October 2016 37 10 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
October 2016 edition of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
Where are they now?
Where are they now: Boston Home Wheelchair Enhancement Center
A generous donation a few years ago has made the Boston Home even more service-oriented for its residents. The gift? A 3-D printer.
News
CMS: deliver data — or else
Providers who miss staffing data submission deadlines could be sanctioned — and see their Five-Star Nursing Quality Ratings suffer — federal officials said.
Many aides leave for two obvious reasons
Low wages and high injury risks may be driving up unfilled nursing assistant positions in nursing homes, according to a new report.
Proposed regs increase fines
Maximum civil monetary penalties for skilled nursing providers will more than double under a final rule released by the Department of Health and Human Services ...
Stroke linked to depression
People who survive a stroke have eight times the risk of developing depression than people without a history of stroke, a recent study found.
Social media a new medicine?
Using social media applications like Facebook or Skype may help lessen depression, loneliness and other chronic illnesses in seniors, a recent study found.
Mature ACOs more likely to hit targets
More than 100 Medicare accountable care organizations qualified for shared savings payments in 2015 by meeting quality performance standards and hitting their savings threshold, the ...
Painkiller slows memory loss
A common painkiller associated with menstrual cramps could be a tool to reversing memory loss caused by Alzheimer's disease, researchers assert.
As clock ticks, administration rushes to make late changes
Before he exits the White House, President Barack Obama and his administration remain focused on adjusting Medicare reimbursements.
New rule fueling more false claims cases
A rule released earlier this year by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services targeting overpayments may lead to an increase in cases involving the ...
State News
State News for October 2016
Louisiana's long-term care community was not unscathed from flooding that hit in mid-August, leaving thousands homeless and wreaking the worst damage in the country since ...
Features
Built for success
Success for long-term care safety and security systems depends on facilities' physical features as much as it does on the staff members who work in ...
Pain points
'Getting ahead' has led to painkillers becoming long-term care's most vexing drug problem; addictions, overdependence cloud the newly restrictive picture
60 Seconds with...
Ask the care expert
Ask the Care Expert about ... infections
It seems like we are now making a bigger deal out of infections in the long-term post-acute care settings. How many infections occur in long-term ...
Resident care
Video games and treadmills may be a way to reduce falls
A combination of treadmill therapy and virtual reality may help lower the risk of falls in seniors better than using a treadmill alone.
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the Treatment Expert about ... diabetic foot ulcers
What is the role of our clinicians in treating foot ulcers associated with a diagnosis of diabetes?
Wound care
Biological binding mesh helps with negative pressure healing
A bacteria- and fungi-binding mesh dressing should be a wound care layer of choice when chronic wounds are treated with negative pressure wound therapy.
3-D measurement device shows promise
A new 3-D wound measurement device was highly reliable when measuring a range of wound sizes and types, according to a study published in Wounds.
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the Nursing Expert about ... staff meetings
As a director of nursing, how often should I hold staff meetings with all of our nurses? What are MUST topics at these meetings?
Nursing
Brain can rewire after sleep deprivation, researchers say
As little as five hours of sleep deprivation can bring on the kind of physical changes that lead to memory loss, according to a study ...
Prior health work increases RN salaries
Prior experience in some health-related fields equates to higher wages for registered nurses who earn a bachelor of science in nursing.
Ask the legal expert
Ask the Legal Expert about ... involuntary discharge
Our administrator went to talk to an upset family member and got sucker-punched by another family member, knocking out one of the administrator's teeth. Employees ...
Legal Matters
Court's new Jimmo mandate earns LTC experts' criticism
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services dropped the ball when it came to explaining maintenance therapy coverage under the landmark Jimmo case, according to ...
Providers push court on arbitration ruling
Kentucky nursing home providers are feeling the negative effects of the state's strict rules on arbitration, a leading provider group told the U.S. Supreme Court ...
Having my say
Nourishing new rules
In the question of whether one lives to eat or eats to live, friends know that for me it's definitely the former. There is so ...
Design
Design Decisions: SNF has Sheboygan shine
Full-scale cooperation among federal, state and local agencies brings badly needed new facility in Wisconsin lakeshore town
How to do it…
How to do it ... maximizing rehab space
State-of-the-art equipment and amenities attract growing legions of aging boomers to rehab. Where to put them all — the people and equipment, that is — ...
A day in the life
Gold medal gamers
As the Rio Olympics wrapped up in August, a group of New York nursing homes was in the middle of preparations for a competition all ...
Technology
Xbox console used to show how MS harms walking gait
An inexpensive yet effective tool for assessing walking difficulties in patients with multiple sclerosis may already be sitting in many living rooms, being used for ...
Opinion
Reader Poll: What non-clinical skill is most important in your daily work?
"Conflict resolution would be a big one. I have 300 employees and they don't always get along. It really depends on the situation, but it's ...
The power of praise
Here's one thing baseball has taught me about long-term care—all financial problems would disappear if we priced our services like ballpark beer. But there's another ...
Resident care
Training technique halves dementia risk
A highly specialized brain training technique reduced seniors' dementia risk by nearly 50% over a 10-year period.
Company news
Sabra 'prudently' divesting 29 Genesis-managed SNFs
Sabra Health Care REIT is the latest in a string of real estate investment trusts looking to distance themselves from problematic skilled nursing portfolios.
CareTrust to add two SNFs
CareTrust REIT Inc. acquired a portfolio of two California skilled nursing facilities, along with two seniors housing properties, for $34.4 million, the company announced in ...
Vendor news
Briggs Healthcare purchase boosts analytics platform
Briggs Healthcare acquired SimpleLTC in August as part of a goal to help customers increase data analytics abilities, executives said.
CDR investing big with Drive DeVilbiss
As expected, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice announced in August that it would make a significant equity investment alongside existing management in Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare. Terms ...
The big picture
Will the winner matter?
Ignore the white noise over whether Hillary or The Donald would be a worse presidential choice. There's a sleeper issue in next month's elections, and ...
Editor’s desk
Jimmo 'victory' not as good as first appeared?
Long-term care providers and consumer advocates were able to celebrate a rare common victory over federal regulators in mid-August.
Profile
Profile: Doug Burr
One thing is sure: Doug Burr has few peers, if any, in how he studies and calculates ways to better care for people, and get ...
