Text Size
Current Size: 100%
Broward, Miami-Date & Palm Beach County Home Health Care Agency Updates
04-29-2012
Health department reorganization now is law
Christine Jordan Sexton, 4/27/2012
www.thefloridacurrent.com
Over the objections of Florida public health officials and environmentalists, Gov. Rick Scott on Friday signed HB 1263 ... more
04-28-2012
Individuals who buy coverage directly from a health insurer are often denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition during a process called medical underwriting, which assesses an applicant’s health status and other risk factors.
Beginning ... more
04-28-2012
Tallahassee, Fla. – Today, April 27, 2012, Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed Dr. John H. Armstrong M.D. to serve as State Surgeon General and Secretary of the Florida Department of Health. He will assume this role on May 23, 2012.
“ ... more
04-25-2012
Tallahassee, Fla. — As a result of Governor Scott’s signing of House Bill 943, the Agency for Health Care Administration (Agency) will become the lead agency for the Care Provider Background Screening Clearinghouse, which streamlines ... more
04-23-2012
Criminals who plot to defraud the Government and steal money from the American people have a new target: people with diabetes.
Although the precise method may vary, the scheme generally involves someone pretending to be from the Government, a ... more
04-23-2012
On April 19, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) posted online an updated National Action Plan to eliminate healthcare-associated infections for public comment. The update confirms progress in the effort to make ... more
04-23-2012
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tornado, hurricane or flood, nursing homes are woefully unprepared to protect frail residents in a natural disaster, government investigators say.
Emergency plans required by the government often lack specific steps such as ... more
04-23-2012
Each day after Ken Hulse was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease brought with it a new set of financial problems and more uncertainty.
How would his wife, Robin, manage without Ken's health insurance? What if he had to go to ... more
04-18-2012
By KELLY GREENE (April 9, 2012)--Long-term-care insurance: It can make the difference between living out your life the way you want and becoming a burden to your family or a ward of the state.
But it is becoming significantly more ... more
04-16-2012
By Stella Dawson, Reuters (April 13, 2012) WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Baby boomers wired to their iPads and smart phones are giving U.S. health experts some new ideas about ways to cut the soaring costs of medical care in graying America. ... more
04-16-2012
By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida (April 12, 2012) TALLAHASSEE - In what it described as an "accounting mess,'' the Florida Association of Counties said today it will file a lawsuit challenging the state's decision to try ... more
04-16-2012
Use this map to view a state’s or region's median cost of care by type of care.
Click a state or region to view cost details, to compare costs across locations, and to calculate projected long term care costs.
Scroll down to learn ... more
04-16-2012
By Kate Santich, Orlando Sentinel (Published April 12, 2012)--A Tallahassee circuit court judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss a lawsuit by the state's former nursing home watchdog, who sued the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and two trade ... more
04-09-2012
Caregiver misgivings: Who are we letting in? As America ages, more people are hiring at-home caregivers to provide basic services. But do you really know who you are allowing into the home of your elderly family member? The Ocala Star-Banner ... more
04-09-2012
As America ages, more people are hiring at-home caregivers to provide basic services. But do you really know who you are allowing into the home of your elderly family member? The Gainesville Sun looks at concerns about this growing segment of the ... more
04-05-2012
Do you, a loved one, or a neighbor feel unsafe at home due to a medical condition or age-related issues? Are you having difficulty preparing food, bathing, or getting into or out of bed? Are you unable to manage your medications and take them as ... more
04-05-2012
HHS Secretary and Attorney General host seventh Regional Health Care Fraud Prevention Summit in Chicago (April 4, 2012)--At a Chicago summit highlighting a new high-tech war against health care fraud, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary ... more
04-05-2012
From the Washington Post--By Olga Khazan, Published March 23, 2012 | Eileen Morrissey has always been independent. But at 91, she can no longer drive, which has made it hard for her to get to the grocery store.
At least once a ... more
03-26-2012
By Marcia Heroux Pounds, Sun Sentinel (March 26, 2012)--Should Florida's 31,000 home health care workers get overtime pay?
The U.S. Department of Labor has proposed extending minimum wage and overtime protections to 2.5 million home health ... more
03-26-2012
Washington, DC– On March 15, 2012, Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley, with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Herb Kohl (D-WI), introduced the bipartisan Ensuring Safe Medical Devices for Patients Act. The bill would ... more
03-26-2012
As the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act approaches, new data shows that more than 5.1 million seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare saved over $3.2 billion on prescription drugs because of the new health care law, Kathleen ... more
02-12-2012
When the Legislature decided last year to cap Medicaid funding and turn long-term care over to private managed care companies, some experts warned that growing waiting lists would drive people into expensive nursing homes.
A study released Tuesday ... more
02-12-2012
Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Lois Armstrong and David Daucher closed their for-profit hospice in October to get out from under more than $27 million in refunds it owed the federal Medicare program, they said.
The same week, they opened a new hospice ... more
02-12-2012
By Ana Veciana-Suarez The Miami Herald (February 4, 2012)--For years, we spoke endlessly about our children. In phone calls, over coffee, during a weekend breakfast or quick business lunch, the women I call friends shared the details of raising ... more
02-12-2012
Are you worried about issues related to your aging parents? Maybe you're in the "sandwich generation," caring for both your children and your parents at the same time.
If so, you need to create support measures that will work for ... more
02-12-2012
(Associated Press) WASHINGTON, February 7, 2012—A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that seniors who receive Social Security cannot reject their legal right to Medicare benefits, in a rare case of Americans suing to get out of a government ... more
02-12-2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
The Agency for Health Care Administration said these providers are no longer eligible to participate in Medicaid and Medicare. They could attempt to stay in business with private pay, but most assisted living and home ... more
12-07-2011
The Florida Current reported on December 2, 2011 that January is the new target date for final approval of the state's Medicaid 1115 extension.
Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek told members of the KidCare ... more
12-07-2011
WASHINGTON – On November 30, 2011, U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, Chairman of the U.S. Senate's Special Committee on Aging, held a hearing examining the widespread inappropriate use of antipsychotics among nursing home residents suffering from ... more
12-07-2011
If you’ve had a Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan for a few years, you’ll know that December is the end of 2011 Medicare Open Enrollment. This year, the last day for you to choose new Medicare health or prescription drug ... more
12-05-2011
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - When Bob and Lynn Forthman joined Ashby Village in July 2010, they never figured they'd need its services so soon.
The virtual "village" in Berkeley, Calif., is one of 65 nationwide, with 120 more in the works. ... more
11-27-2011
November 23, 2011--If things get any worse, and they most likely will, Ken and Robin Hulse may have to sell their home. It's hard to say what might happen. Every day since Ken was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease has brought ... more
11-26-2011
November 23, 2011--The Florida Supreme Court ruled in two separate cases Wednesday that nursing home arbitration agreements that limit damages in ways that contradict state law are not valid.
In both cases, plaintiffs alleging negligence on the part ... more
11-24-2011
A proposal to require the sale of all public hospitals and their assets to the private sector got a chilly reception Monday from a majority of those on the state panel charged at looking at public hospitals.
But members of the Commission on Review ... more
11-24-2011
“Acting” was removed from Justin Senior’s title as he was promoted to the Deputy Secretary for Medicaid post, Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek announced Friday .
Senior stepped in to steer the $22 billion ... more
11-22-2011
Today, November 21, 2011, Florida Senator Eleanor Sobel filed SB 1054 relating to Florida's Long-Term Care Ombudsman. To view complete bill information, click here.
Florida Senate - 2012 SB 1054
By ... more
11-22-2011
By DAVID CRARY, The Associated Press; Monday, Nov. 21, 2011; VERONA, N.J. — Retirement communities may have their perks, but Beryl O'Connor says it would be tough to match the birthday surprise she got in her own backyard ... more
11-16-2011
A new report, Alzheimer’s from the Frontlines: Challenges a National Alzheimer’s Plan Must Address, offers the insights, perspectives and views from individuals across the country who participated in the Alzheimer’s Association ... more
11-16-2011
By LAURIE TARKAN Published October 31, 2011--Toni Davis spent much of her childhood roaming the corridors of a nursing home in West Orange, N.J., where her mother was the director. Even now she recalls the pleas of the residents there: ... more
11-16-2011
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched Physician Compare in December 2010 to offer Americans a national directory where they can find information on physicians, including address, contact information, medical specialty, and gender. ... more
11-14-2011
By NANCY FOLBRE, Gainesville Sun; Published October 31, 2011--At the next birthday party for your grandparents or yourselves, consider what the following public policies all have in common:
Medicare pays for many expensive medical procedures that ... more
11-09-2011
The Florida Current; by Travis Pillow, November 7, 2011--A proposed bill that would dissolve the North Lake County Hospital District and propose a revamped district in its place, subject to a referendum, offers a preview of some of the policy ... more
11-06-2011
As Florida lawmakers tackle another year of dreary state fiscal conditions, services vital to older Floridians and protections for consumers of all generations are under pressure in Tallahassee. AARP Florida volunteers and staff will be ... more
10-30-2011
Two Florida health insurance companies would rather leave the state than provide customers with what they expected, The Florida Current reported on October 27, 2011: Two major medical insurance carriers plan to pull out of the Florida market ... more
10-30-2011
From Scotusblog.com: The U.S. Supreme Court will take its first look at the challenges to the new federal health care law at its Conference on Thursday, November 10. Five of the six pending petitions (the sixth is not ready yet) were ... more
10-30-2011
In an October 13, 2011 news release, the American Association for Homecare urged the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction not to include any additional budgetary spending cuts that will restrict access to home medical equipment and services ... more
10-28-2011
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on October 27, 2011, that Medicare Part B premiums in 2012 will be lower than previously projected and the Part B deductible will decrease by $22. While the Medicare Trustees ... more
10-28-2011
Social Security Expands Compassionate Allowances Conditions
(Printer friendly version)
On October 13, 2011, Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, announced 13 new Compassionate Allowances conditions involving the immune system ... more
09-30-2011
In fiscal year 2010, the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) Veterans Health Administration (VHA) billed veterans millions of medical copayment charges totaling more than $1 billon. Witnesses at a 2009 Subcommittee on Health, House Committee on ... more
09-30-2011
On September 28, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) launched a new initiative made possible by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to help primary care practices deliver higher quality, more coordinated and ... more
09-26-2011
Below, read about the devastating price of repealing the Affordable Care Act in Florida . . . September 23, 2011--One year after the Affordable Care Act’s Patient’s Bill of Rights took effect, the U.S. Department of Health and ... more
09-25-2011
The role of a ‘medical power of attorney’ is different than that of a ‘power of attorney’ for legal and business matters. See how each is different and the important role a medical power of attorney has:
What is a Power of ... more
09-25-2011
Associated Press; September 14, 2011---As her mother's Alzheimer's worsened over eight long years, so did Doreen Alfaro's bills: The walker, then the wheelchair, then the hospital bed, then the diapers — and the caregivers hired ... more
09-17-2011
U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, has introduced legislation to address the unintended consequences of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) heightened scrutiny of pain medication prescribing ... more
09-17-2011
Medicare Advantage Open enrollment is earlier this year – October 15 through December 7: On average, Medicare Advantage premiums will be 4 percent lower in 2012 than in 2011, and plans project enrollment to increase by 10 percent, the ... more
09-17-2011
(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – August 3, 2011) The Joint Commission proudly announces the release of the sixth episode in its animated Speak Up™ video series, “Speak Up: Reduce the Risk of Falling.” The new video features ... more
09-17-2011
By Barbara Peters Smith, Sarasota Herald-Tribune: September 14, 2011---The latest list intended to spotlight the country's best hospitals omits Sarasota Memorial and other prominent local facilities, as well as such prestigious national ... more
09-17-2011
By MARIA CHENG, The Associated Press; September 13, 2011---An estimated 366 million people worldwide now suffer from diabetes and the global epidemic is getting worse, health officials said Tuesday.
The International Diabetes Federation described ... more
09-17-2011
By MARIA CHENG, The Associated Press; September 13, 2011---An estimated 366 million people worldwide now suffer from diabetes and the global epidemic is getting worse, health officials said Tuesday.
The International Diabetes Federation described ... more
09-16-2011
By Kim MacQueen, The Florida Current---The number of uninsured Floridians has grown by more than 1 million in the last decade according to data released Tuesday by the U.S. Census Bureau.
As Florida grew between 2000 and 2010 so did the number of ... more
09-16-2011
By TOM BREEN, The Associated Press; Sept. 14, 2011---Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson told his "700 Club" viewers that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer's is justifiable because the disease is "a kind of death." ... more
09-11-2011
Tallahassee, Fla. – On September 9, 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott announced the appointments of Keith A. Myers and Cathy A. Bracher to the Florida Board of Nursing Home Administrators.
Myers, 48, of Palm Beach Gardens, is the president, ... more
09-11-2011
$700 million in grants from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will help build and expand health centers, create jobs
On September 9, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the availability of ... more
09-11-2011
New data: Affordable Care Act delivers lower costs to more seniors with Medicare; Nearly 1.3 million people with Medicare receiving discounts on prescription drugs; 18.9 million receiving preventive care
On September 8, 2011, the U.S. Centers ... more
09-09-2011
By Marni Jameson, Orlando Sentinel
September 7, 2011
Doctors in Florida have received more than $56 million from a dozen pharmaceutical companies since 2009, according to data released Wednesday by ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative news ... more
09-08-2011
By JIM SAUNDERS
THE NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, September 6, 2011…..When Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order in March, the message seemed pretty clear: He was looking for changes in Florida's public hospitals ... more
09-08-2011
WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today, September 7, 2011, that a nationwide takedown by Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations in eight cities ... more
09-07-2011
The Florida Current--September 2, 2011: A second leg of the Agency for Health Care Administration Medicaid managed care tour has been announced.
Agency staff on Sept. 12 and Sept. 13 will be in South Florida addressing crowds in Marathon at ... more
09-06-2011
With Florida continuing to reject tens of millions of federal health care reform dollars meant to benefit senior citizens, while the state simultaneously garnered recent designation as the nation’s future Alzheimer’s capital, it has ... more
09-06-2011
Webinar Invitation from the National Association for Home Care and Hospice: "A Basic Primer in Home Care" Presented by the Private Duty Homecare Association and Caring.com. To register, click here.
On Tuesday, ... more
09-05-2011
The Medicare program makes about $500 billion in payments per year and continues to have a significant amount of improper payments--almost $48 billion in fiscal year 2010. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Medicare ... more
09-05-2011
From the Florida Department of Health, Division of Medical Quality Assurance
Q: How can I file a complaint against a nursing home licensee?
A: You may print the Complaint Form with the Authorization for Release of Patient Records or ... more
09-04-2011
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Uncle Sam wants you to know more about what you're eating.
The Food and Drug Administration wants to revise the nutrition facts label — that breakdown fats, salts, sugars and nutrients on packaging ... more
09-04-2011
By THOMAS STEWART - The Ft. Myers News-Press: FORT MYERS -- In August of last year, Lester Moore left his home to make a delivery, just as he had done for 50 years with Flynt & Doyle, a Fort Myers-based moving company specializing in ... more
09-04-2011
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as PPACA or Affordable Care Act) provides consumers with significant new protections, including the ability to appeal decisions by plans to deny coverage of needed services and select ... more
09-04-2011
Miramar HomeCare Agency Applauds Transparency of New Rules and Lower Costs to Families and Businesses
In a September 1, 2011 announcement, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that health insurers seeking to increase their ... more
09-04-2011
San Angelo Standard-Times, August 31, 2011: I am writing this in hopes of getting my fellow citizens to contact their congressmen and senators to oppose any deficit reduction proposals that would require a home health care copayment for ... more
09-04-2011
On September 2, 2011, Florida's Agency for Persons with Disabilities ("APD"), in consultation with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration and other stakeholders, met its legislative requirement by submitting a cost ... more
09-04-2011
The U.S. Veterans Administration's new Family Caregiver program for post-9/11 veterans provides benefits for the first time to designated family caregivers of eligible severely wounded service members. In a speech to the American Legion ... more
09-03-2011
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Associated Press) -- Florida is violating the U.S. Older Americans Act by curtailing the independence of the state's long-term care ombudsman, who advocates for nursing home residents, a federal investigative report says.
The ... more
09-03-2011
From www.TheFloridaCurrent.com, August 31, 2011; by Christine Jordan Sexton--- Managed care plans will be required to spend 85 percent of the premium it receives from the state on the care for Medicaid patients that are forced to enroll in them ... more
09-01-2011
On August 29, 2011, the U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO") issued report GAO-11-711 entitled "Private Health Insurance: Early Experiences Implementing New Medical Loss Ratio Requirements." To help ensure that ... more
09-01-2011
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates jobs, helps ensure healthy communities, cities and states through a strong public health system
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced today, August ... more
08-31-2011
Get Direct Deposit to Stay Ahead of Hurricane Season--With the 2011 hurricane season underway, Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, has an important message for people receiving checks from Social Security: please sign up for Direct ... more
08-31-2011
Effective August 15, 2011, Social Security field offices nationwide will close to the public 30 minutes early each day. For example, a field office that is usually open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. will close daily ... more
08-31-2011
In July 2011, Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of U.S. Social Security, announced 12 additional Compassionate Allowances conditions involving severe heart diseases, bringing the total number of conditions in the expedited disability process to 100. ... more
08-30-2011
The U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO") issued Report GAO-11-711 entitled, "Private Health Insurance: Early Experiences Implementing New Medical Loss Ratio Requirements" on August 29, 2011. A summary ... more
08-29-2011
By Christine Jordan Sexton, August 25, 2011; www.TheFloridaCurrent.com
A former top aide to Gov. Jeb Bush and a key member of the transition team for Gov. Rick Scott is seeking guidance from the state’s ethics commission.
Alan Levine, who is ... more
08-28-2011
The Florida Commission on the Review of Taxpayer Funded Hospital Districts will hold its next public meeting on September 6, 2011 in Tallahassee from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration ("AHCA ... more
08-28-2011
Note: The State of Florida has refused all federal funding from the Affordable Care Act, with the exception of money to fund "Abstinence Only" sex education programs. Floridians are encouraged to contact their State Senator and ... more
08-28-2011
The U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO") issued report #GAO-11-662 on August 27, 2011, entitled "Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans: Program Features, Early Enrollment and Spending Trends, and Federal Oversight ... more
08-28-2011
By Kim McQueen, August 24, 2011; The Florida Current
The annual open enrollment for state employee health insurance plans will have to wait this year to allow for a complaint lodged against the Department of Management Services to play itself out. ... more
08-27-2011
From the Associated Press; Published August 25, 2011:
Gov. Rick Scott is keeping a holdover from the administration of Gov. Charlie Crist in his job.
Scott on Thursday announced that Charles Corley is the new secretary of the Department of ... more
08-27-2011
www.TheFloridaCurrent.com
Published August 25, 2011
By Christine Jordan Sexton
Agency for Heath Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek has been making the rounds to special interests groups discussing Florida’s new Medicaid managed ... more
08-25-2011
By Bill Singer, Forbes Contributor
www.Forbes.com
August 24, 2011
On February 10, 2011, federal prosecutors indicted 21 Miami-area residents (including two doctors, six nurses, eleven patient recruiters) in connection with their alleged ... more
08-25-2011
Federal officials are challenging software application developers to design new Facebook applications to help people prepare for emergencies and get support from friends and family after an emergency strikes – from personal medical emergencies ... more
08-25-2011
On August 23, 2011, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced 12 individuals to serve on the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services. The 12 non-federal members are Alzheimer's ... more
07-02-2011
Published: Thursday, August 4, 2011
www.Ocala.com
The Republicans who run Tallahassee don’t like President Barack Obama’s health care reforms. They have made that abundantly clear. To underline their distaste for “Obamacare, ... more
07-02-2011
The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration issued the following news release on July 25, 2011:
Tallahassee, Fla.— Carrying out Governor Rick Scott’s directive to examine the regulation and oversight of assisted living facilities ... more
07-02-2011
The Florida Current reported the most recent developments in the Florida Medicaid overhaul efforts:
By Christine Jordan Sexton, 8/2/2011
State officials on Tuesday released details of a sweeping plan to overhaul Florida's $22 billion Medicaid ... more
07-02-2011
Brian Gauthier, CEO and Administrator of A Family Member HomeCare, a South Florida home health care agency serving Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties, was bestowed with the “Heart of the Community” award from Volunteer Broward ... more
A Family Member HomeCare provides compassion and dignity for your aging parents through professional home health care by licensed, registered home health aides with experience caring for seniors, elderly and disabled individuals.
Our care staff consists of attendants, caregivers, certified nursing assistants (CNAs), companions, home health aides (HHAs), homemakers, nurse aides and sitters.
We've been providing homecare in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach County since 1999. Please take some time to learn about our services!