July 2016 37 7 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
July 2016 edition of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
News
Antipsychotic use down 27%
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services established the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes in 2012 after a scathing report found ...
Providers blast bills as payment robbers
Long-term care lobbyists often gather in Washington to promote legislation they favor.
Overtime regs raise concern
In less than six months, providers could face paying a lot more overtime wages, thanks to a new government rule.
Drugs linked to greater fall risk
Nursing home residents who take antidepressants for dementia hold a significantly higher risk of falls and fractures than those using antipsychotics, new research finds.
Mobility focus lifts function
In-hospital mobility programs led seniors to have significantly higher ability to move around following discharge, a new study has found.
SNFs are second-rate for stroke care: report
Long-term care's largest provider group is firing back over a "frustrating" recommendation that the majority of stroke patients should be treated in an inpatient rehabilitation ...
Aspects of IMPACT Act may spread to Medicaid: expert
Skilled nursing facilities should be on the lookout for aspects of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 to trickle into the Medicaid ...
AHCA leader spreads lame-duck caution
The annual American Health Care Association's congressional briefing departed from typical dire legislative forecasts in May.
Infection campaign seeks help
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention wants nursing homes to volunteer for three years of surveys as part of a campaign to tackle healthcare-associated ...
Features
Keeping watch by night
Overnight incontinence care deserves special planning and strategies; providers get personal with individual options and high-tech solutions
Prolonging other lives
How, where and when furniture is used is directly related to the ability to extend its durability and life, especially in high-traffic areas like dining ...
60 Seconds with...
60 Seconds with... Steve Fromm
What was your election platform? With 2016-2017 ACHCA Board Chairman, Steve Fromm.
Ask the care expert
Ask the Care Expert about ... different types of surveys
It seems like we are always in a "survey window," waiting for the inspectors to arrive.
Resident care
Low-scoring SNFs more likely to accept bariatric residents
Obese nursing home residents are more likely to be admitted to poor quality facilities with high numbers of deficiencies, according to research from the University ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the Treatment Expert about ... what NPUAP's new "pressure ulcer" definition means for providers?
The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel announced a number of changes in April, including replacing the term "pressure ulcer" with "pressure injury" and modifying stage ...
Wound care
A comprehensive approach cuts pressure ulcers in half
A team of nurses in Indianapolis cut the rate of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers by 50% and saved about $700,000 a year by introducing new products, ...
Larger cells found to respond to injury
A professor has discovered a healing process that enlarges cells to maintain the function of injured or diseased tissue.
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the Nursing Expert about ... ideas on what I can do for my staff
I am a new director of nursing. Can you share some ideas on what I can do for my staff?
Nursing
Staffing shortages can fuel increased discharge delays
Providers feeling the pinch of a nursing shortage only need look across the Atlantic to see the possible consequences of being understaffed.
Nursing remains atop job growth charts
Job growth for registered nurses is on pace to produce nearly 450,000 new positions by 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Ask the legal expert
Ask the Legal Expert about ... what points should we be attuned to when our facility starts contracting talks
As the number of ACOs continue to increase every year, and as other payors seek to satisfy the same goals as the ACOs — lower ...
Legal Matters
SNF will not have to bargain with union found 'disruptive'
A skilled nursing facility can refuse bargaining with its union after employees made credible threats of violence during the 2013 union election, a court ruled ...
Feds seek redo in hospice eligibility case
The Department of Justice is refusing to back down in a fight over physicians and patient hospice eligibility.
How to do it…
How to do it... Positioning techniques
In the wake of recent updates to the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel's wound staging guidelines, providers are re-focusing on prevention. Wound care toolboxes include ...
A day in the life
A Day in the Life: Henpecked and happy
Crestview Acres in Marion, IA, welcomed four new residents this spring, but don't expect to find them inside the facility — they're living in a ...
I couldn't live without...
I couldn't live without ...Touchtown resident Apps
Two years ago, staff at The Chesapeake printed out program information and put it on a bulletin board.
Technology
Disabled and seniors connect, thanks to a new tech program
When Nancy Likens, director of the Soprema Senior Center and Café in Wadsworth, OH, first came up with the idea of using the café as ...
Opinion
Reader Poll: "What would you like to accomplish in the next decade?"
"In the next decade it does not appear that a cure for Alzheimer's disease will be found."
Resident care
Depression therapy may increase fall risk
Nursing home residents receiving psychosocial treatments for depression have almost six times the risk of falling compared to residents not receiving treatment, according to a ...
Company news
REITs wary of skilled nursing sector woes, report asserts
Real estate investment trusts are becoming increasingly cautious of the pitfalls associated with skilled nursing portfolios, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.
ManorCare, HCP Inc. sued
HCP ignored fraud and misled investors about the performance of ManorCare, its skilled nursing portfolio, according to a class action filed in May.
Vendor news
Latest medication disposal system is created by nurse
Kitty litter and coffee grounds are among the undesirable materials many long-term care nurses employ to destroy expired or unused medications. Nurse Sherry Day said ...
Mindoula Health acquires Care at Hand
Mindoula Health, a case management company focused on behavioral health, has bought Care at Hand.
The big picture
The LTC payment plan
There seems to be a common theme emerging at this year's batch of trade shows. Tips for future success are the rising stars.
Editor’s desk
'Site-neutral' pay proposal has providers taking sides
erms about the value-based pay movement tend to spill into one another: bundled payments, accountable care organizations, managed care, site-neutral payments, and on and on.
Profile
Profile: Jay Zimmer
Ask The Reutlinger Community for Jewish Living CEO Jay Zimmer about his hobbies, and he'll mention he's been a long-time runner who also enjoys hiking ...
