May 2016 37 5 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
May 2016 edition of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
News
Groups rating SNFs differently
The government's ratings for nursing homes diverge wildly from consumers' personal ratings, new study results show.
Providers get new pay model for readmits
Skilled nursing facilities moving into a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services model will need to reduce avoidable hospitalizations through intensive staff training and ...
CMS: Provider results rising
A new release of data by federal regulators shows nursing home operators are improving.
FDA warning about opioids
Labels for certain opioid pain medications will soon be required to carry a warning about the drugs' risks of misuse and death, the Food and ...
Dementia spur: lost body heat
A drop in body temperature may aggravate Alzheimer's symptoms, according to a new study.
New DOJ task forces targeting worst SNFs
The Department of Justice is forming 10 regional task forces to expose and improve nursing homes that are found to provide "grossly substandard" care.
Broader HIPAA audits underway
New HIPAA audits are focusing on healthcare providers as well as their business associates, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office ...
Operators need to make case on managed care, CEO says
Providers should be prepared for states with managed care programs to hit their Medicare Part A mix, a long-term care expert warned in April.
DOL finalizes anti-union 'persuader' rule
Employers will be required to report any anti-union and collective bargaining activity to employees under the final version of a "persuader" rule issued by the ...
State News
State News for May 2016
KANSAS — Kansas nursing home operators will receive help paying for residents whose Medicaid applications or renewals are stuck in processing limbo, state agencies announced ...
Features
A warm welcome mat
Providers are brushing up on new designs, textures, treatments and functions to discover how textiles are competing more against hard flooring surfaces.
An uplifting experience
Rising to new standards of care by revising current areas for lifting and bathing units takes time, money and, maybe most of all, understanding of ...
60 Seconds with...
60 Seconds with ... Kristin Walter
How are Recovery Audit Contractors misunderstood? With Kristin Walter, spokeswoman for Council for Medicare Integrity.
Ask the care expert
Ask the Care Expert about ... nutrition for residents with wounds
We are having an increase in the number of residents coming from the hospital with weight loss and wounds. We are doing our best to ...
Resident care
Computers, games might help cognition
Computer use and social activities like game-playing and crafting could help older adults reduce their risk of developing memory and thinking problems, according to a ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the Treatment Expert about ... surgical incisions
I recently admitted my first resident with a surgical incision with staples intact in a hip wound. Do you have tips on how to care ...
Wound care
Nurses aren't documenting all ulcer interventions: study
Documentation of pressure ulcer prevention measures by nursing home staff may be lacking, and not match the actual preventative measures taken, a new study suggests.
Hospital admits pose a higher ulcer risk
Nursing home residents who are admitted from hospitals have a higher risk of developing pressure ulcers than those who were transferred from the community, a ...
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the Nursing Expert about ... discharge planning
I've been hired at a long-term care facility as a care manager, and my entire background has been in case management from the acute care ...
Nursing
New nursing services group promises a 'proactive' voice
A new, post-acute care nursing organization looks to bring a "fresh and proactive" approach to the field, its leader says.
Hospice nurses told to overdose patients?
The owner of a Texas hospice company is being investigated for allegedly encouraging employees to overdose patients and hasten their death to avoid the federal ...
Ask the payment expert
Ask the Payment Expert about ... the new MDS Section
Can you explain the new MDS Section and assessment?
Payment & policy
Analysis: PAC crucial to joint replacement bundled success
Hospitals participating in a new Medicare bundled payment program for hip and knee replacements should partner with high quality post-acute care providers like nursing homes ...
'Illusion' can raise costs
In an effort to improve the use of medical treatments, a University of Pennsylvania Medical School professor is calling for more research to help doctors ...
Ask the legal expert
Ask the Legal Expert about ... transgender employees
There's a CNA in our building who is transitioning from male to female. We suspect this will make some residents uncomfortable. What should we do?
Legal Matters
AHCA: Statistical sampling an improper 'sledgehammer'
The nation's largest association for nursing home and other long-term care operators has publicly expressed its staunch disapproval of a federal prosecution method that takes ...
SCOTUS splits, so forced union dues stand
In an unsatisfyingly inconclusive decision, the Supreme Court of the United States has let stand a so-called "forced union dues rule."
Design
Design Decisions: This, Bud, is for you
$4.2 million rehab wing gives Brittany Manor a dramatic upgrade while providing post-surgical residents with a modern facility.
How to do it…
How to do it ... HUD LEAN mortgages
It's hard to beat the HUD LEAN mortgage program for heavily leveraged owner-operators looking for the predictability of long-term loans at fixed rates. Here are ...
A day in the life
A Day in the Life: March Gladness
Like many others across the country, the residents and employees of the Good Samaritan Society-Fort Collins Village participated in a bracket-style competition in March.
I couldn't live without...
I couldn't live without ... CareClips TV
As administrator George "Andy" Barker, MHA, trains new staff at Edgewood Summit in Charleston, WV, he has a secret weapon: CareClips TV.
Technology
Twitter can help smokers kick the habit, make more friends
Kicking a smoking habit can feel like a lonely endeavor, but researchers in California have found Twitter's social media platform can help build a community ...
Opinion
Reader Poll: How do you define/promote innovation in long-term care?
"It's using technology to allow residents to live independently. The future of aging allows us to look for more opportunities for seniors to age in ...
Still a perfect couple
Hard as it seems to believe after 17 years of vocationally wedded bliss, there was a time when long-term care and I weren't together. It's ...
Resident care
Hospital patients arriving at SNFs with dangerous germs
Nearly a quarter of hospital patients entered post-acute care facilities with a multi-drug-resistant organism on their hands, finds a study in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Company news
Midsize, for-profit SNFs on the rise, CMS data reveals
Medium-sized nursing homes and for-profit facilities have seen the biggest increases in number of facilities over the last five years, according to new data from ...
TX portfolio sets record
Dallas-based Regency Post-Acute Healthcare System has sold a portfolio of 33 Texas skilled nursing facilities to Capital Senior Ventures, the companies announced in March.
Vendor news
Braden pressure ulcer tool added to wound care system
WoundRounds now allows wound care clinicians to use a built-in tool for scheduling Braden Risk Assessments as part of efforts to prevent pressure ulcers.
New SaaS management system launched
A new platform seeks to link home care providers with senior living partners.
The big picture
Critical observations
Answer the following question: Have you spent more time today thinking about your legacy, or things that need to get done before quitting time? Be ...
Editor’s desk
Providers just have to look for their bright spots
Long-term care operators have plenty of reasons to recoil and lick their wounds over the course of a year. But sometimes they need to seek ...
Profile
Profile: Ruta Kadonoff
Studying Lithuanian was a large part of Ruta Kadonoff's Saturday mornings while growing up in Connecticut. One of three girls born to native Lithuanians, her ...
