Organizations must take steps as early as possible in the employee lifecycle to address dysfunctional turnover. From selection to ‘onboarding,’ there are specific strategies to improve employee...
Reducing readmissions: Physician services enabled by telemedicine in SNFs
By
John Durso
and John Whitman
Nov 04, 2013
When a resident of a skilled nursing facility has an acute event after hours or on weekends, the on-site nurse will generally call the patient’s primary care physician. Over the telephone, the nurse...
A story to promote empathy in dementia care
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 22, 2013
Earlier this month, I was excited to learn that one of my favorite writers, Alice Munro, had been awarded this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature. To mark the honor, The New Yorker republished one...
Facilities have opportunity to improve operations and re-think patient care
By
Imran Javaid
Oct 18, 2013
Long-term care facilities are facing new pressures as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As part of the shift to integrated care, reimbursements will be linked to patient outcomes...
Skilled nursing facilities: The triple threat of healthcare
By
Tara Roberts
Oct 16, 2013
To say skilled nursing facilities have come a long way would be, well, surprisingly refreshing. Public opinion polls show there is still a wide-spread misunderstanding of what SNFs do, how they are paid...
The evolving role of the alternate site pharmacist
By
Rich McKeon, MBA
Oct 11, 2013
As the Baby Boom generation continues to age and move through the healthcare system, there are approximately 10,000 people entering Medicare every day. Additionally, some estimates are that the number...
No more Rehab Medium RUG defaults
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Oct 08, 2013
Well, Oct. 1 has passed, and we’re all still hanging in. The biggest changes we saw to rehab were the addition of reporting co-treatment minutes on our billing logs and Section O on the MDS. And,...
A needle, a patient and a tube: The challenge of phlebotomy
By
Gary Milburn, Ph.D.
Oct 02, 2013
It is commonly accepted that over 70% of all medical decisions are based on laboratory results and now more than ever those results are used to make rehospitalization decisions. To provide a closer look...
Nine tips for becoming a home or alternate site infusion pharmacy
By
Rob Cannon
Sep 25, 2013
As healthcare reform is implemented, a heightened emphasis on cost-containment is putting pressure on all healthcare providers. As hospitals determine how to reduce readmission rates and shift care to...
When two midnights doesn’t equal three days
By
Carol Levine
Sep 23, 2013
Hospital observation stays have been increasing, as have Medicare auditors’ denial of claims related to short inpatient stays on the basis that they should have been counted as observation stays....