As values shift, it’s time to add something back to nursing
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 24, 2023
It seems like everything these days requires a value proposition to be appealing. What can we add to an experience or a product to make it better and one-up the competition?
Antipsychotics report will have severe side effects
By
John O'Connor
Jul 13, 2012
Antipsychotic drugs are often used to calm residents with dementia. This reality is common knowledge among most people who have spent more than a few minutes in a nursing facility. But it is apparently...
Where were YOU when CMS changed the Five-Star rating system?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 20, 2015
Some things will always stay etched in our mind. Where were you on February 12, when CMS publicly announced immediate changes to the Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes?
What you really need to know about the presidential election
By
John O'Connor
Aug 22, 2016
Ignore the white noise over whether Hillary or The Donald will be a worse choice. There’s a sleeper issue in the November elections, and it just might have a major impact on your long-term care organization.
The Smell Test
By
Gary Tetz
Feb 15, 2013
Over in South Korea, precocious robots have been sniffing the air at a few nursing home test sites and neutralizing unwelcome odors. Or at least they were, but now have probably been reassigned to nose...
Medicare’s midlife crisis
By
John O'Connor
Aug 03, 2012
The Medicare program just marked its 47th anniversary. Whether that milestone is a cause for celebration or concern is open to debate.
Antibiotics in LTC: Changing from ‘Just in case’ to ‘Only when needed’
By
Philip D. Sloane, M.D., MPH and Sheryl Zimmerman, Ph.D.
Mar 01, 2017
Prior to the discovery of antibiotics, the most common cause of death was infection. There was no good treatment for pneumonia, complications of urine or ear infections were common, and many people died...
Is it the docs’ turn to get stoned?
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 25, 2018
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services brought out its equivalent of a brass band and confetti machine Tuesday to tout a new provider payment strategy. One could almost hear strains of “Happy...
The ABCs of documenting CPT
By
Renee Kinder
May 06, 2021
It’s that time of year again when the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel meets with the task of ensuring its codes remain up to date.
The benefits of a successful discharge plan
By
Susan LaGrange
Jun 20, 2014
It is critical to have a solid system for discharge planning that begins even before the resident is admitted to the facility. Individualized, resident-centered discharge planning will provide a solid...