Editors’ Top Five Week of January 15, 2018

Why Should Hospitals Align With Aging Agencies to Reduce Readmissions?
Forming even informal arrangements with Area Agencies on Aging can help a hospital’s bottom line by keeping 30-day readmission rates down. (Jeff Lagasse/Healthcare Finance News)

SNFs’ Place in New Bundled Payment Model Unclear
Early analysis of the text from CMS seems to exclude skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies and other post-acute care providers from applying for the program, according to multiple experts who spoke to Skilled Nursing News. (Alex Spanko/Skilled Nursing News)

MedPAC votes 14-2 to junk MIPS, providers angered
To avoid penalties under MACRA, physicians must follow one of two payment tracks: the Merit-based Incentive Payment System, or MIPS, or advanced alternative payment models like accountable care organizations. (Virgil Dickson/Modern Healthcare)

Despite Setbacks, Drugmakers Have Plans to Fight Alzheimer’s
Efforts to find treatments for Alzheimer’s disease suffered blows in recent days, but many companies, scientists and investors are still optimistic that they can find a way to treat the memory-robbing disease, which affects roughly 5.5 million Americans. (Daniela Hernandez, Jeanne Whalen, Allison Prang/The Wall Street Journal)

The Curious Case of Conflicting Nursing Home Penalties
Life can be so confusing sometimes, and on certain days (like this), one realm in which that shows up is how penalties are applied to nursing homes for substandard care. These two headlines are currently juxtaposed on Aging Edge: “State Imposes One of Largest Nursing Home Fines Ever on Squirrel Hill Facility” and “Trump Administration Relaxes Financial Penalties Against Nursing Homes.” (Gary Rotstein/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)