanced dementia, yet timely hospice referrals remain a challenge. The Advanced Dementia Prognostic Tool (ADEPT) is a mortality risk score instrument that holds promise for improving care planning by providing a standardised, accessible method for identifying residents at risk of death within 6 months. Current processes for identifying hospice-eligible residents rely on regular assessments and interdisciplinary collaboration but reveal significant gaps, including delays in referrals and inconsistent practices. Participants viewed ADEPT as a promising tool to complement goals-of-care conversations and enhance care planning, rather than exclusively triggering hospice initiation. Implementation barriers included the need for electronic system integration, regulatory compliance and staff education, while facilitators encompassed strong leadership support, interdisciplinary coordination and alignment with existing workflows.
National HealthCare Corp. closes 5-SNF, $50.5M acquisition
06/10/26 at 03:00 AMNational HealthCare Corp. closes 5-SNF, $50.5M acquisition McKnights Senior Living; by Kathleen Steele Gaivin; 6/7/26 National HealthCare Corp. and its affiliates have closed on the previously announced $50.5 million purchase of five skilled nursing facilities from National Health Corp., the Murfreesboro, TN-based company announced Thursday [6/5/26]. ... Four of the SNFs are in Tennessee, and the other is in South Carolina.
Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center partners with Hospice & Palliative Care
06/08/26 at 03:00 AMSunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center partners with Hospice & Palliative Care PRLOG - Press Release Distribution, Buffalo, NY; by Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center; 6/5/26 Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Boonville, NY, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Hospice & Palliative Care, enhancing the level of care and support available to residents facing life-limiting illnesses. This collaboration introduces comprehensive hospice services within Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, ... Sunset Nursing & Rehabilitation Center provides post-hospital rehabilitation, skilled nursing care and respite care. Hospice & Palliative Care delivers specialized hospice services and is the sole provider of hospice services in Boonville, NY.
First do no harm: communication surrounding non-beneficial treatments
06/01/26 at 03:00 AMFirst do no harm: communication surrounding non-beneficial treatments American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine; by Cassie Stanzler, MD, Adam Marks, MD, MPH, and Laura Taylor, MD, MSc; 5/21/26 Despite a consensus in the medical community that clinicians should not offer non-beneficial treatments (NBTs) to their patients, little guidance exists on the particular communication needs around this fraught topic. While intended in the spirit of non-maleficence, setting limits around NBTs can be seen by patients and families as abandonment, resulting in conflict. In this paper, we propose a framework to guide Palliative Care clinicians in communicating about these complex issues with patients and families. ... Our framework emphasizes proactive relationship building with patients and families, close attention to their values, and compassionate limit-setting when medically appropriate.
Signs it’s time for in-home healthcare: 11 warning signs
05/29/26 at 03:00 AMSigns it’s time for in-home healthcare: 11 warning signs U.S. News & World Report News; by Barbara Sadick; 5/27/26
Klamath Hospice honors older Americans with 4th annual Senior Awareness Fair
05/27/26 at 03:00 AMKlamath Hospice honors older Americans with 4th annual Senior Awareness Fair Herald and News, Klamath Falls, OR; by Courtney Neubauer; 5/22/26 Booths lined the walkways of the Klamath Hospice walking paths while a local musician played tunes, and many grabbed a hot dog and a bag of chips to mark the fourth annual Senior Awareness Fair. This event, organized by Klamath Hospice and Palliative Care, featured roughly 40 community booths offering resources and services to seniors and their families. ... This year’s theme, Champion Your Health, encourages older adults to take action to support their health and prevent health issues, advocate for their needs, and make informed choices that support their well-being.
Hospitality exec brings hotel playbook to senior living, hits 97% occupancy
05/24/26 at 02:20 AMHospitality exec brings hotel playbook to senior living, hits 97% occupancy Pacific Business News, Hawaii; by Cathy Cruz-George; 5/14/26 Mark Tsuda had three decades of hospitality experience when he joined the opening team of Ilima at Leihano, a luxury senior living community in Kapolei, in 2016. He previously was a regional executive for Aston Hotels & Resorts, ... Ilima at Leihano - which provides independent living, assisted living and memory care - has held an occupancy rate of between 95% and 97% over the past six years, supported by 92 employees who balance hotel-style services with healthcare needs and recreation. ... If a resident is in hospice, they can stay with us. Hospice is outsourced to local providers like Malama Ola and Island Hospice, ...