Blogs, Guest Columns, Things I Think and Living Leadership
Death by Acronym
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Mar 24, 2015
With apologies to Dr. Seuss, let me begin: I do not like these acronyms, these baffling lettered synonyms …
Addressing improper billing
By
Kristin Walter
Mar 23, 2015
The government has put the RAC program on a shelf, while they determine how to deal with confusion among providers regarding billing short inpatient hospital stays. It’s time now to get the RAC program...
Where were YOU when CMS changed the Five-Star rating system?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 20, 2015
Some things will always stay etched in our mind. Where were you on February 12, when CMS publicly announced immediate changes to the Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes?
Skin health and 6 pearls of knowledge
By
Martie Moore
Mar 19, 2015
The skin is the largest organ of the body, but many times it’s the least thought about or cared about until there is an issue. The goal is not having an issue.
A new approach to Alzheimer’s care
By
Charlotte Dell, L.M.S.W.
Mar 18, 2015
When I watched “50 First Dates,” I had an idea: If watching a video could help a character with memory loss, perhaps it could be applied to Alzheimer’s care. That was the beginning of...
NET Therapy: Dementia care best practices + Rehab = Success
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Mar 17, 2015
When I learned about Neurocognitive Engagement Therapy for rehabilitation residents, I had the same reaction I did when I first heard about geriatric emergency rooms: Palm-smack to the forehead, “Why...
Combatting CRE in long-term care
By
Rosie D. Lyles, M.D.
Mar 16, 2015
While rare among healthy people, certain types of infections are on the rise in hospitals, nursing homes and other healthcare settings where up to half of all bloodstream infections caused by this type...
Staying focused in long-term care
By
Allison True
Mar 13, 2015
Political correctness is a concept that has been around since the first activists in the University of Wisconsin Madison added it to our language and our thinking. Inevitably, it reached long-term care...
Coming out old
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 12, 2015
Growing old is a choice. I realize that now. But it took some straight talk from neurosurgeon and likely Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson to help me see the light.
Oh no, they didn’t! More document nightmares
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Mar 11, 2015
As I’ve mentioned before, I believe nursing documentation is the bane of any nursing director’s existence. Frankly, I think the look on my face when opening a medical record to the nurse’s...