February 2011 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
February 2011
News
OIG: Nursing homes are gaming Medicare
Nursing homes attempting to maximize payments often upcode Medicare residents and keep them longer than necessary. And for-profit providers are the worst offenders. That's the ...
Most don't prep for LTC outlays
Sixty-five percent of Americans say they believe that long-term care planning is an important cost-saving action. But only 44% of them have started taking any ...
MDS 3.0: Still not mastered
Some providers are being cited for excessive profit-taking under the Medicare program. Yet others are unaware of legitimate reimbursement tools, notes coding and payment expert ...
Concession likely to ease pain-drug flow
After following through on a threat to hold the nomination of Michelle Leonhart to lead the Drug Enforcement Agency due to her inability or unwillingness ...
AHCA: Scathing report fails to consider new care needs
A federal report that blasts Medicare coding and resident stay practices drew a quick reply from one of the nation's leading provider organizations.
Study: Medicaid funding gap may worsen in year ahead
Aggregate and per-patient-day Medicaid funding levels were woefully short in 2010, according to the latest provider-sponsored research on the subject. U.S. nursing home operators were ...
Providers unsure about EHR 'meaningful use' provisions
"Meaningful use" requirements providers must meet for Medicare and Medicaid electronic health record incentive programs continue to concern caregivers.
State News
Brewer wants out of Medicaid spending requirement
Gov. Jan Brewer (R) asked Arizona's congressional delegation, as well as U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), to introduce legislation that would remove the spending ...
Features
New short-cycle law: Is it worth the pain?
Long-term care pharmacists will have to adjust to shorter dispensation cycles
The rule that rankles
The new Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) rule could strain long-term care providers, but the new pay scheme is survivable, an association says
60 Seconds with...
Ask the care expert
Ask the care expert: What is 'consistent assignment'
Sherrie Dornberger, RNC, CDONA, FACDONA,President, NADONA
Resident care
Vision problem looking better
Over the last 15 years, rates of age-related macular degeneration have fallen, statistics show.
Guides issued to treat MRSA
The Infectious Diseases Society of America has issued its first set of comprehensive guidelines for treating methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Ask the treatment expert
Wound care
Stem cell therapy treatment shows promise for wounds
A treatment based on stem cell infusion may improve diabetic foot ulcers, a practitioner of this new approach asserts.
Smith & Nephew rebuffs bid from J & J
Wound care firm Smith & Nephew rejected a $10.9 billion acquisition offer from Johnson & Johnson.
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the nursing expert: How can I minimize phone calls?
Anne Marie Barnett, RN President, Maryland NADONA/LTC
Nursing
Preventive post-stroke care proves critical for recovery
Within a year of suffering an acute ischemic stroke, two-thirds of Medicare patients discharged from the hospital either died or were rehospitalized, residents recently discovered. ...
Working with the dying can be rewarding
Experiencing death and dying every day does not negatively affect caregivers who work in hospice or palliative care settings, new research indicates.
Closures impact urban poor the hardest
Nursing home closures have hit poor, urban and minority communities especially hard over the past decade, according to a new study from Brown University.
LTC dementia residents are remaining in hospice longer
Dementia patients are increasingly using hospice care benefits, according to an analysis of nursing home records. The investigation also revealed that 40% of nursing home ...
Side-effects deter use of antidepressants
Many American seniors begin taking antidepressants while on medications with contraindications, according to a new study. Because of side effects, many then stop taking the ...
Ask the payment expert
Ask the payment expert: Is 'look back' documentation still required
Patricia Boyer, MSM, NHA, RN, President, Boyer & Associates, LLC
Pursuing excellence
Having my say
How to do it…
Wound care
Chronic wounds are a rising challenge for long-term caregivers and, of course, a scourge for residents. They can easily lead to extended stays, costly care ...
A day in the life
Living a dream: the write stuff
Not everybody can say they got their wish before they died. Jackie Edgar did.
I couldn't live without...
LifeTrail outdoor workout system
When Karla Mitchell, a nursing home community service administrator, started thinking about ways to improve or maintain her residents' physical strength, she knew that giving ...
Company news
Two major chains anticipate strong earnings during 2011
Two skilled nursing companies maintained strong earnings outlooks for 2011, citing the new Medicare payment system and overall business growth.
Vendor news
Supreme Court to rule on law that disallows Rx info sharing
Is it legal for states to prohibit the commercial use of physician prescribing data? The Supreme Court is about to weigh in.
Court: 'Elegant theory' not good enough
Omnicare Inc. will need more than an elegant theory if it hopes to gain an antitrust ruling against UnitedHealth Group, an appellate court in Chicago ...
Business & Marketing
There's no place like home
This Green House care model uses leading technology to make a nursing home truly a home away from home, for residents, families
The big picture
Stating Medicaid's case
Many providers with Medicaid-covered residents seem to be wringing their hands these days. To understand why, consider what's happening in my home state.
Editor’s desk
Expanded Online Expo is back by popular demand
We're back and better than ever. That familiar, proud phrase is the first thing that popped into my mind as I wondered how I would ...
