Starting immediately, the federal government is making it harder for nursing homes to get top grades on a public report card, in part by increasing scrutiny of their use of antipsychotic drugs and raising the bar on an array of quality measures.
This isn't just cold, this is a life-threatening freeze that's breaking decades-old records across a huge swath of the country. So far, 20 storm-related deaths have been reported, including three people in Chicago who died while shoveling snow.
Slips and falls during the winter months are all too common, say the orthopedists who take care of all the bone breaks, muscle tears and sprains that happen this season.
Thinking about getting on a ladder to string lights outside or decorate the very top of your tall Christmas tree? Maybe you should reconsider - or at least get some help.
I did not gather you here today to form a circle and lead you in a child's game of Ring Around the Rosy, at the end of which we all fall down. It was fun when we were kids and could bounce up off the play yard like balloons, laughing and clapping in delight. Well, it ain't so much fun anymore.