July 2011 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
July 2011
News
Governors eye block grants as way to cut Medicaid costs
House Republicans would like to see Medicaid outlays trimmed dramatically. And they are hardly alone.
Ethicists question for-profit hospices
As the for-profit hospice industry booms, some ethicists are questioning whether their success impacts the quality of end-of-life care.
PET scan to be 2012 offering?
Experts say positron emission tomography (PET) brain scans, which can detect the beta-amyloid plaques linked to Alzheimer's, could be on the market within the next ...
Study: Adults pray for health
Health struggles have spurred more Americans to prayer in recent years, a survey tracking prayer rates reveals.
Medicare pay board unpopular
Both Democrats and Republicans have expressed doubts regarding the Affordable Care Act's Independent Payment Advisory Board, a panel created by the law to contain Medicare ...
Comments for ACOs collected, fight looms
With the comment period on accountable care organizations now over, stakeholders and some politicians are clear on one issue: The ACO program needs work.
CMS actuary pans CLASS
Lawmakers and policy makers have ignored warnings about the sustainability of the CLASS Act, a government actuary said.
Groups back insurance rule
The American Health Care Association and LeadingAge will not ask for waivers for mandated employee health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Medicaid viewed as a 'sacrificial lamb'
Congress won't touch Medicare in order to cut deficit spending. But the Medicaid program was looking more vulnerable at press time.
State News
State news: Joplin nursing homes mourn losses, sort through fallout weeks later
Six skilled nursing facilities are still sorting through the debris and fallout of lives and jobs uprooted from a tornado that nearly leveled the entire ...
Features
Common-sense skin care
Good training, effective use of 'team' caregiving deemed the key cornerstones
Furniture: Take stock of measurements
Providers must earnestly consider residents' specific medical and physical needs before acquiring furnishings and other design elements or risk the consequences
60 Seconds with...
Sixty seconds with...Michael Pepperman
Michael Pepperman, Partner, Obermayer Rebmann, Maxwell & Hippel LLP
Resident care
Elderly caregivers at risk for cognitive decline, study says
When evaluating the cognitive abilities of a newly admitted long-term or post-acute care resident, it is worth asking the resident if he or she has ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the treatment expert: What's the best dressing for wet wounds?
Susan Wickard, RN, BSN, CWCN, CWS, CLNC, Clinical Advisor, American Association for LTC Nursing
Wound care
Hydrogen peroxide plays big role in skin healing: report
University of California at Los Angeles researchers recently showed that hydrogen peroxide plays a central role in wound healing.
Artificial tissue helps healthy skin grow
Tissue grafts that promote vascular growth could hasten wound healing, encourage healthy skin to invade the wounded area and reduce the need for surgeries, investigators ...
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the nursing expert: How do you keep records organized in preparation for annual reviews?
Anne Marie Barnett, RN, President, Maryland NADONA/LTC
Nursing
CPAP lowers mortality rate of seniors with sleep apnea
In the first large-scale study of its kind, Spanish researchers found that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) lowers the risk of cardiovascular death in elderly ...
PTSD and coronary disease linked in vets
After studying a group of U.S. war veterans, researchers found that individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder might have a higher risk of developing coronary artery ...
Ask the payment expert
Ask the payment expert: Can facilities remain financially solvent with possible RUG reductions looming?
Patricia Boyer, MSM, NHA, RN, President, Boyer & Associates, LLC
Payment & policy
CMS rule stops Medicaid pay for preventable conditions
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a final rule that will deny Medicaid payments to providers that deliver services regarding preventable healthcare-acquired ...
No funds for SNF programs
Officials say that some much-ballyhooed programs in the 2010 healthcare reform law aimed at nursing homes could go without funding.
Ask the legal expert
Ask the legal expert: How will the legal system handle healthcare reform lawsuits?
John Durso, Esq., Ungaretti & Harris LLP
Pursuing excellence
Having my say
Fond memories of John
Darlene Nice, MSW, LCSW, Director of Social Services, The Lutheran Care at Moorestown, ( NJ)
The Real Nurse Jackie: Keeping it real
Like the fictional Showtime "Nurse Jackie," I do have a bad back, ironically have two brunette daughters, and will get in anyone's face — doctor, ...
How to do it…
How to do it... Incontinence care
Medical indicators might be only half the battle when it comes to executing a successful incontinence care plan. Another major component is attitude and emotional ...
A day in the life
A Day in the life: A song in his heart
Before Jim Alexander entered the dementia unit at Syverson Lutheran Home in Eau Claire, WI, he was a beloved geography professor at the University of ...
I couldn't live without...
I couldn't live without...Linked Senior Player
The Linked Senior Player, which can be set up as kiosks, provides nursing home residents with a range of audio and visual materials that they ...
Technology
Here's an earful: Cell phones may pose a brain cancer risk
Cell phones have become a highly integrated part of society, including long-term care. But users might face a heightened brain cancer risk, the World Health ...
Resident care
Study: Yoga improves fall risk after stroke
Attending regular yoga classes helps older male veterans who have had a stroke cope with their increased risk of suffering from a painful or deadly ...
Company news
Court upholds big damages award to Ventas in HCP case
Ventas has once again won a legal victory, with a federal appeals court upholding a $101.6 million damages award in its favor against HCP Inc.
Horizon Bay to Brookdale
Brookdale Senior Living will acquire Horizon Bay Realty, adding 90 communities with over 16,000 units to its portfolio. The deal is expected to close in ...
Vendor news
Facebook to drug companies: Enable comments by Aug. 15
Facebook officials have told drug firms that they can no longer obstruct commenting on their pages.
CBO: Stopping DTC ads will be mixed bag
How much of an impact would a two-year moratorium on consumer advertising of new drugs have on drug pricing and public health? Not much, and ...
Business & Marketing
Design decisions: Building on higher ground
Creative approaches to memory care and residential design make GreenRidge at Buckner Villas a community to watch
The big picture
The big picture: More Medicaid woes?
When Congress repealed a budgetary provision known as the Boren Amendment back in 1997, I wrote that providers had lost a significant legal protection. It ...
Editor’s desk
The Editor's desk: CMS takes acute interest in avoiding hospital stays
The Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Boston ought to be getting a lot more attention from the profession. The center has successfully implemented a program that ...
