April 2017 38 4 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
April 2017 edition of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
Where are they now?
Where Are They Now: Wingate Healthcare
After winning a Bronze award in the McKnight's Technology Awards for its custom-made interactive digital signage in 2014, Wingate Healthcare in Massachusetts recognized that it ...
News
Providers told: take high road
The leader of the second-largest nursing home association in America called on members in March to act passionately but politely when lobbying members of Congress.
Providers rip GOP plans for Medicaid
Long-term care leaders and other healthcare providers tore into a proposal from Republican House leaders that would cut funding from programs serving the elderly.
SNF Compare launch in 2018
A new website that will allow consumers to view quality ratings for skilled nursing facilities is slated for release in October 2018, Centers for Medicare ...
SNF occupancy at all-time low
Skilled nursing occupancy rates hit their lowest level on record in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing ...
Reconciliation helps: study
A medication reconciliation program may help reduce hospital emergency room readmissions by as much as 6%, a recent study shows.
New CMS chief stirs provider anticipation
Long-term care provider groups were complimentary of Seema Verma following her mid-March confirmation as administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Trump budget cuts HHS 18%
President Trump's first proposed budget chops 18% from Department of Health and Human Services funding and adds millions of dollars to combat healthcare fraud for ...
Obamacare replacement bill faces tougher test in Senate
While House Republican leaders were trying to tie up loose ends to get their proposal for repealing and replacing Obamacare across the finish line, Senators ...
Multi-facility CEO salaries on the rise
Chief executive officers for multi-facility long-term care systems saw their salaries increase to an average of $465,875 in 2016, according to a new compensation survey.
State News
State News for April 2017
An Ottawa, IL, nursing home was "hit hard" by a tornado Feb. 28, but residents and employees responded well and were uninjured.
Features
Tumblers in place
Often-neglected data analysis can help when residents fall, revealing patterns and leading to better quality care and less duplication of effort
Joint exercise
One year into the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement bundled pay program results are mixed, creating heightened anxiety about possible expansion
60 Seconds with...
Ask the care expert
Ask the Care Expert about ... urinary tract infections
I hear there is a change with urinary tract infections and that there needs to be a bunch of criteria now before we can say ...
Resident care
Study: Activity engagement helps SNF residents flourish
Residents who regularly participate in a variety of activities are more likely to thrive in a skilled nursing setting than residents whose activities are limited, ...
Coordination helps cut hospitalizations
Care coordination models that use medication management, end-of-life planning and nurse involvement may help reduce hospitalizations and Medicare costs among skilled nursing residents, a recent ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the Treatment Expert ... Diabetic foot ulcers
Can you help us improve treatment of diabetic foot ulcers?
Wound care
Post-surgical healing slowed by mental health challenges
Patients with anxiety or depression may be at a higher risk of developing wound complications after surgery, according to a recently published study.
Pig bladder holds healing promise: study
An extracellular matrix created from the urinary bladders of pigs, combined with offloading, has shown "significant" promise in treating diabetic foot ulcers, according to a ...
Ask the payment expert
Ask the Payment Expert about ... competency-based staffing
What do new requirements mean about competency-based staffing?
Payment & policy
Bundled pay expansion into cardiac care held 3 months
Federal regulators have postponed the implementation of the extension of a bundled pay program that was to start including cardiac care treatments. Some observers believed ...
ACO reduces medical costs
An examination of Part D drug spending during the first year of an accountable care organization discovered that medical costs went down and prescription drug ...
Ask the legal expert
Ask the Legal Expert about ... mandatory pre-dispute arbitration clauses
Is it legal to insert or attach pre-dispute mandatory and binding arbitration clauses in our resident contracts?
Legal Matters
SNF case may shift Supreme Court's stance on arbitration
The U.S. Supreme Court may change course away from recent rulings that favored arbitration agreements in a case involving nursing home residents, according to one ...
Upcoding case leads to $347M judgment
Florida-based skilled nursing chain Consulate Health Care was hit with a $347 million judgment in early March after a jury found that it routinely inflated ...
How to do it…
How to do it ... Protecting safety monitors
Resident security and monitoring devices are not only ubiquitous, but they also represent a significant investment for most long-term care operators. Without internal systems in ...
A day in the life
A multigenerational mixer
Residents at The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens, a continuing care retirement community in Fresno, CA, gathered in February for a bingo game unlike any ...
Technology
GAO: More planning needed to increase info exchange
When patients leave the hospital and move to post-acute care settings such as skilled nursing facilities, electronic health records and the electronic exchange of patient ...
Opinion
Reader Poll: What is the best thing your manager does to help you in your job?
"He (Board Chairman of the Reformed Church Home Reed Feuster) encourages me. He always makes a point to thank us and offer help. It's kind ...
Where kindness is king
As pesky questions about the future of healthcare swirl, let's give thanks for the one, and maybe only, inviolate cog in the long-term care machinery ...
Company news
Golden LivingCenters sells SNFs at center of PA lawsuit
A New York-based healthcare provider acquired the licenses of 10 Pennsylvania Golden LivingCenters that were targeted in a lawsuit filed by former state Attorney General ...
CareTrust nabs IL SNFs
CareTrust REIT Inc. has purchased five Illinois skilled nursing facilities for $29.2 million, the company announced in March.
The big picture
A farewell to Medicaid?
If there is one sector that proves the adage about incentives driving behavior, it's skilled care.
Editor’s desk
Where's the indignation been from providers?
Finally. That was my immediate, silent reaction when I received the email from a top long-term care provider.
