America’s emergency rooms are full of families going through crisis situations. When an accident or illness requires a visit to the ER, many families are likely to enter the scene overwhelmed and...
Improving senior patient safety through nurse advocacy
By
Heidi Raines
Feb 06, 2023
One of the most important aspects of a nurse’s job is to advocate for the safety and well-being of patients. This is especially true when it comes to caring for senior patients. As older adults,...
Announcing the Elder Engagement Performance Improvement (EEPI) tool
By
Jennifer Stelter
Alisa Tagg
Charles de Vilmorin
Sep 16, 2021
The goal of the #ActivitiesStrong initiative is to acknowledge, educate and empower activity and life enrichment professionals in senior living communities. One way we’ve done this is by developing and...
The Five-Star Quality Rating System’s impact on insurance premiums — and how to address them
By
Ben Newman
Feb 27, 2023
For nearly 15 years, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Five-Star Quality Rating System for long-term care facilities has been a single source of truth for multiple parties. Consumers...
Building a compliant emergency preparedness program
By
Terry Zysk
Oct 05, 2018
When healthcare facilities approach CMS emergency preparedness compliance, it’s natural to focus on the contents of the emergency operations plan or continuity of operations plan. Careful documentation...
Beware of the bubble: Are you in touch with your employees?
Nov 17, 2017
Your employees talk about you. They talk to their colleagues, friends and family about your leadership and what it’s like to work in your organization.
Unconventional ways to assess risk in nursing homes
By
Connie Polke
Mar 30, 2021
The purpose of a qualified risk management department in healthcare is to assess, monitor, and implement plans and policies in order to decrease their exposure. There are many areas that need to be addressed...
Coverage of Social Determinants of Health have implications for SNFs
By
Cyndi Seiwert
Nov 21, 2018
Health disparities and complex social determinants of health (SDoH) have historically compromised patient access to quality care. But policy changes announced recently from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Chronic staffing shortages and the use of technology in nursing homes
By
David Chess, MD
Joseph Ouslander, MD
Nov 21, 2023
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 240,000 nursing home employees (or about 15%) have left the industry. According to a survey conducted by the American Health Care Association/National Center...
Fighting biological contaminants with UV light systems
By
Aaron Engel
May 18, 2016
When is the last time someone cleaned the ice dispenser at your nurses’ stations? If you can’t remember, your facility may be at risk for health-compromising mold.