January 2014 35 1 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
Top news stories from the January 2014 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.
News
Budget deal extends Medicare's 2% cuts
Long-term care providers face an additional two years of reduced Medicare reimbursements under a federal budget compromise hammered out in December.
Liability costs will climb 5%
Long-term care operators can expect a 5% increase in liability costs in 2014, according to a new analysis from Aon Global Risk Consulting and the ...
Proposal for full LTC coverage
Congressional lawmakers have introduced a bill to launch a single-payer healthcare system that would include universal long-term care coverage.
Bill eases 3-day rule for many operators
Above-average skilled nursing facilities may become exempted from Medicare's prior hospitalization requirement, per legislation from Rep. Jim Renacci (R-OH).
OIG probes hospitalizations
A fourth of the 3.3 million Medicare beneficiaries who lived in a nursing home in 2011 were hospitalized for at least one day. This came ...
Big predictor for Alzheimer's
Researchers have found a way to predict with 90% accuracy which mild cognitive impairment sufferers would develop Alzheimer's disease within two years.
Drugs will kill CRE colonies
Particular antibiotics are effective in eliminating colonies of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae in asymptomatic carriers of the deadly bacteria, according to clinical research.
Providers take the long view on budget, doc pay formula
Long-term care provider associations focused on the big picture and counted blessings in response to legislative action in the last Congressional session of 2013.
Federal court upholds $10k fine for suicide
A $10,000 fine levied against a skilled nursing facility that allowed a suicidal resident to leave the building and then kill himself will stand, a ...
I couldn't live without ... Pinnacle CareReview
Instant consumer feedback has become paramount in today's competitive long-term care industry, so comments offered by patients, residents and family members are invaluable in helping ...
State News
State News
NEW JERSEY - Untold amounts of money have been pilfered from nursing home residents' funds by those entrusted to protect them, and little government oversight ...
Features
Borrowing to build
New construction funding for skilled nursing facilities remains scarce, but lenders say they will listen if operators present a convincing case for building.
Referrals at risk
Interoperability for technology solutions is crucial for long-term care providers.
60 Seconds with...
60 seconds with ... Michael A. Ross, M.D.
Q: You co-authored a study on how specialized hospital observation stay units could increase transparency and allow quicker inpatient admission decisions. This would help people ...
Ask the care expert
Ask the care expert ... about water temperature in SNFs
The nursing and maintenance departments are feuding over the water temperature. What should it be in a skilled care unit?
Resident care
Hope for stroke patients may lie in neurorehab treatments
Five neurorehabilitation treatments for those recovering from stroke were highlighted in a December Neurology Clinical Practice report.
Quick antipsychotic withdrawal OK: study
A small Belgian study of people with dementia on low-dose antipsychotics found that abrupt stoppage of the medication, rather than tapering, is a possible solution. ...
Wound care
Thomas: Additional pressure ulcer research trials a must
Nursing homes should adopt evidence-based approaches to pressure ulcer prevention and treatment, but significantly more research is needed to support this goal, a professor of ...
New tool may help improve ostomy care
Providers caring for ostomy patients can soon use an algorithm that helps improve care management and patient safety, its proponents claim.
Ask the treatment expert ... about signs of wound healing
What should I see if a wound is healing as expected?
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the nursing expert ... about reducing rehospitalizations
Everyone is talking about rehospitalizations. Can you please simplify this for me? As the leader in my facility, where do I start?
Nursing
Researchers: Be careful with assignment of irregular shifts
The children of single mothers working a nonstandard shift are more likely to engage in delinquent behaviors, according to a new analysis.
Managers promoting fun can be harmful
While manager-approved "fun at work" activities lower turnover, particularly for younger employees, sales performance may suffer, according to a new report.
Ask the payment expert
Ask the payment expert ... about changes related to Jimmo v. Sebelius
How come there are so many Medicare A denials when Jimmo v. Sebelius stated we could keep residents on Medicare A even if they are ...
Payment & policy
Providers rip huge backlog of therapy claims reviews
A provider-sponsored survey recently uncovered huge backlogs of therapy claim reviews for beneficiaries who exceeded the Medicare Part B caps limits.
CMS improperly measuring outcomes, report claims
So far, some providers have been put through a wringer without enough verification that it's been worth it, according to a new Government Accountability Office ...
Ask the legal expert
Ask the legal expert ... about using external auditors
What do you advise about using external auditors to check what we're doing — before wave after wave of government auditors come in?
Legal Matters
Ensign lawsuit settlement is among largest in history
Charges from whistleblowers have led to a $48 million settlement between operator The Ensign Group and the U.S. Department of Justice. The settlement was one ...
Sue under proper law, rulings emphasize
A federal appeals court recently cited state law in upholding the right of an individual to sue a long-term care provider.
Design
Design Decisions: Bring on the wave
PruittHealth meets the new challenges of catering to the baby boom generation head-on, investing in movie theaters, a spa and more
How to do it…
How to do it ... Design
When designers get to work on senior care settings, they must always be concerned about what they put underfoot. Textures, colors, composition, cleanability and many ...
A day in the life
CCRC engineers holiday cheer
Arbutus Park Retirement Community does not just deck the halls for the holiday season. It lays down rails.
Technology
Nonprofits continue to hike digital efforts, survey finds
The nation's largest not-for-profit long-term care providers have implemented electronic health records, but there is still much room for growth when it comes to the ...
ITUpdate
» Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) has introduced legislation that aims to cut federal outlays by increasing the use of health technology in federal programs. Under ...
Opinion
The selfie generation
We're pretty full of ourselves. I'm talking about the collective "us," a nation of smug egocentrics, not about you and me.
Company news
Brookdale targets new goal: national brand recognition
Brookdale Senior Living is known as one of the largest U.S. assisted living operators, but the Tennessee-based company has ambitious plans to establish itself as ...
Omega closes $525M deal
Omega Healthcare Investors closed a $525 million deal to acquire 55 skilled nursing facilities.
CompanyBriefs
» IPC The Hospitalist Company has acquired four affiliated post-acute practices in White Plains, NY. Known collectively as Park Avenue, the affiliated practices serve more ...
Vendor news
Simavita markets electronic brief after acquisition deal
Australian medical device company Simavita has introduced a new "electronic brief," reflecting a growing interest of skilled nursing providers to be able to electronically monitor ...
FDA advises caution on defibrillators
Certain HeartStart automated external defibrillator devices made by Philips Medical Systems might be unable to deliver needed defibrillator shocks in a cardiac emergency, the Food ...
CompanyBriefs
» PointClickCare has acquired Meal Metrics, a web-based nutritional management solution. It now will be called the PointClickCare Tray Card. The product gives long-term care ...
The big picture
No way to fix staffing
It's no secret that our nation's long-term care facilities need additional caregivers. More than 43,000 direct care staff positions remain unfilled, according to figures from ...
Editor’s desk
LTC insurance groups need a better strategy
What the long-term care insurance market could use right now is a healthy dose of capitalism. But it isn't going to happen.
Profile
Profile: Headlines to headliner
It could have been fate that led Leonard Russ to healthcare. No one will really know. But what it wasn't was expected.
