January 2017 38 1 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
January 2017 edition of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
News
Lengthy hiring haunting applicant ranks
The healthcare industry is projected to need 1 million new nurses within five years, but most settings are finding the wait between placing a help ...
MedPAC calls for pay freeze
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission in December called for the elimination of market basket updates for skilled nursing operators in fiscal 2018 and 2019.
Providers say Price is right to lead HHS
Long-term care providers delivered ringing endorsements of President-elect Donald Trump's choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
A 'satisfying' survey ahead?
Changes to the Five-Star Quality Rating System for nursing homes may be on the horizon under recommendations published by the Government Accountability Office in December.
Pressure sores rising in LTC
Preventive policies are credited for lowering pressure injuries in hospitals by about half over the past decade, even as long-term care rates rose, a new ...
Tubes seen as hindering care
Many hospital patients are given a feeding tube in order to be discharged to a nursing home, but often it's without receiving a palliative care ...
Employers get break from overtime rule
Providers are cheering a federal judge's decision to grant a preliminary injunction in November against a rule that would have increased overtime pay eligibility.
Judge issues appeals decree
The Department of Health and Human Services has four years to end an estimated 700,000 Medicare appeal backlog, a court ruled.
Trump's CMS pick can expect tough choices: predecessors
President-elect Donald Trump's choice to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, was praised by providers. But she will face tough choices ...
Nurse's online rant leads to guilty charge
A Canadian nurse who posted on Facebook and Twitter about her frustrations over a relative's skilled nursing care has been found guilty of professional misconduct ...
OSHA seeks violence input
Federal regulators are asking providers for thoughts on how to curb violence in healthcare workplaces.
State News
State News for January 2017
The Obama administration approved a $52.5 billion Medicaid waiver deal for Massachusetts in December.
Features
The Year of Uncertainty
Questions about the economy, Medicare funding and other reimbursement issues bring more risk to lending and investing in long-term care in 2017
EHR usage still too slow
When it comes to electronic health records use, providers are filling a gradually building bandwagon, but struggling with resources and a lack of interoperability
60 Seconds with...
60 Seconds with ... Timothy W. Farrell
The American Geriatrics Society recently unveiled guidance for the term "unbefriended" for older adults. What does that term mean?
Ask the care expert
Ask the Care Expert about ... flu vaccinations
One of my nurses has refused to get an annual flu vaccine. What should I do?
Resident care
Most LTC residents decline dental care, study concludes
Almost 90% of long-term care residents do not use available dental care services during their stay, according to recent research from the State University of ...
Study verifies 'as-needed' drugs, falls tie
Psychotropic drugs, including antipsychotics and antidepressants, increase the risk of falls among nursing home residents, according to a recently published study.
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the Treatment Expert about ... pressure injury assessments
Why are formalized pressure injury risk assessments so important?
Wound care
Skin cell communication key to wound healing, study says
Medical science may be getting closer to developing better treatments that cause damaged skin in the elderly to repair itself more quickly.
Sea salt spray shows healing promise
Researchers say they are encouraged by results of a recent small study that points to potential benefits of sea salt-based spray in diabetic foot ulcer ...
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the Nursing Expert about ... dignity citations
We just finished our state and federal survey and received one federal citation. It is about dignity — are you familiar with this regulation, and ...
Nursing
Diminished nurse skill mix is linked to poor outcomes
Healthcare settings that substitute lower-level staff for registered nurses do so at their own peril, according to an extensive review of nurse skill mix at ...
Ask the payment expert
Ask the Payment Expert about ... acuity-based staffing
What is acuity-based staffing and how do we know what our acuity is?
Payment & policy
New ACO designed to better serve dual eligibles strategy
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Dec. 15 it was starting an ACO pilot program aimed at beneficiaries enrolled in both Medicare and ...
Ask the legal expert
Ask the Legal Expert about ... arbitration clauses
May a SNF continue to use arbitration clauses in resident contracts?
Legal Matters
Shortchanging 850 workers will cost operator $2 million
A New York-based skilled nursing chain will pay more than $2 million in back wages and damages after underpaying nearly 850 workers, the Department of ...
Report: LTC liability costs to rise in 2017
A skilled nursing facility with 100 occupied beds can expect to pay roughly $235,000 in liability expenses in 2017, according to the recently issued Aon ...
Design
Focus on the mind
Community gives residents with dementia a holistic relationship with the entire environment and eschews segregated living spaces
How to do it…
How to do it... Design for infection control
During remodeling or in between, providers must be continuously mindful of keeping environments clean. "Designers, housekeeping staff and maintenance professionals need to take every opportunity ...
Careers
Back to you, LaVern ...
Just about every morning, LaVern Withrow reports the weather and sends well wishes to hundreds of people. And she does it all without leaving Valley ...
Technology
Epilepsy self management boosted by tablet-based tool
One-third of people with epilepsy, or about one million Americans, have trouble controlling their seizures, even with medication. Frequent and severe seizures can severely undermine ...
Where Are They Now: The Terraces at Los Gatos
Since winning the 2013 McKnight's Excellence in Technology Awards in the Dignity category, The Terraces at Los Gatos in California has continued to build on ...
Opinion
Reader Poll: What would you tell your younger self if you had the chance?
"Take everything in stride. Work through the difficult times and enjoy the good ones. You stress about too much stuff you can't fix."
The wisdom of age
It's like a dash of smelling salts under the nose. Talking to actual long-term care residents always affects me like that: an abrupt awakening from ...
Company news
Kindred spends $700M with Ventas to ready for SNF exit
Kindred Healthcare Inc. has entered into an agreement to purchase 36 skilled nursing facilities from Ventas ahead of its exit from the skilled nursing sector, ...
Guru predicts consolidation
The skilled nursing sector could see increased operator consolidation in the coming years, according to an official with the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing ...
Vendor news
C. diff tablet gives providers new solution for old problem
3M has introduced C. diff Solution Tablets as an alternative for providers looking to kill challenging Clostridium difficile spores.
Latest cleaning alternative fits like a glove
SCA has added its Tena Bathing Glove as an option for U.S. long-term care facilities. As an alternative to soap and water, it is the ...
The big picture
The real staffing puzzle
When you ask people in this sector about the biggest staffing challenges ahead, responses often pour into familiar buckets.
Editor’s desk
A good reason you might sense a lawsuit increase
Given the most recent report from Aon's Actuarial & Analytical Practice, a few stanzas of "Whistle While You Work" could be helpful. Either that or ...
Profile
Profile: Benjamin A. Breier
Benjamin A. Breier may be at the helm of one of long-term care's industry giants as the president and CEO of Kindred Healthcare. But in ...
