Raising children, like providing patient care, requires a plan. The older our children become, like when patients show progress, the more freedom they should be allowed. The guide book for plan of care...
‘Plateaued’ is not a medical description
By
Jean Wendland Porter
May 28, 2024
I’m starting to sound like a broken record (vinyl is coming back; the kids know what I mean), but I recently heard a therapist say the patient’s progress plateaued, so we have to stop therapy. Again. ...
Therapy should be more than productivity
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Apr 22, 2024
“I’m too sick for therapy today.” “Come back later.” “Leave me alone.” If you’ve worked in long-term care (or hospitals or LTACHs or acute rehab hospitals), you’ve heard...
Revised MDS assessments of patient mood disorders may depress payments
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 10, 2023
Clinicians should remain vigilant for missed diagnoses — and the potential for reduced Medicare payment rates — as MDS changes take effect Oct. 1, industry experts said.
Fasten your seatbelts: It MIGHT be a bumpy ride
By
Steven Littlehale
Oct 13, 2023
It’s been a flurry of activity leading up to the implementation of the “new MDS.” For months our industry has been doing what we do best — rising to the occasion. Countless MDS training sessions,...
Older adults leave home for healthcare around 3 weeks a year
By
Kristen Fischer
Jan 23, 2024
Older adults receive healthcare outside of their homes an average total of three weeks a year (or 20.7 days), according to a study published Monday in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Advocates praise proposed observation-stay as long-overdue solution
By
Josh Henreckson
Feb 26, 2024
A major advocate for Medicare beneficiaries and about 40 cosigners are embracing a proposed process for observation stay appeals, calling it 15 years overdue in a formal comment letter set to be sent to...
Skilled nursing leader’s Medicare exclusion upheld after 3 avoidable deaths due to short staffing
By
Josh Henreckson
Dec 05, 2023
A federal judge rejected a skilled nursing executive’s appeal to overturn his 15-year exclusion from Medicare, ruling that his staffing decisions were a “straightforward” obstacle to routine checks...
Staying the course: Lessons from ponies for upcoming Medicare changes
By
Renee Kinder
Aug 31, 2023
There’s a certain kind of magic when watching eq competitions, especially when it involves someone dear to you. Over the weekend, our daughter, Emmy Grace, took part in her first hunter jumper 2-foot...
Medicare Advantage: A not-so-advantageous deal for beneficiaries and providers
By
Brendan Williams
Nov 29, 2023
Open enrollment is well underway for Medicare, as television viewers inundated with cheesy insurance company ads can tell. Those ads must work. For the first time 2024 will see most Medicare...