Often forgotten or glossed over, there is still one sure answer to questions about how to improve medication mismanagement: have better documentation
Compassion from LTC managers? Only if they want better resident care, lower liability risks
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 02, 2017
A funny thing happened in the making of a recent insurance company analysis of claims in the aging services market: a primer broke out on how to achieve better healthcare and liability outcomes by creating...
Trump’s Supreme Court pick may mean trouble for CMS, healthcare regs
By
Feb 02, 2017
Judge Neil Gorsuch, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court Justice, has a history of sparring with federal agencies over regulations, a tendency that could bring some relief to long-term...
Getting to the teeth of the matter
By
John O'Connor
Jan 30, 2017
“I have a bone to pick with you,” proclaimed the indignant voice on the other line. In my experience, conversations that begin with that invitation seldom go well.
Price says the right things on Medicare, Medicaid
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jan 27, 2017
It would be unwise to assume that Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), the likely new head of Health and Human Services, is always going to align with the values of long-term care providers. But in the midst of a whirlwind...
The blues drummers of long-term care
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 26, 2017
After witnessing a musical performance that left me amazed and stupefied, I went home with a flash of insight and a long-sought analogy — facility administrators are the blues drummers of long-term care.
Polypharmacy: Keeping the elderly safe
By
Sonja Quale
Jan 25, 2017
Polypharmacy is defined as taking multiple medications for the same condition, taking different medications for multiple conditions (multi-morbidity), or taking more drugs than are medically necessary,...
What makes a Five-Star nursing home?
By
Debra Larkin
Jan 25, 2017
The philosophy we’ve followed at Presbyterian Village at Hollidaysburg in order to achieve our Five-Star rating has always been to constantly evolve and strive for innovative and creative ways to...
C’mon, give me a hug!
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jan 24, 2017
With so many obscure holidays out there, I notice there is no “National Appreciate a Nurse Day.” Nursing Home Week and Nurses’ Week do not count. I want a day to put on my tiara and not...
Maybe you don’t want to be in that preferred network …
By
Steven Littlehale
Jan 23, 2017
When it comes to contemplating joining caregiving networks, maybe you have more in common with the hospital than you think. Poor-performing hospitals tend to coexist in the same market as poor-performing...