Natural gas leak near facility highlights the importance of planning
By
Stan Szpytek
Jul 14, 2021
Incidents like the one that is about to be summarized emphasize the importance of hazard analysis as required by the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services Emergency Preparedness Rule. Knowing the potential...
COVID-19 dealt a devastating blow to nursing homes — don’t let looming cuts make it worse
By
Cynthia Morton
Jul 12, 2021
In late June, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released a report stating that approximately 42% of Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes were diagnosed with...
After the train
By
Gary Tetz
Jul 08, 2021
There’s a hopeful phrase we started hearing a lot from long-term care leaders, residents and staff when the vaccines first arrived—“a light at the end of the tunnel.” Invariably some wise-guy or...
Potential False Claims Act liability for nursing homes
By
Mysty Blagg
Jul 07, 2021
The FCA is the Department of Justice’s key tool in combating healthcare fraud and abuse The False Claims Act (FCA) provides a remedy of civil damages when a party 1) makes a false statement or engages...
All by myself
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jun 29, 2021
When I am nervous about something, I hate being by myself. I want to know what to expect, what’s going to happen next, and most importantly, that there is somebody that’s got my back. I don’t think...
‘Keep it simple’ is just not in our nature
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 28, 2021
I asked all the leadership at New Choice Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to bring me their department-specific resident assessment tools. They were to leave them on my desk by 5 p.m. When I returned...
President Biden, tear down this wall
By
Stephen A. Moses
Jun 23, 2021
“Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it.” Thomas Sowell “It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions...
My look: Forever changed by the pandemic?
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jun 22, 2021
For my first 20-plus years as a long-term care psychologist, I arrived on the job wearing not just clothes, but outfits. I chose garb that contributed to the sense of “expertness, attractiveness, and...
Cultural competency is integral to quality care
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jun 21, 2021
The country is changing, and fast. Studies show that racial and ethnic minorities account for most, if not all, of the country’s population growth as of late. “Nationally, the U.S. grew by 19.5...
It’s time to be a team player and place public safety first
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Jun 18, 2021
Recent legislative activity in Ohio just highlights the public’s and the government’s fickle view of long-term care in our country.