July 2013 34 7 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
Top news stories from the July 2013 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.
News
Bedrail deaths could fuel ban
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is accepting comments until Aug. 5 on a petition calling for a total ban on adult portable bed rails. The ...
Time squeeze for LTC panel
The Congressional Long-Term Care Commission is on an "extraordinarily short time frame" that merits an extension, a member told McKnight's in June.
MedPAC would slash Part B therapy caps
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission devoted a chapter of its June 2013 Congressional report to outpatient therapy recommendations, sparking concern.
AHCA, Alliance merge to augment Hill clout
The nation's largest nursing home association has re-absorbed an aggressive sub-group of large nursing home operators to create an even stronger lobbying organization for long-term ...
To save Medicare, SNFs pay
The good news: Medicare's long-term solvency is likely to improve. The bad: This will likely happen at the expense of nursing homes.
Powerful duo fights C. diff
Antibiotics often aren't enough to combat Clostridium difficile. But when combined with probiotics, or "good" bacteria, the results are striking. The treatment combo lessens the ...
Drugs trigger Alzheimer's?
Certain common medications can trigger or slow Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers.
MedPAC's rate cut plan will harm care, operators: NASL
Resident care would suffer if Congress acts on the latest recommendations from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, long-term care advocates say.
Flu shots don't hurt turnover, study says
Requiring flu shots is not a primary reason for employees quitting, an analysis finds. While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends all healthcare ...
State News
State News
Connecticut — The National Labor Relations Board has sued HealthBridge Management for contempt of court, marking the latest development in a long-running dispute.
Features
Cracking the code
Long-term care administrators and nurses are under pressure to train staff to assess and document skin conditions to keep patients out of the hospital.
Spiritual spaces
Designers of worship, meditative and hospice spaces must meet the varied needs of different religious backgrounds while creating a neutral area of reflection.
60 Seconds with...
60 seconds with ... author Jill McCorkle
Q: Your new novel, "Life After Life," is set in a long-term care facility in North Carolina. Were you thinking of care workers reading the ...
Ask the care expert
Ask the care expert ... about unused medications
I am getting mixed information from experienced staff members as to what has been passed along by our pharmacy company about discharging patients with their ...
Resident care
Adult day services benefit mood, stress of caregivers, expert says
Adult day services can literally be a lifesaver to family caregivers living with seniors with dementia, according to new research.
Heart failure patients surviving longer
Mortality rates have declined for patients with advanced heart failure during the past two decades, according to new research from UCLA. Still, a third of ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the treatment expert ... about negative pressure wound therapy
Q: What are your thoughts on accelerating wound healing in chronic wounds with adjunctive therapies? A: With chronic wounds, the healing process is slowed or in ...
Wound care
Plasma protein injections help chronic wounds heal
Chronic diabetic wounds can completely heal if they are injected with a plasma protein called plasminogen, according to new research from Umea University in Sweden.
Treatment Update
Covalon Technologies announced ColActivePlus and ColActive Plus Ag have been assigned Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes for Medicare billing. Professionals who use HCPCS codes ...
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the nursing expert ... about preparing for survey visits
Q: There's an upcoming survey visit in my facility. Any suggestions on how to calm the atmosphere? A: The director of nursing sets the tone ...
Nursing
Practice sessions can pay off during surveys, expert claims
Directors of nursing need to lead their employees through survey practice sessions in order to achieve peak success, a long-term care expert said at the ...
Sick leave reduces flu infections: report
Giving employees paid sick days would reduce flu infections in the workplace, according to a new analysis. Researchers simulated an influenza epidemic in Pittsburgh and ...
Ask the payment expert
Ask the payment expert ... about monitoring therapy services
Q: What should an administrator do to monitor therapy services in his or her facility? A: The main fact to remember is that you are responsible ...
Payment & policy
Proposal would bring unity to LTC state ombudsmen
States have run their respective long-term care ombudsman programs in differing ways for nearly 20 years, but that would change if a new proposal advances.
RACs recoil against bills
Independent Medicare auditors are criticizing two measures that would put stricter controls on Recovery Audit Contractors.
Legal Matters
Court tosses out citation for runny eggs, limits surveyors
Slapped with an Immediate Jeopardy citation for serving undercooked eggs to residents, a nursing home took its defense to a federal appeals court — and ...
Management companies spared in suit
Nursing home management agreements may run afoul of federal law, but it's hard to argue that having a third-party manager hurts resident care. This was ...
Ask the legal expert ... about email privacy
Are emails between nursing staff and supervisors commenting on a resident's status — such as cautions about keeping an eye on a resident who ultimately ...
Pursuing excellence
Scramble for returns
Dividend-paying common stocks and "income generating strategies" are attracting nonprofit executives' attention. And with good reason: The stock market has been volatile and many finance ...
How to do it…
How to do it ... wound care
Given the importance of treating sores and other open areas on the skin, there are countless possible approaches to managing wound care. No small part ...
A day in the life
Residents angling for a good time
Residents of the Cartmell Home for the Aged in Palestine, TX, can no longer participate in some of the area's popular pastimes, such as hunting ...
I couldn't live without...
I couldn't live without ... eSNF telemedicine solution
Recognizing the need to bring down hospital readmissions, AristaCare turned to eSNF's telemedicine solution a year ago. In seven out of 10 cases in which ...
Technology
Grants to help LTC operators coordinate care with hospitals
Four Maryland long-term care facilities stand to benefit from new technology grants that target medical information.
ITUpdate
» The second annual McKnight's Excellence In Technology Awards program will accept applications through July 12. In all, 15 honors will be given to the ...
Opinion
Invisible heroes seen
I've written a lot about ageism. About how people don't value the contributions of seniors. About how long-term care residents are invisible and forgotten. About ...
Company news
Extendicare mulls sell-off of U.S. operations amid decline
Extendicare, a major North American long-term care operator, may sell off its 158 U.S. facilities before the end of the year. The company's move to ...
Saber expands its footprint
Saber Healthcare Group has made its first appearance on the American Health Care Association's annual list of the 50 largest U.S. nursing facility companies.
BusinessBriefs
» Atria Senior Living announced tennis legend Billie Jean King will help develop and promote an active aging program for residents, to decrease the risk ...
Vendor news
Healthland buys American HealthTech
Healthland, an electronic health records vendor that has been focused on the rural hospital market, acquired American HealthTech in May. The combination of the companies ...
Two asthma inhalers left gasping for life
Two asthma inhalers are being phased out, the Food and Drug Administration announced at the end of May.
CompanyBriefs
» GOJO Industries presented the results of a study on electronic monitoring and hand hygiene at the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology ...
The big picture
Time to reboot this case
We're hearing a lot lately about mandatory drug testing in the workplace. It appears that the Tennessee Supreme Court might be a good place to ...
Editor’s desk
Something to hand all residents' families
Raise your hand if you've ever had a family that just didn't "get it" when dealing with the staff at your nursing home or long-term ...
Profile
A credit to the accreditor
After more than two decades rising through the ranks at the Joint Commission, Gina Zimmermann's career can partially be ascribed to ethics instilled by her ...
