Aiming for the stars? Reflections on staffing to acuity
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 17, 2013
Experts have proposed standards for minimum and ideal facility staffing, and some states have adopted minimums as legal requirements. However, there is no industry-wide agreement on any of the three targets...
Asking about end-of-life care when patients can still answer
By
Stephan Deutsch, M.D.
Apr 17, 2014
It’s a scene at plays out all too often in hospitals across the United States. A stroke leaves a frail senior incapacitated, lying in a hospital bed. Family members gather around, but no one can...
Addressing quality of death
By
Linda Elizaitis
May 05, 2014
What do you do when a resident crosses the threshold and your organization needs to address quality of death? We all know that there is a great emphasis, appropriately so, on a resident’s quality...
The high cost of Winning!
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 11, 2016
Powerball is one of the great tests of work-based friendship in long-term care.Those 13 California nursing home nurses who came within one number of winning the whole $1.5 billion lottery are almost certainly...
Sounding off on personal care alarms: Enough already
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Mar 18, 2014
We all know how technology is supposed to help us. And for the most part, it does. But sometimes, too much of something isn’t a good thing. I’m talking about personal care alarms. While they...
CMS issues final rule on requirements of participation for nursing homes
By
Daniel Sternthal
Nov 04, 2016
At the end of September, CMS published the final rule revising the health and safety standards that long-term care facilities must meet to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Delivering good customer service in long-term care
By
Melissa Estevez
Oct 05, 2015
Although you may associate rehabilitation with therapy and nursing, customer service is critical for a successful patient experience. Our customer service supervisor visits patients each day to proactively...
Are we focused on the right partnerships?
By
Prentice Lipsey
Oct 01, 2015
As long-term care operators, we are constantly jockeying to become preferred providers for tertiary hospital’s post acute care networks.
From volume to value: The conversation now applies to staffing
By
Steven Littlehale
Aug 21, 2015
It’s all you hear about in healthcare today: from Volume to Value. With the July 30 release of the PPS proposed rule, we see how this discussion now applies to staffing.
In love we trust
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 24, 2016
Selfless couples prove, beyond all reasonable doubt, that there’s still something alive on this planet that warrants our unreserved trust, intention and devotion.