March 2016 37 3 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
March 2016 edition of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
News
'Value' outlays on pace: CMS
Healthcare providers should reach the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' goal of having 30% of all Medicare payments be value-based by the end of ...
Providers 'concerned' over post-acute plans
Worried provider groups have called for a slowdown in the development of Medicare cost measures for post-acute care.
States spotty on checkups
An initiative that provides states with grants to implement background check programs is off to a slow-moving start, according to a recent report.
No 'benzo' link with dementia
Seniors who take medications from a class of anti-anxiety drugs do not have an increased risk of dementia, research from the University of Washington has ...
Group's care policies may hurt, AHCA says
Chronic care proposals may have "unintended consequences," provider groups said in February.
New guidelines target diabetes
For the first time ever, the American Diabetes Association has released guidelines on diabetes management in long-term care settings.
MedPAC remains bullish on site-neutral payment system
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission members remained staunch supporters of a site-neutral payment system for post-acute care providers.
Camera snags abusive nursing home aide
As cameras grow more prevalent in long-term care, one certified nursing assistant is headed behind bars.
10th Online Expo offers hot topics for 2016
The annual McKnight's virtual trade show features another cast of national experts, free CE credits, vendor booths and more — and it's available wherever you ...
State News
State News for March 2016
HAWAII — Hawaii legislators were slated at press time to introduce a bill that would create the first universal long-term care insurance program in the ...
Features
Down and dirty
Cash- and staff-strapped facilities struggle to keep up with regulations and stay ahead of regulators when it comes to laundry and housekeeping operations
The 'other' incontinence
Managing fecal incontinence takes a multi-layered approach that everyone in the caregiving loop better start learning more about as soon as possible
60 Seconds with...
60 Seconds with ... Mario McKenzie
CliftonLarsonAllen recently released a report discussing succession planning and found the average age for healthcare CEOs is 58.2 years old. What's the big takeaway in ...
Ask the care expert
Ask the Care Expert about ... palliative and hospice care
As a new charge nurse I have been asked to set up palliative care for a new residents. What is the difference between palliative and ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the Treatment Expert about ... maggot therapy
I have a colleague who would like to trial maggot therapy. Can you provide some information about it?
Wound care
'Smart socks' may prevent diabetic foot ulcer problems
Diabetic neuropathy is the leading cause of amputation in the United States, resulting in more than $10 billion in healthcare costs annually. A team of ...
Early NPWT helps staph infections heal
Negative pressure wound therapy may improve healing and care for wounds infected with Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, a new study has found.
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the Nursing expert about ... elopement programs
My director of nursing asked me to start an elopement program. Since I'm new to long-term care, can you tell me what I should do, ...
Nursing
Irregular sleep timing tied to heightened risk for diabetes
Going to bed too early or too late has health implications even for non-shift-working women, according to a study published in Sleep.
Nurses most value skills, relationships
Nine percent of nurses say respect from colleagues is the most rewarding aspect of their work, with more than a quarter more pleased by patient ...
Ask the payment expert
Ask the Payment Expert about ... bundled payments in rural areas
We are in a rural area and we've tried to talk to our hospital about bundled payment but they don't seem to know what we ...
Payment & policy
CMS: Regional spending is a better benchmark for ACOs
The government hopes to encourage accountable care organizations to extend their participation in performance-based risk arrangements by offering a new way to include payments based ...
No 'midnight' regulations?
Stakeholders have until roughly mid-June to squeeze in any pressing new regulations during the current administration's final year. But the Office of Management and Budget ...
Pursuing excellence
Proficiency matters
An admired colleague once said, "If you want me to be proficient in caring for a specific type of patient, I can ... just give ...
How to do it…
How to do it... be 'up' on IT
Information technology can be one of an administrator's biggest and most intimidating challenges. This special How To article offers expert advice on how providers who ...
I couldn't live without...
I couldn't live without ... ENER-G Rudox
When Kim Williams reviewed a survey for Simpson House several years ago, he discovered the community had aging energy infrastructure. This included boilers and chillers ...
Technology
Senate IT legislation targets red tape and interoperability
Interoperability improvements for electronic health records and reducing documentation burdens are among the proposals of a draft bill released in January by the Senate Health, ...
Opinion
Reader Poll: What advice do you give to new employees?
"I tell every new associate, whether they're changing linens, washing dishes, providing nursing care or working in one of our leadership positions: You are an ...
Remain in your lane
Like many respectable professions, long-term care has plenty of highly competitive, aggressive people. Brave scientists who sedate, tag and study them in the wild have ...
Resident care
Added therapy hour speeds hip fracture patients home
Patients recovering from hip fractures in a skilled nursing facility have a better chance of going home if they get just one hour more of ...
Loneliness cure: involve, don't 'distract'
A group of international researchers has imagined a new approach to combating loneliness often associated with long-term care settings.
Company news
Mergers, acquisitions climb, thanks to 'small deal' boom
The senior care market closed out 2015 with more mergers and acquisitions than in 2014, but the dollar value of those deals was significantly less, ...
Proxy battle is avoided
Long-term care provider Extendicare has reached an agreement with investment firm Oxford Park Group that will help avoid a "distracting proxy contest," the company announced ...
Vendor news
Fast, efficient products most desired by cleaning workers
Healthcare cleaning professionals are under increased pressure to keep down operating costs and are most focused on products that are efficient, according to a new ...
Locus Health completes $4M in funding
Locus Health, which makes remote patient care management programs, completed a $4 million funding round at the end of January. Its software is connected with ...
The big picture
Editor’s desk
Winter storm leads us to warm stories, and a plan
It would be reasonable to think that a storm that caused dozens of deaths and the shutdown of federal government offices is a terrible event. ...
Profile
Profile: Alice Bonner
Even if long-term care providers don't know much about the personal life of Alice Bonner, Ph.D., RN, they have likely seen her in running shoes.
