Month: April 2012

So OSHA is at your door—now what?

When it is time for the walk-around tour, take the compliance officer where he or she needs to go and nowhere else. You may be proud of your facility and want to show it off, but that doesn’t mean they will see it in the same light as you. Read More »

Create a ‘thriving workforce’ through empowerment

Beyond tangible, teachable skills, like how to set a table properly, training for thriving employees includes helping them break out of the status quo. When employees are able to take small risks in the service of making the community work better, they feel empowered and engaged. Read More »

Report declares dementia a global public health crisis

According to research, the number of people living with dementia worldwide, estimated at 35.6 million in 2010, is set to nearly double every 20 years, reaching 65.7 million in 2030 and 115.4 million in 2050. Read More »

From hotel to senior housing

What do you do with a great building that isn’t providing a great return on investment? Shell Point Retirement Community, a nonprofit ministry of The Christian and Missionary Alliance Foundation, Inc., faced such a dilemma last year. Read More »

Disaster planning workshop a long-term care success

Traditionally, nursing homes and other levels of long-term care have not been involved with disaster planning as part of the community on a broad-based scale. As this bi-annual conference shows, that's no longer the case. Read More »

CMS announces 27 Shared Savings ACOs

More than 1.1 million beneficiaries are receiving care from providers participating in Medicare shared savings initiatives. CMS says it is reviewing more than 150 applications from ACOs seeking to enter the program in July. Read More »

Geriatric ERs: A growing trend sparks interest, debate

Hospital emergency rooms that cater to the elderly are drawing attention for their special features (artificial skylights, thicker mattresses, absence of noise and rushing residents) and, most interestingly, their lower rates of return visits. Read More »

Researchers identify risk factors of rehospitalization for post-acute stroke patients

Of the nearly 700 stoke patients studied, 18 percent were rehospitalized during the three months following discharge. Patients with better motor and cognitive abilities at rehabilitation discharge were less likely to be rehospitalized. Read More »

Muscle training treats urinary incontinence for older women, study finds

The cost of incontinence care in the United States averaged $19.5 billion in 2004, and by one estimate the annualized cost of women's nursing home admissions due to urinary incontinence was $3 billion, according to AHRQ. Read More »

5 markets dominate sluggish assisted living construction

As of 4Q11, within the top 31 metropolitan markets, construction of assisted living properties represented 2.1 percent of the existing inventory, where it has been oscillating around for the past two years. Read More »

One-on-one with Loren B. Shook

What should LTC developers know about operational and business challenges when it comes to memory care? And what do they need to know about developments on the regulatory front? Loren B. Shook, president and CEO of Silverado Senior Living, weighs in on these questions in an exclusive interview. Read More »

SNF residents at greater risk of hospitalization for blood clots after an infection

The most common predictor of hospitalization for venous thromboembolism—a potentially life-threatening condition that includes both deep-vein and lung blood clots—was recent exposure to an infection, according to the study in Circulation. Read More »

Can this resident ever move closer to home?

Every day this 28-year-old father of two is encouraged to feed himself and do all he can so he can go home. But John's behaviors and displays of anger make caring for him difficult, and he is far away from the comfort and reassurance of his home state. Read More »

New AARP network to foster age-friendly communities in U.S.

The new program aims to provide a system to “educate, encourage, promote, and recognize improvements that make cities, towns, and counties more user-friendly not only for their older residents but for residents of all ages,” according to the release. Read More »

OSHA targets SNFs with new safety program

For the new National Emphasis Program, OSHA will target LTC facilities with a days-away-from-work rate of 10 or higher per 100 full-time workers. Read More »

Back to the future through MDS

Determining what is “less institutional” may not be a foregone conclusion. Making assumptions about residents’ preferences is dangerous business, and when we simply ask residents what they want, they surprise us more often than not. Read More »

HIT and risk management considerations for LTPAC providers

New payment models require payors to look closer at risk management. While traditional risk management analyzes the risk of taking a risk, we now also have to analyze the risk of not taking a risk, particularly from an information technology perspective. Read More »

Tempting the taste buds in senior living

It's not enough just to provide meals. If residents don't like what they see, it's a good bet that they won't enjoy eating it. The dining experience should add joy, excitement and choice for increased resident satisfaction and, ultimately, good nutrition. Read More »

A salute to the stalwarts of long-term care

Long-term care is replete with many exemplars who, day in and day out, without fanfare, perform minor miracles in the service of our elders. The on-site nursing home managers—the director of nursing and the administrator—serve as a deserving illustration of such unsung LTC stars. Read More »

Alzheimer’s research funding questioned

A senator says that while he supports Alzheimer’s research, "this $80 million isn’t happening," referring to funding President Obama proposed earlier this year. Read More »

Decimals, decibels, lumens—and long-term care

Will our codes and regulations inhibit or enable providers to meet the demands of an up and coming Baby Boomer generation of healthcare consumers? We may not have to wait long to find out. Read More »

How to cut LTC transportation costs

In addition to managing your transportation operation more efficiently and less expensively, consider such options as subcontracting and turning your vehicles into revenue generators. Read More »

CMS reverses proposed consultant pharmacist regulation for SNFs

CMS said it backtracked on its proposal because the policy “would be highly disruptive to the industry” without reducing drug utilization, according to news reports. Read More »

‘Bad debt’ cuts to hit SNFs hard in 10 states

Florida, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Louisiana, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia and New Jersey will absorb the largest Medicare funding cuts from bad debt provisions, a new Avalere Health analysis found. Read More »

Understanding your employees’ protected online activity

The government protects employees’ rights to engage in "concerted activity" for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection. You might be surprised how far-reaching these protections can be, even in long-term care settings. Read More »

Normalizing hospice in long-term care

Successful LTC facilities create an environment where hospice is just as “normal” as any other referral. Providers should have an understanding of disease progression and be able to convey it to the resident and family, alleviating fears through knowledge. Read More »

CMS memo clarifies PPS billing, assessment policies

The memo also introduced a new policy, effective April 1, 2012, for how providers should handle interviews on unscheduled PPS assessments. Read More »

LTC covered in Joint Commission’s online infection control resource center

The Joint Commission online portal on health care-associated infections provides both free and for-purchase resources for combating central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and other conditions. Read More »

Study: Bilingualism wards off symptoms of dementia

Researchers said the bilingual mind’s need to monitor two languages in order to select the appropriate language recruits brain regions that are critical for general attention and cognitive control. Read More »

U.S. recaptured Medicare Advantage overpayments of $1.25 billion in 2011

More than half of the amount, $797 million, is attributed to the Medicare recovery audit contractor program. Read More »