November 2017 37 11 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
The November 2017 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
Where are they now?
Where Are They Now: Rosewood
The residents at Rosewood, a life plan community in Bakersfield, CA, break the stereotype that older adults aren't interested in technology — and they do ...
News
Hospitals slam MedPAC's plan
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's proposed unified post-acute payment system is "unworkable as a foundation," the American Hospital Association said in September.
Ready, set, go? LTC bracing for Phase 2
Despite a push from the post-acute care industry to delay implementation of Phase 2 requirements of participation guidelines under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ...
Goal: 15% drop in psych drugs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is hoping that providers can add to their success when it comes to further lowering the use of ...
Sleep meds linked to falls
Older people who take sleep medications for insomnia may be increasing their risk of falls, according to new research from Penn State investigators.
Staff talk not a help for this
A program meant to improve communication among nursing home staff didn't help reduce falls in facilities, a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine showed.
Field for the new HHS chief includes celebs
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma and television personality Mehmet Oz, M.D., are rumored to be on a list of potential candidates ...
RN, LPN salaries on the rise
Registered nurses and licensed practical nurses are seeing notable pay increases, but gender equity is lagging, according to a new survey.
AHCA, LeadingAge push for lawmakers to delay Phase 2
The American Health Care Association and LeadingAge both urged the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this fall to push back the next phase of ...
Genworth: SNF room charges rise 5.5%
Annual nursing home charges have continued to rise at a healthy clip, fueled by higher labor costs and federal rules that drive sicker patients downstream ...
State News
State News for November 2017
LeadingAge Florida filed a legal challenge in late September over Gov. Rick Scott's (R) emergency mandate following Hurricane Irma. The provider organization is arguing the ...
Features
Worth the risk
Owners and operators of long-term care facilities can entice increasingly discerning financial partners into niche projects — if they go about it the right way
Feed the patient and starve the wound
There's new thinking around the role that good nutrition plays in healing ulcers
60 Seconds with...
60 Seconds with ... Richard Juman
For providers that still have high rates of antipsychotics, there's a goal to decrease the rate by 15% by the end of 2019. Is this ...
Ask the care expert
Ask the Care Expert about ... fluids for UTIs
Some of my nurses believe that one way to assist with some UTI treatments is to increase fluids. What is your thought on increasing them?
Resident care
Objective screenings tend to improve delirium diagnoses
Nurses and others who screen hospital patients for delirium tend to disagree on the diagnosis, according to a longitudinal study of three centers in the ...
Staff key to better resident oral health
Improved caregiver education can help residents maintain oral health over longer periods, according to research published in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology in September.
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the Treatment Expert about ... skin integrity meetings
How can we make our skin integrity meetings proactive and prevent pressure injuries?
Wound care
Steady-release dressing has promise for chronic wounds
A new, semi-occlusive wound dressing that provides continuous delivery of topical healing agents shows promise in the treatment of chronic wounds that need steady treatment.
Telescopic cells aid high-risk patients
Patients who spend more than eight hours a day in a wheelchair have a far lower incidence of pressure ulcers when it is equipped with ...
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the Nursing Expert about ... staff competencies
Is it true that during new survey process, surveyors will ask staff nurses and nursing assistants about their competencies, with questions such as, "Do you ...
Nursing
Disinfectant exposure may increase nurses' COPD risk
Nurses who regularly use bleach and other disinfectants on the job appear to have a higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according ...
Nurses need YouTube image help: study
The nursing profession could use an image boost, according to an analysis of videos in searches for "nurses" and "nursing" on the video-sharing website YouTube.
Ask the payment expert
Ask the Payment Expert about ... facility assessments
Can you tell me more about the Facility Assessment that will be implemented in Phase 2 of the Rules of Participation?
Payment & policy
CMS withdraws proposal to aid same-sex spouses in LTC
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services withdrew a proposed rule in October originally aimed at ensuring rights for married same-sex couples in long-term care ...
Data testing now a reality
Beta testing of standardized data elements for post-acute care will start this month in 14 geographic markets, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ...
Ask the legal expert
Ask the Legal Expert about ... understaffing lawsuits
I read about a state supreme court upholding class-action status for a lawsuit alleging "chronic understaffing." How do we insulate ourselves from such allegations?
Legal Matters
Training clears facility, not aides, in heat-related death
Two former caretakers at an Illinois long-term care facility have been charged with Class 3 felony counts of criminal neglect in the death of a ...
SNF worker fired after Facebook request
A Florida nursing home fired one of its nursing assistants in September after she requested help for the facility on Facebook in the aftermath of ...
How to do it…
How to do it ... Upward mobility plans
Upward mobility is a common interest among professionals, particularly in long-term care. How to achieve it, and market oneself properly for it, are important considerations ...
Careers
Happy horses, happy residents
An executive at Centers Health Care approached Gayle Kirschenbaum with an idea: Create a mini-horse therapy program in the company's long-term care facilities.
Technology
Telemanagement helps trim readmissions from facilities
Heart failure patients whose conditions are monitored using a telemanagement system may be less likely to be readmitted to the hospital from a post-acute care ...
Opinion
Reader Poll: How do you make the holidays special for your residents?
"At Levindale, to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, we light the menorah, community choirs sing, and we have intergenerational ...
When drones attack
It's your job to think about the future, so we definitely need to talk about drones in long-term care. Not the one who delivered that ...
Company news
Sabra CEO: biggest providers simply 'can't do it anymore'
Instead of building mass by stringing together operators with national reach, skilled nursing operators and owners should instead concentrate on finding smaller, nimble partners.
ManorCare CEO bows out
HCR ManorCare announced in late September that its long-time president and CEO, Paul Ormond, would step down after more than three decades at the company.
Vendor news
Expanded wound care line includes silver dressings
Dynarex, citing an increased demand from customers, has added new products to its Advanced Wound Care Line, including silver- and honey-based dressings.
New option for readmissions analytics
Medline Industries and Real Time Medical Systems announced a partnership in October geared to reducing hospital readmissions.
The big picture
Not the usual small talk
Sabra Health Care REIT chairman and CEO Rick Matros recently tweaked more than a few noses when he made some rather disparaging remarks about the ...
Editor’s desk
Don't look 'over there' to fix staffing over here
Whether you're Republican, Democrat or independent, you might do well to listen to Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker.
Profile
Profile: Steve Fleming
While Steve Fleming refers to it as "a hobby that went out of control," he has no doubt that being a college football official has ...
