April 2015 36 4 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
Top stories from the April 2015 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.
big picture
Older residents ahead?
Conventional wisdom holds that the sweet spot for long-term care residents is around age 85, give or take. But what if that figure were to ...
News
Medicare payment group changes name
A Medicare payment watchdog group saddled with huge case backlogs and heavily criticized for causing delays in resolving reimbursement issues has changed its name and ...
More changes ahead for the current ratings system: feds
Staffing and retention rates are expected to be added to the Nursing Home Compare website in 2016.
Feds praise newest ACO model
Federal regulators recently unveiled a new accountable care organization model they feel will appeal to long-term care operators.
Providers pushing for death of therapy caps
Providers are seeking legislation to end old therapy cap rates and to see changes in manual medical review process for therapy claims.
Dehydration is hard to change
A systematic review of 23 published research studies on the risk of dehydration in people 65 and older left researchers with little conclusive evidence about ...
CMS: Quality is improving
A comprehensive review of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' quality measurement efforts since 2006 paints a mostly positive picture of quality measurements in nursing ...
Records reveal seller's market
Operators selling properties saw their best year ever in 2014 — and 2015 could be even better.
5 Star is expanding as tweaks continue
Nursing homes entered a new era of tougher government scrutiny on Feb. 23, when officials released rebased Five Star ratings.
Features
Reinventing rehab
SNFs have increased their presence in rehab for years, and now many need to replace, restore or otherwise reinvigorate their programs.
Locking the box
The HIPAA landscape evolves for providers as cloud storage, mobile devices and large-scale cyber attacks present new challenges to security and privacy efforts
60 Seconds with...
60 Seconds ... with Susie Mix
Managed care is being seen as the answer to control our significantly increased healthcare costs. With the magnitude at which managed care is growing and ...
Wound care
Custom chair cushions might aid spinal cord injury patients
Wheelchair cushions designed to adjust to a person's size and form can help redistribute pressure and provide support for activities of daily living for patients ...
The future of care may swim in the ocean
It may sound fishy, but a popular dinner in many homes — tilapia — could also help wounds heal faster, according to a study out ...
Ask the treatment expert ... about palliative wound care
Palliative care is focused on the relief of symptoms with a goal to improve the quality of the individual's life.
Nursing
Case could change nursing meal breaks
A California court case concerning waived breaks could have widespread implications for healthcare workers encouraged to give up meal time during extra-long shifts.
Nurse-directed intervention eases heart disease, diabetes
Having primary care nurses promote physical activity could be effective enough to reduce heart disease and Type 2 diabetes risk among seniors, according to a ...
Ask the Nursing Expert about ... CPR
How is the decision made whether a resident should be resuscitated?
Payment & policy
Ask the payment expert ... about RACs
I thought the Recovery Audit Contractors were on hold, so why did I receive a request from our RAC for a Medicare Advantage resident?
RAC battles move forward
The debate over whether Recovery Audit Contractor audits are an incentive-laced system of provider harassment or a necessary tool to redistribute misspent Medicare funds continues. ...
White House forums eyeball Medicaid funding concerns
The White House Conference on Aging is collecting comments from long-term care stakeholders through a series of regional forums across the U.S. about their concerns ...
How to do it…
How to do it... Resident security.
All of the bells and whistles in the world won't protect your staff and residents unless you spend the proper time and resources beforehand preparing ...
A day in the life
Day in the Life: Hog heaven in Colorado
The love for dementia residents at the Intermissions Program at Wind Crest in Highlands Ranch, CO, isn't ham-handed. Residents are delighted when two pot-bellied pigs, ...
Opinion
Clean it up, throw it out
Whenever I pass one of those cinderblock mini-storage places with double-loaded rows of strictly functional corridors, I think the same thing: "That looks like some ...
Resident care
Blood pressure drugs linked to mortality
Too many blood pressure medicines in patients over 80 could be dangerous if they have low systolic pressure, new European research reveals.
Researchers testing C. diff vaccine in widespread trial
An international trial is examining the efficacy of a vaccine for C. difficile, the gut-destroying bacterium that is particularly dangerous to seniors.
Vendor news
New tech tools help operators recruit staff more effectively
Long-term care providers are increasingly turning to technology that can recruit or track new hires, with the latest system coming from OnShift.
FDA approves first biosimilar treatment
The Food and Drug Administration approved its first biosimilar product in March, opening the door for more costly drug alternatives.
Editor’s desk
Editor's desk: Stars losing their luster for 'punished' providers
One gets the feeling that federal regulators, no matter how proper the official talk went, took a bit of pleasure in sending a message to ...
Profile
Profile: Ed McMahon, Ph.D.
When he's not busy working to improve the quality of life of residents at Sunrise Senior Living's more than 300 assisted living communities, Ed McMahon, ...
