September 2012 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
McKnight's September 2012 issues offers the latest in long-term care news.
News
Pilot would close 'observation loophole'
Faced with growing complaints about the "observation stay loophole," the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is launching a pilot program that ultimately could let ...
Medicare cuts on pace to top $782 million, Alliance claims
Operators are bracing for a 2% Medicare pay cut that is slated to kick in Jan. 1. That translates to $782 million in reimbursement reductions ...
Database bares deficiencies
On the heels of the overhauling of the Nursing Home Compare website, a new database goes a step further, allowing consumers to search federal nursing ...
Avalere: SNFs facing $65 billion in losses
A 1.8% increase in Medicare payments to skilled nursing providers that starts next month will essentially be negated by losses expected from sequestration and the ...
Introspection has 2 payoffs
A meditation technique reduces loneliness and chronic inflammation disorders in seniors, new research shows.
Better vision, less fractures
In a study of Medicare beneficiaries who had their cataracts removed, 16% fewer had hip fractures within the first year of surgery than those who ...
Health reform penalties start
In less than a month, more than 2,000 U.S. hospitals will be subject to financial penalties for preventable readmissions, making their relationships with post-acute providers ...
Sequestration cuts will target Medicare
The good news about sequestration cuts slated to start in January: They will not touch Medicaid. The bad news: Medicare funding will trimmed by 2% ...
Providers see 1.8% increase
Skilled nursing providers will receive a net 1.8% pay hike in Medicare reimbursements, beginning Oct. 1.
State News
Gov. supports striking nursing home workers
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D) joined 700 striking nursing home workers after a National Labor Relations Board ruling found their employer violated labor laws.
Gov. supports striking nursing home workers
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy (D) joined 700 striking nursing home workers after a National Labor Relations Board ruling found their employer violated labor laws.
Features
Making a big splash
Proper planning, including staff deployment and material placement, boosts bath-time efficiencies, enabling staff members to get more done in a safe way.
'Do the right thing'
Experts say compliance programs need to start with a solid dose of conscience, followed by commitment, resources, diligence, communications and training
Beyond the 3 basics
Providers must realize that offering an activities menu of bingo, birthdays and Bible is an archaic practice, and clearly out of step with the modern ...
60 Seconds with...
Ask the care expert
Ask the care expert: Can you suggest a bowel and bladder training program?
One of facilities' first mistakes is when they attempt to train one floor or wing at one time. You can't expect to take 20 to ...
Resident care
'Eye writing' device aids paralyzed people
Nursing home residents who do not have use of their arms or hands could have a new tool at their disposal to help them communicate ...
'Eye writing' device aids paralyzed people
Nursing home residents who do not have use of their arms or hands could have a new tool at their disposal to help them communicate ...
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the treatment expert: What effect does xerosis have on pruritus?
Xerosis, dry skin, can cause the skin to become scaly and crack, which increases the skin's exposure to bacteria. Many factors contribute to dry skin.
Wound care
Need for team approach to wounds cited
A multidisciplinary approach to wound care will become increasingly important in the years ahead, according to those at the annual meeting of the American College ...
Spray-on skin shows promise as a treatment for leg ulcers
A "spray-on skin" could help treat leg ulcers more effectively than traditional wound dressings, according to recent tests.
Nursing
Shift work may lead to heart problems
Shift workers, especially those working overnight, are at a higher risk for a stroke or heart attack, an analysis finds.
Nurses who talk about stress may feel better, report finds
It's no secret that nurses — including those who work in long-term care — suffer from a range of occupational stresses and fatigue.
Ask the payment expert
Ask the Payment Expert: Are staffing adjustments necessary to deal with MDS changes?
I believe the most effective way to meet resident needs is for nurse managers to be involved in all OBRA assessments because those are the ...
Payment & policy
Full Medicaid denial sought
At least one high-ranking lawmaker is pushing to cut off Medicaid funding to providers who have unpaid taxes.
Pay-for-performance test run yields mixed results: report
An Affordable Care Act provision testing pay-for-performance incentives faces an uncertain future after a federal demonstration program testing it has so far brought "disconcerting" results.
Ask the legal expert
What to do about our unqualified MDS coordinator?
We hired an unqualified MDS coordinator who filed many claims for us at too high of a reimbursement rate and now we're being pursued under ...
What to do about our unqualified MDS coordinator?
We hired an unqualified MDS coordinator who filed many claims for us at too high of a reimbursement rate and now we're being pursued under ...
Legal Matters
Hospice beneficiaries at a draw with HHS
What hospice services will pay for, and whether beneficiaries receive correct information from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, converged as issues in court ...
Having my say
How to drive employees
According to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, when economic times are good, deaths in the United States increase. Yet losing a job ...
Why managed care is good for long-term care
New York is embarking on a historic reform effort to overhaul our state's Medicaid program — for years it has ranked among the nation's largest ...
Design
True neighborhood model
A new Touchstone community in Texas offers state-of-the-art care that focuses on dignity, choice to bring residents together
How to do it…
How to do it... Information Technology
In the stark daylight of healthcare reform, information technology systems are practically useless if all they do is collect bytes of information. When accompanied by ...
A day in the life
Delivering more than the mail
When Steve Score, 57, retired, he quickly learned "A man can only watch so much 'Oprah.'" Thus, he began working as a volunteer mailman at ...
I couldn't live without...
I couldn't live without...HydroWorx Underwater treadmill
Kim Eichinger, the executive director of fitness for Pennsylvania-based Country Meadows Retirement Communities, says the HydroWorx's treadmills are an effective form of exercise for a ...
Technology
Approved sensor can reveal whether medicine is taken
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has given marketing approval to an ingestible pill that monitors medication adherence. Proteus Digital Health Inc. makes the Ingestion ...
Opinion
Lose the bad attitude
If blatant displays of disinterested hostility were an Olympic event, I know a nurse who would have taken the gold — and maybe the silver ...
Resident care
Mild exercise may aid mood for heart-condition patients
New research reveals that moderate exercise can help relieve symptoms in those who have congestive heart failure and subsequent depression.
Mild exercise may aid mood for heart-condition patients
New research reveals that moderate exercise can help relieve symptoms in those who have congestive heart failure and subsequent depression.
Company news
Ventas gets big gain in Q2
Ventas Inc. posted a huge gain in the second quarter, with revenues up by almost 70% compared to a year go. The total revenue in the ...
Senior living sector enjoying better credit ratings, access
Halfway through 2012, senior living providers are having a better time securing credit in order to expand and are seeing better credit rankings.
Vendor news
Vendor's app converts MDS assessments
Software vendor Caradigm has developed an application that converts Minimum Data Set information to Continuity of Care Documents. The conversion means MDS information can be ...
Failures halt Phase III trials of infused Alzheimer's drug
Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Elan said all Phase III tests of Alzheimer's drug bapineuzumab are being halted after the drug failed to hit its ...
The big picture
A missed opportunity?
One reason why the annual Dealmaker's Handbook is so much fun to put together is that it never fails to reveal emerging market trends. And ...
Editor’s desk
Romney-Ryan gives LTC voters plenty to ponder
Long-term care providers might find they have some wrenching decisions to make, thanks to the Romney-Ryan presidential ticket.
Profile
A success at new starts
What most people know about Francis Kirley pertains to his success: how he is the American Health Care Association PAC chairman, and how he created ...
