Aging News Alert
Arizona
New Centers to Focus on Chronic Disease
Funds will establish specialized Transdisciplinary Collaborative Centers (TCCs) for health disparities research focused on chronic disease prevention. The emphasis will be on developing, implementing and disseminating community-based multilevel interventions.
Tempe-based CCRC Embraces Hi-Tech with New CIO
At one retirement community in Tempe, AZ, technology is more than an amenity; it’s a way of life.
Grandbridge Facilitates $21.2M Seniors Housing Acquisition
Located in the Phoenix MSA, the community will provide for aging in place with a mix of independent living, assisted living and memory care and will offer residents numerous amenities that include an on-site salon, spa with massage services, library, fitness classes, private dining room and additional common room amenities.
UnitedHealthcare Supports Program for Aging Victims of Domestic Violence
UnitedHealthcare donates $5,000 to support DOVES, an Area Agency on Aging transitional housing program for older victims of domestic violence in Maricopa County, AZ.
REIT Acquires Arkansas-based Assisted Living Facility
CNL Lifestyle Properties Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), has acquired Culpepper Place of Fayetteville, a senior housing community in Fayetteville, AR, from an affiliate of Foster Hospitality Group for $14 million.
'Laughter Yoga' Helps Seniors Cope With Age-Related Issues
These unique classes have proven to be an effective and creative way to reduce depression, ease aches and pains, and improve memory and mobility.
Phoenix Uses Nutrition Newsletter To Educate Seniors
The city of Phoenix has launched a nutrition education online newsletter aimed helping its limited staff better assist some 15 senior centers and the estimated 1,200 homebound seniors they serve with improving their diets and quality of life.
Arizona's Managed Care Plan for 'Dual Eligibles' Performs Better Than Medicare
Arizona's Mercy Care Plan, a plan managed by Aetna, performs better than Medicare fee-for-service for "dual eligibles" across four key measures, say the authors of a new study.
Phoenix Using Nutrition Newsletter To Better Educate Seniors
Topics covered in the monthly publication include the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables, heart health, dietary recommendations, portion control, physical activity, sun safety, hydration, food safety, and fighting bacteria. Other information provided includes healthy living tips, exercise programs, games, recipes and activity ideas.
Firm Welcomes Newly Appointed Marketing Exec
Kirby Wadsworth brings more than two decades of marketing and industry experience to Limelight Networks, including over 10 years in executive marketing roles at both public and private companies.
New Home Care Branch Helps AZ Seniors Maintain Freedom
Finding the right balance between family and work is always tough, and adding the need to care for aging loved ones can tip the scales toward disaster, despite the best of intentions. This dilemma is all too familiar a situation to Mridula Wittke, who has
(ARIZONA) Budget Hearings to Focus on Cuts to Medicaid, Higher Education
Arizona lawmakers will hold public hearings this week on key aspects of Gov. Jan Brewer's (R) proposed budget, including potential cuts to Arizona's public universities and the state's Medicaid program.
(BITS & PIECES) Aging-Related News Briefs From Around The Nation
Presented here is aging-related news briefs from around the nation -- this week featuring Arizona, California, Kansas, Michigan, and New Jersey.
(MENTAL HEALTH) Company's Unique Business Plan Includes Behavioral Healthcare for Seniors
Haven Behavioral Healthcare (HBH), based in Nashville, TN, is a senior-centered behavioral health company specializing in care for a demographic disproportionately affected by mental and emotional issues. Founded in 2006 by CEO Vernon Westrich, the company has facilities in Tennessee and five more states -- Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia -- and recently received funding from private equity groups interested in helping it expand its unique business model.
Medicare to Test Pay Incentives to Improve Care in Nursing Homes
Officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) are about to launch a new, four-state demonstration to determine if cash incentives will improve the quality of care and efficiency of operations in nursing homes. Nursing homes in Arizona, Mississippi, New York and Wisconsin will be asked to participate.
Open Door Forum Set for Nursing Home Value Purchasing Demo
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) has scheduled a Special Open Door Forum on Nursing Home Value Based Purchasing Demonstration for Monday, April 6, from 2-4 p.m. ET. The primary audience for this call is Medicare certified nursing homes from the states that have been selected to host the demonstration: Arizona, Mississippi, New York and Wisconsin.
Campgrounds, RV Resorts Catering to 'Snowbirds' Report 2009 Business Consistent with 2008
The continuing allure of private parks is good news for many Sunbelt cities, whose economies thrive on the annual influx of winter visitors, though some seniors have cut back on meals out and other expenses. With a volatile stock market and a daily barrage of negative economic reports, one might expect "snowbirds" -- i.e., retirees in northern states -- to forego their annual trek south to private campgrounds and RV resorts across the Sunbelt.
Campgrounds, RV Resorts Catering to 'Snowbirds' Report 2009 Business Consistent with 2008
The continuing allure of private parks is good news for many Sunbelt cities, whose economies thrive on the annual influx of winter visitors, though some seniors have cut back on meals out and other expenses. With a volatile stock market and a daily barrag
CMS Launches Medicare Personal Health Record Pilot Program
This pilot program is intended to offer beneficiaries with original Medicare the opportunity to choose one of the personal health record (PHR) products offered by the companies selected for the pilot. PHRs will allow beneficiaries to maintain their health record information electronically, and Medicare will add claims data directly to the PHRs for this pilot.
Boomers Ready To Serve, AARP Research Shows
In an effort to better understand the civic behaviors and attitudes of Americans and to help ground the research in the stories and perspectives of the boomer and silent generations, AARP commissioned a series of focus groups and a nationally representative survey of Americans ages 44-79 ("Experienced Americans").
This Is National Adult Immunization Awareness Week
This week, Sept. 21-27, is National Adult Immunization Awareness Week. This annual health observance is a great opportunity to promote the importance of adult immunizations. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds healthcare professionals that Medicare Part B reimburses healthcare providers who accept the Medicare-approved payment amount for influenza, pneumococcal, and hepatitis B vaccines and their administration.
Research Shows Physical Therapy Effective As Arthroscopic Knee Surgery
A new study questioning the usefulness of arthroscopic surgery for osteoarthritis of the knee should encourage patients to consider physical therapy as an effective non-surgical option, according to the American Physical Therapy Association. The study was published in the Sept. 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Senate Aging Panel Scrutinizes Medicare Call Centers
Officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have made substantial progress in serving Medicare recipients, but there is much to be improved, says Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR), ranking minority member of the Special Committee Aging. Smith made the observation Thursday (Sept. 10) at a hearing of the panel. He based his view on the results of a three-and-a-half-year (still ongoing) investigation by his staff.
Vitamin B12 May Protect The Brain In Old Age
Vitamin B12, a nutrient found in meat, fish and milk, may protect against brain volume loss in older people, according to a study published in the Sept. 9 issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. For the study, 107 people between the ages of 61 and 87 underwent brain scans, memory testing and physical exams. Researchers also collected blood samples to check vitamin B12 levels. Brain scans and memory tests were also performed again five years later.
ASA, BFA Seek Nominations For Business & Aging Awards
The American Society on Aging (ASA), in conjunction with its Business Forum on Aging, is now soliciting nominations for its 20th annual Business and Aging Awards. The awards recognize for-profit companies for exemplary programs and services that meet the needs of older people and their families, expand public awareness of the private sector's increasing involvement with older adults and create performance models for other companies to emulate.
Medicare Advantage May Not Equal Advantage In Quality Of Care
One of the arguments espoused by Medicare Advantage (MA) plan proponents is that MA plans are able to coordinate the healthcare services of beneficiaries in their plans and therefore ensure that beneficiaries receive more appropriate care. However, comparisons of the health outcomes of beneficiaries enrolled in MA plans with those in traditional Medicare have not demonstrated that MA plans provide better health care than traditional Medicare, say analysts at the Washington, DC-based Center for Medicare Advocacy.
ACEP: McCain Advisor’s Statement On Americans’ ER Access ‘Irresponsible’
The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is lambasting an assertion by John Goodman, presumptive GOP presidential candidate John McCain’s health policy advisor, that anyone with access to an emergency department effectively has health insurance, and called his logic flawed and his statement irresponsible toward all patients, insured and uninsured alike.
Low Levels Of Brain Chemical May Lead To Obesity, NIH Study Shows
A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition.
Nursing Home Industry to Receive $1.5 Billion Overpayment in 2009
Yielding to intense lobbying by the nursing home industry, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is giving skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), nursing homes that provide nursing and rehabilitative services to Medicare beneficiaries recovering from a hospital stay, a two-part rate increase worth more than $1.5 billion next year.
Alternative Vaccine Strategy Shows Promise In Prostate Cancer Patients
New research indicates that giving patients a continuous low dose of an immune system booster, a method known as metronomic dosing, as part of a therapeutic prostate cancer vaccine strategy is safe and produces similar immune responses and fewer side effects than the more common dosing method, which is not well tolerated by many patients.
More Boomers Turning To Nutrition For Good Eye Health
Nutrition's role in eye health has become a topic of conversation, no doubt correlating at least somewhat with the aging of the baby boomers. It is believed the natural aging process with its attendance oxidative stresses plays the major role in the progressive degeneration of vision as we age. And with the increase in rates of obesity and the resulting increased incidence of type-2 diabetes comes another eye health issue: diabetic retinopathy.
Pilot Program Saves $700 Million In Improper Medicare Payments, Report Says
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is trumpeting a new report offering fresh evidence that the recovery audit contractors pilot program is successfully identifying improper payments. The findings will also help the agency improve the program as it is expanded nationwide within two years, CMS officials say.
Senate Passes Controversial Medicare Bill With Physicians' Pay Fix
The Senate on Wednesday voted 69-30 to pass (by a veto-proof margin) the Medicare Improvements for Patients & Providers Act (HR 6331). The bill prevents a controversial 10.6% cut in payments to doctors who care for seniors in Medicare -- providing them instead with a 1.1% pay increase -- and improves access to care for low-income seniors.
Thousands Struck Down By Summer Heat; Mostly Poor, Elderly
About 6,200 Americans are hospitalized each summer due to excessive heat, and those at highest risk are poor, uninsured and/or elderly, according to the latest numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. About 180 people who were hospitalized for heat exposure died in 2005, the AHRQ analysis shows.
Funding Available For Roybal Centers for Translational Research On Aging
The National Institute on Aging is inviting applications using the NIH Research and Development Core Center Grant (P30) award mechanism to support Edward R. Roybal Centers for Translation Research in the Behavioral and Social Sciences of Aging. NIA expects to make 8-12 awards totaling $3.6 million total costs in the first year, and $18 million total costs over the 5-year project period. Deadline for applications is Oct. 31.
Effort Underway To Help Beneficiaries Lower Costs For DME
Nearly 4 million people with Medicare living in 10 communities across the nation will receive information about a new program aimed at lowering their costs for certain medical equipment and supplies by changing how Medicare pays for these items. CMS will begin mailing letters on the new program, which begins July 1, to beneficiaries later this month.
Analysis Finds 16% Cost Increase For Enrollees In Top Medicare Drug Plans
Average monthly premiums for enrollees in the 10 most popular Medicare prescription drug plans increased by 16% in 2008, finds an Avalere Health enrollment-weighted analysis of Part D data.
Survey Reveals How 45+ Are Coping With Down Economy
More than 80% of Americans aged 45+ say the economy is in fairly bad or very bad condition, and many of them are responding by postponing retirement, cutting back on their medications or taking money out of their 401(k) plans early.
CMS Moves To Shield Beneficiaries From Bogus Marketing; Action Draws Criticism
CMS' proposal to provide "enhanced protections" for beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare Advantage health plans and Medicare prescription drug plans is drawing fire from consumer advocates who say the agency's actions don't go far enough.
CMS Proposes New Payment Rates For Skilled Nursing Facilities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has unveiled a proposal for what it describes as "new, more accurate FY 2009 payment rates for Medicare skilled nursing facilities that more closely reflect differences in patient care needs." In essence, the new rates will mean fewer dollars for skilled nursing facilities in the coming year.
Senators Push Bill To Exempt Certain Rehab Services From CMS Bidding Program
Sens. Tim Johnson (D-SD), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) are pushing proposed legislation that would exempt complex rehabilitative services from the new Medicare equipment bidding program.
Senate Bill To Block Medicaid Cuts Gets 'Fast Track' Status
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has approved "fast-track" status for legislation that would block for one year seven new regulations the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is trying to implement.
Seniors, Minorities Seen Having Largest Impact On Tomorrow's America
The demographic patterns of older Americans and certain ethnic groups will have greater effects on the country's socioeconomic outlook than previously thought.
AZ Youths Partner With Retired Boomers On Unique Project
An intergenerational recycling business is built around a partnership with retired baby boomers working with teens to run a business and help the community by keeping the landfills clean from toxic wastes.
Conrad Pushes Legislation to Expand Medicare Telehealth Program
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND) has introduced legislation aimed at improving the Medicare telehealth program. The proposed Medicare Telehealth Improvement Act of 2008 (S 2812) would expand Medicare reimbursement for telemedicine in several ways.
McCain Proposes Higher Medicare Drug Benefit Premiums for Some Beneficiaries
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (AR-AZ) on Tuesday during a speech at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Mellon University said he plans to push a legislative proposal that would require higher-income Medicare beneficiaries to pay higher monthly premiums for the Part D prescription drug benefit.
Firms Team To Implement Senior Risk Reduction Demo Project
HealthFitness is working with Pfizer Health Solutions as part of a three-year Senior Risk Reduction Demonstration project designed specifically for the senior population.
CMS Moves To Lower Number Of Yearly Drug Plan Reassignments
CMS issues a final regulation that could allow nearly 1 million Medicare beneficiaries with limited income and resources to remain in the Medicare prescription drug plan in which they are enrolled without having to pay a premium.
Aging Experts to Convene In Philadelphia
To help you better serve your senior clientele, the National Aging in Place Council has assembled an impressive group of aging experts to discuss current trends.
Educational Effort Underway on Genetic Testing for Dosing Wafarin
A new educational effort focused on improving the safety and reducing the complications of a life-saving heart drug is being launched by the American Medical Association and the Critical Path Institute as part of an ongoing program to support personalized medicine.
Stenting, Photodynamic Therapy Improves Survival in Late Stage Liver Cancer Patients
A combined therapeutic approach of stenting and photodynamic therapy may improve survival rates for patients suffering from advanced liver bile duct cancer, according to a new study.
Groups Press CMS on Drug Coverage For Low-Income People
Nineteen groups that advocate on behalf of people with Medicare are telling the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that the agency's approach to preventing certain Medicare beneficiaries from having to change their Medicare drug plans will not work.
No Country For Grumpy Old Men? Maybe ... Maybe Not
It's one thing to wonder whether Americans are ready to elect a woman or an African-American to the presidency. But the more relative question is whether Americans are ready to elect a grumpy old white man.
Governors To Tackle Long-Term Care At Winter Meeting
The nation's governors will discuss the future of long-term care and the challenges and opportunities facing states during the upcoming National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting, which convenes later this week.
PBGC Unveils New Investment Policy
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation has adopted a new diversified investment policy to help ensure the federal insurance program can meet its long-term obligations to America's retirees.
Lung Transplant Gives New Life To 75-Year Old Veteran Actor
Before he received a transplanted lung at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2000, actor Wayne Tippit, 75, worked hard to keep his pulmonary condition a secret.
CMS Broadens List of Poor Quality Nursing Homes in U.S.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is once again making public more names of underperforming nursing homes across the country.
Report: Most Innovative Policy Work on Aging Happening at State Level
With a new understanding of the upside of the aging baby boom generation, leaders of several state governments are taking the initiative to develop policies and programs that make the best use of boomer experience.
Challenges Exist in Delivering Key Components of End-of-Life Care
In 1999, approximately 28% of all Medicare spending was used to provide care for beneficiaries in the last year of their lives, finds a new report released by the Government Accountability Office.
Group Says Study on Independent Pharmacy Reimbursements Will
"This report will raise eyebrows among policymakers who have been led to believe that independent pharmacists were in dire straits because of the Medicare drug benefit," says PCMA President and CEO Mark Merritt.
New Aging-Related Resources on the Web
Aging News Alert offers a quick update of the newest aging-related resources on the Internet.
Congress Will Look at Medicare Pay Cuts First Half of 2008
Congress is likely to tackle Medicare issues during the first half of 2008, Capitol Hill sources tell us.
Depression Seen Hardest on the Elderly
"Depression kills not just through suicide," says Barry Lebowitz, director of treatment research at the National Institute of Mental Health.
Targeting Caregivers: How to Help Them Help Their Loved One
An estimated 34 million Americans provide care for a family member or friend aged 50+, according to AARP. Many of these caregivers are themselves over 50. And their help is not just hands-on, but also from the wallet.
Livable Communities Awards
AARP and the National Association of Home Builders announced that two builders, two developers and one remodeler will receive the groups' co-sponsored 2007 Livable Communities Award for forward thinking in the field of home and community design.
Podcast Explores Home Care Provider's Experiences in West Coast Fires
A major provider of at-home care for seniors, makes available, free of charge, a new episode of "The Senior Care Podcast" focusing on emergency planning.
MedPAC Draft Recommends Pay Freeze for Nursing Facilities, Home Health Providers
MedPAC has sent draft recommendations to Congress calling for a freeze on reimbursement rates for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies in 2009.
Social Security, Medicare Blog and Website Win National Honors
The Assn. of Marketing & Communications Professionals honors the National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare for its website and blog, citing NCPSSM for outstanding achievement among public service and charitable organizations.
HUD Awards Grants to Convert Multifamily Projects into Assisted Living Facilities
New York: Residents of seven states will find themselves living in upgraded apartments more equipped to meet their physical needs thanks to more than $22.2 million in grants from the Housing & Urban Development Dept. (HUD). On Oct. 31, HUD Deputy Secretary Roy Bernardi unveiled HUD's Assisted Li...
Cities Earn AARP's Seal of Approval
AARP The Magazine has unveiled its top five places to live and retire--as well as the top four places to watch--based on their atmosphere and services for residents aged 50+.
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