Senior Living News Wire

The Food and Drug Administration is moving to tighten regulations around fecal transplants, which research has shown to be an effective treatment for Clostridium difficile infection.

The federal government is ramping up efforts to reduce the number of disabled people in nursing homes through interagency initiatives. While many disabled people have already been moved out of nursing homes, a sharper focus is needed because the aging of the baby boom generation will increase the number of seniors with disabilities, the Education Department said in a Federal Register article.

An optometrist in Kentucky defrauded Medicare and Medicaid by filing claims for nursing home care that was unnecessary or not provided, alleges a False Claims Act lawsuit recently brought by the federal government.

The second round of the Health Care Innovation Awards is now underway, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Wednesday. CMS will distribute up to $1 billion to fund projects that aim to improve care while cutting costs for the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated the online Medicare Provider Reimbursement Manual, modifying instructions related to the 2% reimbursement reductions resulting from sequestration.

Marilyn Tavenner has become the first confirmed head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in seven years. Advocates in the long-term care sector welcomed the news.

Medicare rates for physician visits to nursing homes should be frozen for 10 years as the government replaces the Sustainable Growth Rate system, a Medicare Payment Advisory Commission official advised the Senate Finance Committee.

The Hastings Center has updated its “Guidelines for Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment and Care Near the End of Life.” The original 1987 guidelines were influential.

The federal government could distribute Medicaid dollars to states more effectively by looking at data that better reflects the needs of nursing home residents and workers, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

Seniors who have insomnia are more likely to be admitted to a nursing home than those who experience quality sleep, according to a recently published study.

Long-term care organizations have responded to a report that physicians are prescribing antipsychotic medications for seniors without proper oversight from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This is hampering efforts to reduce off-label antipsychotic use for dementia care in nursing homes, according to ProPublica, which compiled the report based on a review of Medicare Part D claims.

The leaders of the Senate Finance Committee have called for healthcare providers to weigh in on possible changes to the Medicare physician payment system.

The Food and Drug Administration has officially approved Breo Ellipta, a much-anticipated new treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The Department of Labor has dismissed a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Laurie Bebo against the company she used to lead, Assisted Living Concepts, according to ALC’s recently filed quarterly results.

The House of Representatives has passed the “Working Families Flexibility Act.” The bill, H.R. 1406, would allow employers to offer paid time off in place of overtime pay, and has put healthcare providers at odds with workers’ unions.