September 2017 38 9 Issue of McKnight's Long Term Care News
September 2017 issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
Where are they now?
Where Are They Now: Colonial Park Care Center
Since scooping up a Transitions Gold Award in McKnight's 2015 technology awards, officials at Colonial Park Care Center say their use of the InTouch Telehealth ...
News
Fifth Fall Expo to offer free CE
As providers prepare for Phase 2 requirements under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' mega-rule, many are balancing how to stay compliant while affirming ...
CMS cancels, trims bundled pay models
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a proposal in mid-August to cancel its Episode Payment and Cardiac Rehabilitation bundled payment models, citing a ...
Admins, DONs earning more
Salaries for nursing home administrators jumped 3% over the past year, to a national average of $97,401, while directors of nursing realized a 2.6% increase, ...
Flu shot firings leading to trial
A North Carolina hospital will have to go to trial over claims that it fired at least three employees who refused a flu shot on ...
Low vitamin D ups heart risk
Seniors with vitamin D deficiency may face more than 12 times an increased risk of heart failure, according to a study published in August.
Academic serving up 'train wreck' forecast
Low wages and a lack of respect for direct care workers are putting the long-term care industry on a dangerous path to worker shortages, a ...
Thanks for 1% Medicare raise
If they hadn't known well in advance it would be that small, providers probably wouldn't have been so gracious about a mere 1% increase in ...
CMS surprises — and doesn't — with pay model changes
There were surprises mixed with an utter lack of the unexpected in August when federal officials made bold moves away from certain mandatory care and ...
Hospitals failing at discharge info: report
Hospital patients often don't receive quality information on skilled nursing facilities prior to their discharge and may choose a facility based on location, a new ...
State News
State News for September 2017
After the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in mid-August that a $1.50-per-pack "fee" on cigarettes was a tax, the state is facing a $215 million shortfall.
Features
Helping the assessors
Minimum Data Set coordinators serve vital functions in today's skilled nursing facilities — their ability to dig deep is so critical that one software executive ...
Customers come first
With the help of customer relationship management tools, providers and sales reps can manage their referrals, improve census and track missed opportunities
60 Seconds with...
60 Seconds with ... William A. Dombi
Q: Serving as interim president (after the death of NAHC President Val J. Halamandaris) what are your goals moving forward?
Ask the care expert
Ask the Care Expert about ... ordering antibiotics
I am trying to train some of the staff on my floor to be aware before simply automatically ordering an antibiotic to get the resident ...
Resident care
Diabetes self-management game reduces hemoglobin
An online game designed to teach diabetes self-management significantly decreased hemoglobin A1c, a common marker for diabetes control, according to research published in Diabetes Care ...
Caregiver trust linked to good outcomes
Healthcare professionals may improve palliative care for residents with advanced dementia by improving communication with residents' caregivers, a recent study found.
Ask the treatment expert
Ask the Treatment Expert about ... creating a skin care team
I'm a wound care nurse new to long-term care, and I want to develop a skin care team. Whom should I consider for team members?
Wound care
Nursing home debridement shows promise for wounds
Traditional surgical debridement helped reduce wound size for a majority of wound care patients in skilled nursing settings, but it didn't typically lead to full ...
Hospitals, SNFs don't agree on wounds
Hospitals and nursing homes agreed on the existence of a pressure wound just over one-third of the time, according to a new study, a finding ...
Ask the nursing expert
Ask the Nursing Expert about ... the new survey process
I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. Do you have any tips to assist with the new survey process?
Nursing
Assertiveness training called key to improving nursing care
Nurses showed short- and long-term benefits after just three hours of an assertiveness training program, according to results from a University of Miyazaki study.
Health literacy low for Medigap seniors
Health literacy is lacking for individuals with Medigap coverage compared to other elderly populations, new research has found.
Ask the payment expert
Ask the Payment Expert about ... preparing for the new survey
How do we prepare for the new survey process?
Payment & policy
Hospices earning high scores on newly released ratings
Hospice providers are showing impressive scores on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' new Hospice Compare website — but those high grades have led ...
Court drops backlog order
The Department of Health and Human Services will have another shot at explaining why it believes a four-year timeline for clearing the current Medicare appeals ...
Ask the legal expert
Ask the Legal Expert about ... 24/7 visitor policies
We adopted a 24/7 visitor policy after much encouragement. Unfortunately, we occasionally get disruptive visitors. What can we do to restrict this without receiving complaints?
Legal Matters
Court: SNFs allowed to fight delayed Medicaid payments
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit ruled in August that 10 operators of Illinois long-term care facilities can move forward with a ...
Florida SNFs sue over Medicaid pay delay
Ten Florida skilled nursing facilities have filed a class-action lawsuit against several insurance companies over their alleged failure to pay interest on overdue Medicaid payments.
Design
Design Decisions: Celebrating car culture
A few years ago, the United Auto Workers eyed the Packard Proving Grounds in Shelby Township, MI, north of Detroit, as the potential site for ...
How to do it…
How to do it ... choosing the best bath lifts
Lifts and other transfer equipment often get a bad rap with residents and reluctant staff. Misinformation can be rife, initial encounters uncomfortable. Yet these devices ...
A day in the life
Ready for anything
With implementation of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' new emergency preparedness rules on the horizon, United Hebrew of New Rochelle took its disaster ...
Technology
Study finds disconnect between Facebook and Five-Star ratings
As social media becomes more prevalent, an increasing number of long-term care consumers are taking to the web to voice opinions — good and bad ...
Opinion
Reader Poll: What do you do at the start of each work day to set yourself up for success?
"Usually I'll go over my planner and peruse that. I just got into bullet journaling. The idea is that if you write something down and ...
Insta-gratification next?
Here's a hypothetical for you. Let's say you're a busy nurse in a long-term care setting, and your supervisor wanders up and says, "Mrs. Jacobs ...
Company news
Shareholders sign off on deal linking Sabra, CCP
A giant new skilled nursing-assisted living chain was given birth in August, when shareholders of Sabra Health Care REIT and Care Capital Properties voted to ...
ManorCare receivership
Quality Care Properties kept the heat on HCR ManorCare top managers, announcing in mid-August that it had begun the process of appointing an independent receiver ...
Vendor news
PharMerica to be acquired by KKR in $1.4B deal; Walgreens will a be minority investor
Global investment firm KKR will buy PharMerica Corporation in a $1.4 billion deal, the companies announced in August.
Talyst acquired by Swisslog
Swisslog Healthcare has acquired West Coast medication management company Talyst. Starting in 2018, the companies will begin integrating their pharmacy systems to address a large ...
The big picture
A Trump success story
President Trump may have struggled mightily to kill Obamacare. But he is clearly enjoying early success in at least one area: labor policy.
Editor’s desk
Person-centered care pushing aside nonsense
I found it stunning when I recently read that more than a half million people had taken advantage of new Medicare coverage that pays for ...
Profile
Profile: Brian Jurutka
If there's a recurrent term for how people describe new National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care CEO, Brian Jurutka, it's curiosity.
