One of the common aphorisms uttered in the Newman house is Hanlon’s razor. It has various iterations, but it is basically “never assume malice what can be explained by stupidity.”
OIG’s chiropractic report should draw more attention
By
Elizabeth Newman
Feb 21, 2018
A report last week from the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General on fraud related to Medicare and chiropractic reimbursement led me to ask the following question aloud: “Wait, Medicare...
Game theory in long-term care
By
Elizabeth Newman
Oct 10, 2013
As many of you know, this is long-term care conference season, which means having a quality smartphone is essentially a must. Since my old phone could best be described as “temperamental,”...
Handling your PR crisis
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jan 31, 2012
A few months ago, I called up a nursing facility that was embroiled in a legal snafu. I’m not sure I was able to utter an audible response to its marketing representative since I was busy hitting...
Note the thank-you
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jan 10, 2012
When it comes to “thank you,” what is written is often right.
The value of RN-to-BSN programs
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 26, 2017
The idea of a BSN programs should be a big draw to long-term care RNs.
Catheters, infections and … you don’t want to know
By
Elizabeth Newman
Mar 06, 2012
Urinary catheters were on my radar twice last week. The first involved a late-night trip to the vet with an unhappy cat. The second, a political animal.
An easy way to reduce antibiotics
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jan 30, 2014
It is tempting to run to my internist and beg for an antibiotic to stem what could be a sinus infection, but is more likely, much like the polar vortex, a cold that won’t go away. I was reminded...
Lessons learned from long-term care lawsuits
By
Elizabeth Newman
Jan 02, 2014
Despite one’s best intentions for 2014, there will be days when you feel like you are failing your residents, your coworkers, your family or yourself.
Stop claiming ‘resident rights’ in discrimination cases
By
Elizabeth Newman
Oct 09, 2017
Administrators wiser than me have offered advice on what to do when there’s a racist resident.