April 2013 34 4 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News

Top news stories from the April 2013 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.

News

Ryan's budget targets Medicare and Medicaid

The House Budget Committee approved the latest spending plan from Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) in March. The vote was 22 to 17 along party lines.

Obama backs state-set rates

States can and should exercise "wide discretion" in setting Medicaid payment rates, the White House said in a court brief supporting reimbursement cuts in California.

Lethal bacteria hits facilities

Providers must act to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria killing about half of all people who become infected, the Centers for Disease Control & ...

Combo therapy aids nutrition

Memory training combined with a Montessori-based approach to daily living can improve nutrition and reduce depression among those with dementia, a study in the Journal ...

Diabetes drugs under scrutiny

Diabetes medications Januvia and Byetta significantly increase the risk of pancreatic inflammation, according to Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine researchers.

Hospice saves Medicare dollars

Increasing hospice enrollment would save the Medicare program millions of dollars annually, according to a new report.

AHCA makes push for immigration reform

Saying the current permanent visa programs for immigrants are "insufficient and inadequate" to meet long-term care staffing needs, the American Health Care Association outlined in ...

'Targeted' EHR upcoding audits on the way

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will undertake targeted audits focused on upcoding in electronic health records, according to Acting CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner.

Sequestration and Ryan plan seen as big fiscal challenges

Last month, the skilled sector figured out sequester cuts would cost providers more than $782 million in payments. Then Paul Ryan broke out the meat ...

State News

A four-person review panel would have to approve civil malpractice lawsuits against long-term care providers before the claims could go to court, under a bill ...

Features

A game changer

With release of new HIPAA privacy and security rules, long-term care providers must evaluate their policies and procedures to better protect residents' data

Upon further review

Providers recoiling from recent uptick in therapy claim audits should expect even more scrutiny in the future as regulators look to increase surveillance.

60 Seconds with...

60 seconds with ... Bruce Chernof, M.D.

Q: What are the top issues the Long-Term Care Commission needs to address? A: We need to address the knowledge deficits that exist in the general ...

Ask the care expert

Ask the care expert ... about gait belts and infection control

We use gait belts at my building. We assign a gait belt to an aide who uses them the entire shift. Do you think with ...

Resident care

The latest skinny on walking: strong thigh muscles are key

Older adults who gained the most fat in their thighs and lost the most thigh muscle were at the greatest risk for a clinically meaningful ...

Higher humidity takes toll on flu virus

Residents who want a room humid should be obliged because higher humidity levels can significantly reduce the infectiousness of influenza virus particles released by coughing, ...

Ask the treatment expert

Ask the treatment expert ... about friction and pressure ulcers

What role does friction play in pressure ulcers?

Wound care

Oxygen chambers don't help wounds in LTC setting: study

Long-term care providers might want to think twice about including oxygen exposure in the treatment regimen for residents with diabetic foot ulcers. Oxygen treatment does ...

Court upholds Immediate Jeopardy tags

An Alabama nursing home that did not properly handle a resident with pressure sores on her feet is on the hook for Immediate Jeopardy fines ...

Ask the nursing expert

Ask the nursing expert ... about dealing with workplace 'sabotage'

My ADON, although smiling and seemingly cooperative, talks about me behind my back and is very critical of my leadership. It's creating an atmosphere of ...

Nursing

NPs face pay challenges in some states

While the number of nurse practitioners is expected to nearly double by 2025, many in the field say payer policies hurt their efficiency, even more ...

Conflict perceptions change based on gender, study says

Women involved in workplace disputes are believed to be less likely to repair their relationship, a new study finds.

Ask the payment expert

Ask the payment expert ... about matching diagnoses codes

How important is it that diagnoses coded in Section I of the MDS match what is being billed on the UB-04?

Payment & policy

State, CMS pair up on duals

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the state of Illinois are teaming up in a dual eligible payment demonstration.

Feds offer more support for workers' background checks

A federal agency is again offering to put its money where its mouth is when it comes to employee background checks for long-term care providers. ...

Ask the legal expert

Ask the legal expert ... about arbitration agreements

It seems like every time I see a news item about arbitration agreements being signed by a resident/patient's surrogate or relative, some judges rules it ...

Legal Matters

Petition seeks clarity on arbitration

Nursing home company SSC Odin Operating Co. has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to again weigh in on arbitration agreements.

Latest whistleblower lawsuit pricetag runs to $2.7 million

Federal authorities cracked down on another regional long-term care provider recently, reaching a roughly $2.7 million settlement in a lawsuit centering on alleged false therapy ...

Having my say

Managing the media

The death of a California woman not given CPR at her independent living community was a teachable moment. I know you are reviewing the operational ...

Design

'Happy days' here again

Georgia memory care unit uses 1950s-era design elements to cheer residents with reminders of what the local community once was

How to do it…

How to do it... Transportation

Whether made out of necessity or desire, decisions to upgrade your facility's vehicles can and should be shaped by a variety of factors. While ensuring ...

A day in the life

Snoezelen, not snoozing, at 100

It's noteworthy that the Taylor Care Center in Jacksonville, FL, recently marked the 100th birthday of two residents by inviting an Elvis impersonator to perform. ...

Couldn't live without

I couldn't live without ... Omnicell's G4 medication management system

Using Omnicell's G4 medication management system has made staff more efficient at Falling Springs Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, says Director of Nursing Alma Cullers.

Technology

ITUpdate

» Health information technology helps nursing homes coordinate care and better protect resident privacy, says noted researcher Gregory Alexander, Ph.D., of the University of Missouri's ...

Having heads in the cloud is good for LTC, says IT expert

In a new report titled "The State of the Cloud," technology products vendor CDW found that the percentage of healthcare organizations implementing or maintaining cloud-based ...

Opinion

Half a dose of reality

We insomniacs know sleep is important. We've read all the studies, usually late at night when we can't sleep. We're very aware that insomnia is ...

Re-invent communities

Every product or community goes through a life cycle that includes these stages: Development, Growth, Maturity, Saturation and Death. At Maturity, a product/community begins to ...

Company news

Kindred will trim more SNFs from its portfolio, Diaz says

Kindred Healthcare will continue to offload its nursing facility operations leased from Ventas, according to President and CEO Paul J. Diaz.

Brookdale has new CEO, look

Brookdale Senior Living is launching a rebranding initiative under new CEO Andy Smith. The company serves about 66,700 residents in skilled nursing centers and senior ...

Business briefs

» Emeritus Senior Living recently said it wants to hire 1,000 veterans by 2018. The assisted living and skilled nursing provider says this is the ...

Vendor news

For many docs, ambivalence about taking gifts starts early

The stereotypical law student's first day is summed up as follows: Students think they are entering the field for the public good while their neighbors ...

CompanyBriefs

» A half dozen electronic health record vendors have formed a non-profit organization called the Commonwell Health Alliance. The organization's goal is to create a ...

Stroke or dizziness? Bedside test can tell

A bedside device that measures eye movements could become a standard way of determining if extreme dizziness is being caused by a stroke, researchers say.

The big picture

Getting lost in the fog

I was hoping to get clear answers about the sector's future at the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry's regional meeting ...