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On Friday, April 10, CMS issued its new interpretive guidelines for state surveyors. These guidelines provide surveyors with detailed information on how to assess nursing home compliance with OBRA 1987 regulations, which cover issues related to physical environment, resident rights, and resident health and safety.

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PHI reported last fall (“Missouri Passes Quality Home Care Act,” November 6, 2008) that Missouri voters had overwhelmingly passed a measure to create a Quality Home Care Council, which would run a statewide registry of home care workers, coordinate backup services, offer training, and negotiate with workers over wages and benefits if they chose to [...]

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Supporters of a bill that would transform Maine’s long-term care system by directing more state money toward home-based care rallied for a news conference at Maine’s State House on Monday, April 6. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Matt Peterson, D-Rumford, and a bi-partisan list of co-sponsors. Its supporters include Maine’s AARP, the Office of [...]

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This week, the Massachusetts House released a budget proposal that “includes steep cuts in nearly every area” (“House budget cuts local aid, avoids tax hikes,” The Boston Globe, April 15), including serious cuts to home care. In an email to members of the Massachusetts Council for Home Care Aide Services, Lisa Gurgone, the organization’s executive [...]

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On April 15, the Department of Health and Human Services named Henry Claypool as director of the HHS Office on Disability. In his new position, Claypool “will serve as the primary advisor to the HHS Secretary on disability policy and will oversee the implementation of all HHS programs and initiatives pertaining to Americans with disabilities.”

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In their special design issue last month, Long Term Living featured an article titled “Everyone has a Voice in Environmental Upgrades” about the culture change efforts of Isabella Geriatric Center in New York City, a 705-bed skilled nursing facility located in two high-rise buildings in northern Manhattan. PHI has played a significant role in the [...]

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