A matter of policy: Increasing flu immunization compliance
By
Mary Flynn
Feb 21, 2013
Over the years we’ve tried a number of different approaches to incentivize employees, with varying success. The one thing we did not do was to make flu shots mandatory, as this wasn’t compatible...
Want to prevent lawsuits? Talk to us!
By
Kitty Foth-Regner
Jan 02, 2017
I’ve heard a lot of talk lately about suing nursing homes – not only from family members distraught over an elderly loved one’s injury or death in an SNF, but also from the growing chorus...
What providers can do to counteract negative advertising
By
David B. Pearce
Mar 24, 2014
Plaintiffs’ lawyers use negative advertising for the same reason political consultants do — because it works. And although modern political campaigns seem never-ending, mercifully, there is a defined...
Evaluating extensive versus moderate assist
By
Renee Kinder
Aug 17, 2015
Step one for improving accuracy for Section G ADL coding is to improve understanding between the language MDS uses to define levels of function and impairment in comparison to how rehab teams and nursing...
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...
Navigating payment reform
By
Todd McQueston and Donna Hendricksen Fiala
Jul 27, 2015
Improving quality is the key to surviving payment reform. Here are six ways LTC providers can boost their quality.
Hardwiring compassion and empathy
By
Anthony Cirillo
Sep 17, 2012
Despite all the technology, fancy buildings, dining and activity experiences, healthcare boils down to one thing: human relationships. Most skilled healthcare workers go into the profession with the best...
SNF Medicare margins: What MedPAC doesn’t know
By
Betsy Rust
Apr 29, 2016
The articulation of data is vitally important, and MedPAC is not the only entity interpreting, or misinterpreting, cost report and claim data.
Understand the resident to understand the behavior: Part 2
By
Richard Juman, PsyD
Jan 08, 2018
I am frequently asked to consult about “inappropriate” behavior in skilled nursing facilities. The question is usually something like: “We have a resident who is doing ‘X behavior’—...
‘Patient’ is a virtue
By
Steven Littlehale
Aug 26, 2016
Maybe I’m getting old, or the world is more complex, but lately I find my thoughts drifting to simpler times and moments that shaped me into the person I am today. Take, for example, by experience...