October 2014 35 10 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
Top news stories from the October 2014 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.
Analysis
Wages hold steady, but labor costs volatile
As the Great Recession continues to reverberate, underwhelming economists and analysts with a lackluster recovery, the long-term care industry appears to have achieved a sort ...
News
Verify payroll totals for rankings: letter
Federal regulators need to collect nursing home staffing data directly from payroll systems rather than from providers themselves, members of the Congressional Seniors Task Force ...
Therapy buck stops at SNF
A legal settlement involving two long-term care companies accused of not sufficiently controlling their contracted therapy provider's billing practices has created anxieties among skilled nursing ...
Regular chats avoid lawsuits
To prevent lawsuits, long-term care leaders need to routinely communicate with difficult family members, a defense attorney told a McKnight's Fall Online Expo webcast audience ...
AHCA: Managed care transparency needed
The government should collect and release more claims information from managed care plans, the nation's largest long-term care provider association stated in a recent letter ...
Reporting neglected, OIG says
Slightly more than half of the nation's nursing facilities reported abuse or neglect allegations as required in 2012, a new report from the Office of ...
Calming meds fuel dementia
Long-term use of drugs commonly used to treat anxiety and insomnia increased the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease by as much as 51%.
Flu-dose ally: higher antigen
A high-dose flu vaccine with four times the amount of antigen in a standard vaccine was 24% more effective in protecting study subjects 65 and ...
Lawmakers demand answers about rating system quirks
After The New York Times noted that providers are apparently gaming the Five Star rating system by enhancing staffing and quality data, federal lawmakers quickly ...
SNF, CCRC spending expected to rise 69%
Spending on nursing homes and continuing care retirement communities is expected to roughly keep pace with total U.S. healthcare spending during the next decade, according ...
State News
State News for October 2014
ILLINOIS — Gov. Pat Quinn (D) has signed a new law making it easier for people to lodge complaints against nursing homes.
Features
Spreading too thin?
Lenders encourage facility operators to think twice before pursing alternative models of care; 'jack-of-all-trades' a challenging label to embrace
A very tangled web
Medication management is as much art as science in a patient's final days, and that can present multifaceted caregiving challenges for hospice providers
60 Seconds with...
60 seconds with ... Linda Hermer, Ph.D.
Q: What will you focus on now that you've joined the LeadingAge Center for Applied Research?
Ask the care expert
Ask the care expert ... about end-of-life wound care
I work on a floor in a skilled care facility where most residents are on hospice or at the end of life. Some have wounds ...
Resident care
Agencies offer resource for improving LGBT inclusion
Many older lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender adults residing in long-term care facilities do not feel safe being open about their sexual identities, experts say.
Study gives bathing gloves thumbs-up
Nursing homes could save money and improve resident skin care by using disposable wash gloves rather than giving traditional soap-and-water bed baths, according to recently ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the treatment expert ... about unavoidable pressure ulcers
Have you heard that most clinicians are in agreement that there are unavoidable pressure ulcers?
Wound care
Heart research leads to new unexpected wound therapy
Scientists researching electrical signals that regulate heartbeats have stumbled across a new, highly effective treatment for venous leg ulcers. The team from Virginia Tech Carilion ...
Ionic 'magic bullet' could aid wound care
A unique class of materials called ionic liquids could be a "magic bullet" for treating wounds such as pressure ulcers, venous leg ulcers and more, ...
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the nursing expert ... about improving customer service
I'm a new unit manager and I see a lack of good customer service. What can I do?
Nursing
Let there be light for better nurse health, patient care
Creating workspaces with natural light could improve nurses' job performance and health, Cornell University researchers believe.
Empower NPs, reduce hospitalizations
Maximizing the authority of nurse practitioners is associated with reduced hospitalization of skilled nursing facility residents, according to findings recently published in Nursing Outlook.
Ask the payment expert
Ask the payment expert ... about supporting MDS completion
What is the best nursing structure to support the MDS process?
Payment & policy
Latest ACO dropout blames issues with payment system
A California healthcare system recently became the latest dropout from the Pioneer Accountable Care Organization program, citing the fact that payments are not adjusted by ...
Hospice billings changed
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently updated instructions on coding hospice claims. Billing staffs should be aware of these changes, which went into ...
Legal Matters
Alleged overuse of antipsych drugs leads to federal case
A pair of California nursing homes are facing federal False Claims Act charges for allegedly overmedicating residents with antipsychotics and other drugs.
Judge blocks award of new RAC contracts
Medicare's Recovery Audit Contractor program continues to struggle with controversy.
Ask the legal expert ... about developing effective boards
How do we make sure members of our board of directors all are pulling their weight (and also acting legally)? It seems like a lot ...
Design
A tradition gets updated
Hannah B.G. Shaw Home for the Aged gets with the times by expanding the rural site that once was the Shaw home.
How to do it…
How to do it ... Improving readmission rates
The finest rehab care in the world is only as good as the diligence therapists display before, during and after a resident's stay. And it ...
A day in the life
...They all screamed for ice cream
Halloween candy might be on most people's minds as they turn the calendar to October. But it'll be hard for residents at one Missouri nursing ...
Couldn't live without
I couldn't live without ... NTT Data software
With one glance, staff at Essex Group Management can identify whether required documentation is in place using NTT Data software, says corporate clinical auditor Cheryl ...
Technology
Dated technology can cause communication rifts: study
Outmoded methods of communication between caregivers may be responsible for significant amounts of wasted time during shifts, resulting in inefficient patient transfers and hundreds of ...
ITUpdate for October 2014
» The personal information of roughly 4.5 million patients was compromised during a series of cyber-attacks against hospital group Community Health Systems, the organization reported ...
Opinion
Get up and get ready
If you're looking for an inspirational nugget to share at stand-up tomorrow morning, I might just have something for you.
Company news
Genesis, Skilled Healthcare deal forms mega-company
Genesis HealthCare and Skilled Healthcare Group will merge to create a single company with more than 500 facilities nationwide, the providers announced in late August.
SNFs limited in disasters
Skilled care facilities officially tabbed "alternate care sites" may not be able to take on hospital patient overflow during disasters, according to a report that ...
BusinessBriefs for October 2014
» Brookdale Senior Living and real estate investment trust HCP have finalized a $1.2 billion joint venture, the firms announced. The new partnership will include ...
Vendor news
LeadingAge's CAST releases EHR matrix selection tool
LeadingAge's Center for Aging Services Technologies released its 2014 version of a tool to enable long-term providers to choose the best electronic health record for ...
Relias Learning expands presence
Relias Learning announced second quarter results for 2014 that reflected its expansion into new markets.
CompanyBriefs for October 2014
» Healthsense Inc. raised $10 million from Mansa Capital. Mansa Capital Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer Ruben King-Shaw Jr. will join the Healthsense Board ...
The big picture
Stars aligned for shift
The Five Star rating system is about to get retooled, thanks to a scathing report in The New York Times. The only real question is ...
Editor’s desk
DOJ the latest to pile on in therapy-billing mess
Don't let anyone tell you that long-term care operators don't know how to read between the lines. They might not have known to fear a ...
Profile
Profile: Dedicated to excellence
Of Carol Scott's many accomplishments, there is one that is a particular highlight: enabling nursing home residents on ventilators in her home state of Missouri ...
