Weekly News Wrap-Up (September 7 - September 11)

Most Hospice Services in Nursing Homes Fail to Meet Medicare Requirements, OIG Finds (McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living, September 11, 2009)
A growing number of Medicare beneficiaries are receiving hospice care in nursing facilities. But most of these services do not meet Medicare requirements. That is according to two reports from the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.

As Obama Addresses Congress Tonight, Long-Term Care Continues to Weigh In On Healthcare Reform (McKnight’s Long-Term Care News & Assisted Living, September 9, 2009)
Long-term care providers are likely to tune in tonight as President Barack Obama speaks about healthcare reform to a joint session of Congress.

Hospitals, Cities Set Example With Better Care for Less (MSNBC/The Associated Press, September 7, 2009)
Cities and health systems that provide better patient care for less money are being touted as examples for national health care reform. Geisinger Health System in Pennsylvania, for example, offers patients a flat fee for bypass surgery and a 90-day warranty; while in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a clinic opened by two competing hospitals reduced side effects and hospitalizations of patients who use blood thinners.

The National Advisory Board (NAB) was Invited to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) Annual Summit to Present “Declaration for Independence” and Discuss State Long Term Services and Supports Programs
Four members of the NAB told an audience of legislators from across the country that the NAB’s Call to Action to transform our health care system to address long term services and supports was about people, not programs. Len Kirschner, Rob Sweezy, Jane Woods and Chuck Graham spoke to the National Conference of State Legislators on a panel entitled “Transforming the Systems of Care for Seniors and People with Disabilities.” The panel was moderated by Senator Renee Unterman (GA) who also serves as the Chair of NCSLs Human Services and Welfare Committee.