November 2009 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
November 2009
News
Snowe lends a vote to reform—for now
Breaking a partisan logjam, Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe joined Democrats in voting a major healthcare reform bill out of the Senate Finance Committee.
Care improving in key areas, report asserts
Nursing home quality improvement efforts have largely succeeded in recent years, according to a report that was jointly released by the American Health Care Association ...
Providers making their points as Senate dances with reform
Nonprofit providers cheered when Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) helped Democrats move a major healthcare reform bill out of the Senate Finance Committee.
State News
Illinois: Mentally ill and aged residents a bad mix?
The state is considering improving safeguards but also sweeping reforms to prevent dangerous mentally ill patients from harming fellow residents in nursing homes.
Features
Thinking about you: using resident surveys to better evaluate quality-of-life in long-term care communities
Resident surveys are being used more often to determine what customers like—and dislike—about the quality of life they enjoy in long-term care communities
A bump in the road: senior housing operators watch the auto industry with interest
Despite recent turmoil in the automotive industry, senior care operators can rest assured that vehicle supply is still robust and that needed parts will be ...
A cut above the rest: skilled nursing facilities in the wound care specialty market
Skilled nursing facilities, which arguably have the right experience and expertise, may be ready to join the wound care specialty market. But can they compete?
60 Seconds with...
Ask the care expert
Ask the care expert: do emergency room stays count toward Medicare Part A three-day hospital stay?
Sherrie Dornberger, RNC, CDONA, FACDONA, President, NADONA
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the treatment expert: are all pressure ulcers avoidable?
Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, President, Wound Care Education Institute
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the nursing expert: first state survey jitters
Anne Marie Barnett, RN, Former President, Maryland NADONA/LTC
Ask the payment expert
Ask the payment expert: will state Medicaid payments change with the switch to Medicare RUGs IV?
Patricia Boyer, MSM, NHA, RN President, Boyer & Associates, LLC
Having my say
Avoid payment denial
Medicare payment to skilled nursing facilities is a vital part of many facilities' fiscal stability. But now post-payment reviews are putting that resource at risk
Design
Unconventional wisdom: AAHSA's Idea House unveiled at this year's convention
The AAHSA Idea House allows convention participants to experience firsthand how technology and design work together to improve care
The big picture
The BIG Picture: Healthcare reform is coming. So who in LTC cares?
When the president, Congress, the media and others speculate about healthcare reform, they are not really talking about eldercare services.
Editor’s desk
Editor's Desk: An idea whose time has come for skilled nursing
The 2010 National Skilled Nursing Investment Forum is an idea that has been staring us in the face for numerous years.
Profile
Profile: Marvin Mashner - Still having a ball
Marvin Mashner President and CEO, ACTS Retirement-Life Communities
