September 2014 35 9 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
Top news stories from the September 2014 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News.
News
Medicare rates will increase 2% in 2015
When is a meager pay hike viewed as welcome news? When the source of that increase — namely, the federal government — seems intent on ...
Surveyor 'help' leads to chaos
An Ohio nursing home says residents became defiant after speaking with a state inspector, leading the provider to file a lawsuit.
Scrap hospital rule: experts
Medicare should cover people who go to a skilled nursing facility without a preceding hospital stay, experts recently told the Senate Special Committee on Aging.
Study: To boost care, empower nurse aides
Long-term care managers would be wise to allow nursing assistants — and residents' family members — a greater say in managerial-type decision-making, authors of a ...
McKnight's adds 8 more awards
McKnight's added three national awards to its trophy case last month following the American Society of Business Publication Editors ceremony in Chicago.
MRSA often lurks in groin
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization is common in groin and rectal areas, especially in men, new research shows.
Common soap may be culprit
Healthcare facilities should avoid "heavily marketed" triclosan soaps, experts advise in updated hand hygiene guidelines.
Rate hike will be only a part of the new Medicare reality
Many providers are relieved that Medicare rates are slated to go up by 2% in the next fiscal year. After all, who wants to turn ...
DOJ forces observation stay showdown
Hospitals have been cast in a harsh light by long-term care advocates recently for allegedly over-using "observation stay" status. The practice can ultimately deny some ...
State News
State News for September 2014
MAINE - The state's nursing homes will get their first Medicaid rate increase in six years after a breathtaking display of mid-summer political brinksmanship. But ...
Features
Success without silos
Minimum data set coordinators should get as much support as possible from colleagues as they navigate data set changes and ever-evolving requirements
No need for injury
Due to dynamic factors in moving residents, facilities must invest wisely in lifts, slings and batteries to make sure workers stay safe while performing transfers
60 Seconds with...
60 seconds with ... Ed McMahon, Ph.D.
Q: You recently received the Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality Award from the American Health Care Association. What are some of the biggest current ...
Ask the care expert
Ask the care expert ... about pressure ulcer prevalence
I am a new charge nurse. My DON wants me to calculate the prevalence of pressure ulcers. Is there an easy way to do this?
Resident care
Providers warming up to free dementia resource, feds note
Nursing homes are no longer returning or refusing a free dementia care training resource, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Familiar songs ease Alzheimer's: study
Singing familiar songs may encourage conversation among people with Alzheimer's disease, a small study shows.
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the treatment expert ... about wound drainage
While moisture promotes wound healing, what about those wounds that have a lot of drainage?
Wound care
Total contact casting reduces foot amputations, study finds
Those who are treating diabetic foot ulcers should evaluate modern total contact casting techniques, according to a new analysis.
30-degree tilt best for blood flow: study
Different body positions change residents' tissue blood flow and may relate to how wounds heal, according to new research. The optimal position might be a ...
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the nursing expert ... about juggling responsibilities
How can a director of nursing juggle all the day-to-day responsibilities and still be available to the needs of his or her staff?
Nursing
Nursing homes may benefit from delayed RN retirements
Nursing homes may benefit from registered nurses working longer after age 50, researchers from RAND Corporation say.
Philosophy good for nurses, study says
Philosophical awareness is not only relevant to nurse education but "vital," according to researchers from the University of Victoria in Canada.
Ask the payment expert
Ask the payment expert ... about facility comparisons
What information is available so we can compare our nursing facility to others in the industry?
Payment & policy
RACs return $100 million to providers, as criticism grows
Medicare Recovery Audit Contractors returned a record $100.4 million in identified underpayments to providers between April and June.
Bill could gut scheduling
A Congressional proposal to provide low-wage hourly employees with more stability and workplace protections could hit nursing homes.
Ask the legal expert
Ask the legal expert ... about loan forbearance
We are in default under our loan documents. Will we be able to obtain a forbearance agreement from our lender?
Legal Matters
Provider: Judge improperly prodded $14 million award
Representatives of a now-defunct Massachusetts nursing home say they will appeal a jury's $14 million award to the family of a former resident who died ...
Nurse sues facility over live hostage drill
A nurse who said she was not warned that she would be threatened and "taken hostage" by a gunman during an emergency preparedness drill is ...
Having my say
Redoing readmissions
When people are discharged from the hospital following an illness, injury or surgery, that's often not the end of the story.
Enhancing well-being
I set out to re-examine dementia from a different framework — one that takes us beyond "interventions" and "programs" to a proactive, strength-based approach.
Design
Taking the final steps
Ashby Ponds opens all levels of care as it realizes the vision for a fully operating continuing care retirement community in Virginia
A day in the life
Residents cheer tractor parade
Many residents of the Oskaloosa Care Center in southern Iowa used to be farmers. They're reminded of their past by the cornfield next to the ...
Couldn't live without
I couldn't live without ... HealthcareSource solutions
HealthcareSource has helped Eldersburg, MD-based provider EMA make better hiring decisions and has fostered "healthy dialogue" between leadership and hiring managers, says Ryan Lillis, EMA's ...
Technology
mHealth apps may end up hurting consumers: expert
Mobile health apps need more oversight, according to a July article published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
ITUpdate for September 2014
» The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched a technical assistance program, called the Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program, in July. The goal is to ...
Opinion
You're the detective
In the evidence-based healthcare world, you need to become a real Sherlock (or Shirley) Holmes to take your clues (data) and put them together logically ...
Dirty hands needed
Gardening is magic. Gardening is mindfulness. Gardening is therapist, physician and personal trainer without spandex or a copay. And now researchers have confirmed that gardening ...
Company news
Sector's housing stock grows at uneven pace, NIC reports
Seniors housing stock collectively rose by 0.1% in the second quarter, putting the sector on pace for a 1.5% annual increase, according to new data ...
AdCare shifts business plan
AdCare Health Systems plans to divest its senior living properties and become a holding company, the firm announced.
BusinessBriefs for September 2014
» CNL Healthcare Properties completed the acquisition of seven communities in Texas and one in Illinois for approximately $187.2 million, with potential adjustments related to ...
The big picture
They're not all ingrates
It's no surprise that staff turnover remains alarmingly high at many long-term care communities.
Editor’s desk
Complainers, take note: This one is all for you
As a long-term caregiver, you get yelled at, told off, put down and dumped on regularly — and that's during good weeks.
Profile
Profile: AHCA's money player
If there's a prevailing theme around the hours American Health Care Association senior fellow Elise Smith keeps, it's that they are constant.
