McKnight's Long-Term Care News articles from June 2005

McKnight's Long-Term Care News archives from June 2005

RUGs revision eases worries.(resource utilization group )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Providers fearing the worst from Medicare payment refinements were almost pleasantly surprised when they were officially released last month. New resource utilization group (RUG) pay rates will take about $1.4 billion out of the system....

Therapy issues push into key battle areas.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Therapy may never have been a hotter topic for skilled nursing operators than it is now. Pending regulations and payment levels are driving heated discussions, which will likely intensify in the months ahead. Take the so-called "75% Rule,"...

Group tackles lack of nurses.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Reversing chronic nurse-staffing shortages will require coordinated new initiatives, a landmark study warns. But its blue-ribbon panel adds that individual operators will need to take the lead. Nearly 96,000 nurses and allied healthcare...

Calcium value is questioned.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Vitamin D and calcium supplements are not as beneficial as previously believed in preventing fractures, two studies indicate. In one case, researchers in Scotland prescribed vitamin D, calcium, a combination of the two or a placebo to...

Low-salt diet a health risk?(NEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Low-salt diets may actually be harmful to one's health, a study finds. Researchers collected data on 7,278 men and women. During a follow-up after more than 13 years, researchers examined the number of deaths from heart disease and the...

Medicaid funds cut, but new panel added.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... House and Senate negotiators agreed during recent budget talks to cut Medicaid funding by $10 billion over a five-year period. But they also agreed, with the White House's blessing, to create a panel that will examine better ways to...

Study: Medicaid still inadequate.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... For the fourth consecutive year, accounting firm BDO Seidman has found the Medicaid program inadequately funded nursing home care--this time by $4.5 billion annually. The average shortfall in Medicaid reimbursement was $12.58 per Medicaid...

Insurance claims.(At deadline)
June 1, 2005... Insurance claims against operators have doubled since 1996, an industry backed analysis has found. Further, severity of awards tripled since 1996, according to the Aon study. Among the 16 states studied, annual liability costs for occupied beds...

A new government.(At deadline)(nursing home beds )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A new government report confirms what many operators suspected: facilities grew considerably between 1977 and 1999. In fact, facility bed averages jumped from 79 to 105--a 33% increase. Discharge rates also accelerated--from 86 per 100 nursing...

The Department of Veterans Affairs will face serious challenges meeting veterans' long-term care needs, according to recent Senate testimony.(At deadline)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Department of Veterans Affairs will face serious challenges meeting veterans' long-term care needs, according to recent Senate testimony. The VA will need to increase to nearly 45,500 nursing home beds by 2013, according to Fred Cowell, a...

Elderly people with atherosclerosis face a 50%-to-90% increased risk of developing depression, researchers say.(At deadline)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Elderly people with atherosclerosis face a 50%-to-90% increased risk of developing depression, researchers say. Their study, presented at the American Geriatric Society's annual meeting, recommends closer monitoring of of symptoms of vascular...

60 seconds with ... Sara Sinclair.(NEWS)(Brief Article)(Interview)
June 1, 2005... Q: What are some of your top goals as the new leader of the American College of Health Care Administrators? A: I'm encouraging each member to get one new member this year. I also want to get true dialogue between our board and the members....

CEO: Beverly sale means job cuts will be probable.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Beverly Enterprises' Chairman and CEO William R. Floyd told employees to expect job cuts after the nursing-home chain is sold. He explained that "under probably any scenario, there will be some positions eliminated." In announcing the...

Report disputes Medicaid asset-hiding.(NEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... There is little evidence to support the idea that many older people are concealing wealth to gain Medicaid-covered nursing home care, researchers with the Long-Term Care Financing Project at Georgetown University say. Investigators said...

Medicare will now cover ultrasonic stimulation therapy to help heal broken bones.(Regulatory Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Medicare will now cover ultrasonic stimulation therapy to help heal broken bones. Treatment coverage will be available for beneficiaries only after surgery has failed and their fractures remain unhealed.

Starting in July, hearings for Medicare recipients that take place when the government denies claims for nursing home and other types of care will take place using videoconference equipment or the telephone.(Regulatory Update)
June 1, 2005... Starting in July, hearings for Medicare recipients that take place when the government denies claims for nursing home and other types of care will take place using videoconference equipment or the telephone. Also, HHS will assume responsibility...

A new bill before the House would increase Medicare coverage for mental illness.(Bill Watch)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A new bill before the House would increase Medicare coverage for mental illness. Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) introduced the legislation in April. It would eliminate the 190-day lifetime cap on inpatient psychiatric services and reduce the 50% copay...

Legislation introduced in the House and Senate would require businesses.(Bill Watch)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Legislation introduced in the House and Senate would require businesses--including healthcare organizations--to receive consent from customers before sending their personally identifiable information outside the United States.

Toileting obviously needs to be done right, and takes time. But sometimes it clearly doesn't have to take as much time as some dawdling residents use. What advice might work for speeding this process up?(Ask THE CARE EXPERT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Assessing patterns of elimination can aid in pinpointing individual residents' anticipated times for toileting. Taking residents to the bathroom on a schedule based on their individual patterns, rather than staff convenience, can reduce time...

How far can we let it go when grateful residents try to bestow us their thanks?(Ask THE CARE EXPERT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... This is a challenging issue. Giving a gift to someone we care about is a common practice that often nurtures special feelings in both giver and receiver. To forfeit this practice or be deprived of the right to show appreciation to another can...

Senators address issue of end-of-life discussion.(NEWS: Resident Care)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Congress can play a role in encouraging people to discuss end-of-life decisions and financial planning, participants testified during a recent Senate hearing on healthcare issues for non-ambulatory people. Ethical guidance is needed for...

Chest X rays reveal hidden osteoporosis.(NEWS: Resident Care)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Chest X rays can detect osteoporosis in older people, according to a new study. Canadian researchers found that undiscovered osteoporosis can be uncovered when X-ray images taken for other reasons are examined for vertebrae fractures. An...

Elderly adults who participate in many leisure and physical activities could be cutting their risk of dementia.(Caregiving Update)
June 1, 2005... Elderly adults who participate in many leisure and physical activities could be cutting their risk of dementia. Researchers at Johns Hopkins assessed the activities of 3,375 adults aged 65 and older. They found dementia occurred less frequently...

Exercise and stress management improve the health of heart disease patients better than drugs alone, a new study says.(Caregiving Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Exercise and stress management improve the health of heart disease patients better than drugs alone, a new study says. Patients who supplemented traditional care with these two elements were less depressed and had improved cardiovascular risk...

Adherence to a modified Mediterranean diet was associated with longer life expectancy among elderly Europeans, a report in the British Medical Journal said.(Caregiving Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Adherence to a modified Mediterranean diet was associated with longer life expectancy among elderly Europeans, a report in the British Medical Journal said. The study found that adherence to the diet, which is rich in vegetables, legumes,...

What will be the toughest part of the new F-314 tags for nursing home operators to adapt to?(Ask THE TREATMENT EXPERT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... First of all, it is important to understand that the federal regulation F-314 as it relates to pressure ulcers has not changed. However, the investigative guidelines surveyors will use during the survey process have significant changes. ...

What do you think is the biggest "myth" that some providers still cling to when it comes to treating pressure ulcers?(Ask THE TREATMENT EXPERT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MYTH: All patients with heel ulcers should wear heel protectors to relieve pressure. FACT: Heel protectors can reduce shearing and friction forces on the skin but they do not provide pressure relief. The heel is a very challenging location...

Prosecutors look closer at wound care outcomes.(NEWS: Wound Care)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Providers aren't just imagining things if they feel like they increasingly have a target on their backs when it comes to wound care practices. Criminal prosecutors--not just plaintiffs' attorneys--are turning their attention to wound care...

Maggots get thumbs up.(NEWS: Wound Care)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A recent study in Australia concluded that purpose-bred, sterile maggots can act as "micro-surgeons" by eating dead tissue around slow-healing wounds. The investigation's lead researcher, Dr. Alvin Cham, said maggots may be especially...

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Greystone Medical Group approval to sell its Epi-Max wound care product.(Treatment Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given Greystone Medical Group approval to sell its Epi-Max wound care product. The sterile dressing will be used primarily to treat bedsores and diabetic foot ulcers among nursing home residents,...

The FDA has approved Smith & Nephew's absorbent antimicrobial barrier dressing, Acticoat Moisture Control.(Treatment Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The FDA has approved Smith & Nephew's absorbent antimicrobial barrier dressing, Acticoat Moisture Control. The wound care product features nanocrystalline silver technology that provides antimicrobial barrier protection. The product was...

Encelle Inc. announced that it has completed a second human clinical trial for a proposed treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.(Treatment Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Encelle Inc. announced that it has completed a second human clinical trial for a proposed treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. The recently completed study included 56 patients. Full results will be presented at two upcoming meetings addressing...

Cancer tumors can undermine wound-care healing, a new study concludes.(Treatment Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Cancer tumors can undermine wound-care healing, a new study concludes. Scientists made the discovery while investigating the nature of stromal cells, which are found in breast cancer tumors. Stromal cells help tumors grow and hijack normal...

We're getting close to our annual survey. Is there an organized way to prepare?(Ask THE NURSING EXPERT)
June 1, 2005... Try sitting down and making a list of "systems" that you have in place, such as fall management, nutrition and hydration, wound care, bowel and bladder retraining, and current action plans for quality assurance. Develop teams to review them all...

You have written about a skills and safety fair for staff. How about an education fair for residents and families?(Ask THE NURSING EXPERT)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... As a matter-of fact, we did one this past fall for the first time. We made a list of the chronic illnesses that brought residents to the facility, such as Parkinson's disease, diabetes, heart and lung disease and strokes, and blended in safety...

Report offers techniques to lower transfer injuries.(NEWS: Nursing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Healthcare professionals can reduce injury risks associated with moving residents by adopting several proactive strategies, according to a report jointly authored by the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses, the Veterans Health Administration...

Legislation releases visas for nurses.(NEWS: Nursing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... President Bush signed legislation in May that will permit up to 50,000 foreign nurses to enter the United States. The measure is expected to address staffing shortages at nursing homes and other healthcare settings. The latest legislation...

Aspirin and a clot-preventing drug together are better than aspirin alone at reducing the risk of stroke, according to a study by European researchers.(Medication Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Aspirin and a clot-preventing drug together are better than aspirin alone at reducing the risk of stroke, according to a study by European researchers. Patients who had suffered either a stroke or "mini-stroke" were given clopidogrel (brand...

A small study using gene therapy to treat Alzheimer's patients shows it can slow the progression of the disease.(Medication Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A small study using gene therapy to treat Alzheimer's patients shows it can slow the progression of the disease. Doctors at the University of California, San Diego, surgically implanted skin cells from Alzheimer's patients that were modified to...

The number of older people in the U.S. admitted for substance abuse help rose by 32% from 1995 to 2002.(Medication Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The number of older people in the U.S. admitted for substance abuse help rose by 32% from 1995 to 2002, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said.

Manor Care Inc.(Business Briefs)(appoints Stephen L. Guillard )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Manor Care Inc. appointed Stephen L. Guillard to the position of executive vice president. Guillard, who is CEO of Harborside Healthcare Corp., will be responsible for the Toledo, OH-based chain's nursing centers and assisted living operations....

Kindred Healthcare Inc.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Kindred Healthcare Inc. more than doubled its earnings for the first quarter to $37 million compared to $14 million for the same period last year. Revenues rose 9.5% to $940 million.

Genesis Healthcare Corp.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Genesis Healthcare Corp.'s second quarter profits for the fiscal year doubled to $13 million compared to $5 million last year. Sales grew by a robust 20% to $455 million.

Ventas Inc.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Ventas Inc. earned $25 million in the first quarter, an increase of 18.5% compared to last year. Revenues improved by 18.8% to $64 million. Results for the first quarter benefitted from higher rent from the company's accelerated investment...

Sunrise Senior Living Inc.(Business Briefs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Sunrise Senior Living Inc.'s first quarter diluted earnings per share dropped to $0.37 compared to $0.60 last year, reflecting the anticipated reduction in income from property sales of $11.5 million. Profits fell 42% to $8 million, while...

Companies are hopeful, cautious after RUG ruling.(Companies)(resource utilization group)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Many stakeholders adopted a hopeful "wait and see" approach at press time regarding the federal government's complex new resource utilization group (RUG) refinements. One aspect of the May 13 unveiling that will take some time for them to...

BEI profits fall by 37% in 1Q.(Companies)(Beverly Enterprises Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Beverly Enterprises Inc. felt the impact of its auction process ha the first quarter as profits fell 37%, due ha part to $18.7 million in expenses related to the sale. Earnings for the period decreased to about $15 million, compared to $23...

Funding cuts.(Good month)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Funding cuts: Industry concerns about cuts in Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement proved almost unnecessary as the actual reductions turned out to be billions of dollars less in some cases.

Cancer drugs.(Good month)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Cancer drugs: There are currently 399 drugs in development to treat cancer, according to a survey released by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

Watch lists.(Bad month)
June 1, 2005... Watch lists: A Consumers' Union "watch list" of substandard nursing homes is riddled with inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information, according to the American Health Care Association.

State Medicaid payments.(Bad month)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... State Medicaid payments: State Medicaid funding undercuts nursing homes' actual costs by $4.5 billion each year, according to an industry commissioned study.

The federal government must take the lead in incorporating information technology (IT) into the nation's healthcare system.(IT Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The federal government must take the lead in incorporating information technology (IT) into the nation's healthcare system by leveraging its purchasing power and helping to develop standards, according to a report by the Department of Health...

Expanding the use of health information technology can help reduce unnecessary services, according to 46% of the respondents in a recent Commonwealth study.(IT Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Expanding the use of health information technology can help reduce unnecessary services, according to 46% of the respondents in a recent Commonwealth study. An even higher number (57%) said rewarding the more efficient and high-quality...

Providers investing in systems needed to receive and transmit electronic prescription information would be protected by the Department of Health and Human Services.(IT Update)
June 1, 2005... Providers investing in systems needed to receive and transmit electronic prescription information would be protected by the Department of Health and Human Services, the organization noted in its semi-annual agenda.

The Federal Communications Commission should expand subsidized Internet access for rural healthcare providers, according to a recent letter from the American Hospital Association.(IT Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Federal Communications Commission should expand subsidized Internet access for rural healthcare providers, according to a recent letter from the American Hospital Association. The Rural Health Care Universal Service Program gives providers...

Healthcare information technology is a major priority for the industry and considerable investment in IT is necessary to realize its benefits, according to a report from senior executives of nine major corporations.(IT Update)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Healthcare information technology is a major priority for the industry and considerable investment in IT is necessary to realize its benefits, according to a report from senior executives of nine major corporations. The panel suggested...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will hold eight public meetings this month to discuss revisions to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System.(IT Update)
June 1, 2005... The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will hold eight public meetings this month to discuss revisions to the Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System, The system determines Medicare payment levels. Additional information on the public...

Feds provide info on LTC tech products on market.(Technology)(Long Term Care)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The government is trying to help providers do a better job of buying technology-related products and services. Technology for Long Term Care (www.techforltc.org) describes itself as a free government-funded resource that contains...

"I couldn't live without ...".(Technology)(Skilled Healthcare LLC )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Skilled Healthcare LLC is linked to the computer systems of its 70 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities because of the application hosting service from VCPI, a full-service information technology company that is focused on the...

Sprinkler bill approved.(SOUTHEAST)(usage of fire sprinkler systems in nursing homes)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... FLORIDA -- The state legislature recently approved a bill that requires all of the state's nursing homes to have automated fire sprinkler systems by Dec. 31, 2008. The bill affects a total of 35 nursing homes, mostly order facilities. The...

Governor approves Medicaid cuts.(MIDWEST)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MISSOURI -- Gov. Matt Blunt signed a bill authorizing a freeze on nursing home payment rates and the elimination of thousands of people from Missouri's Medicaid rolls. The measure freezes Medicaid rates to facilities by repealing the...

Tracking offenders.(ILLINOIS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Illinois is considering changes to its nursing home regulations to help nursing homes and law enforcement officials better track and manage residents who are violent offenders. Spurred by a recent discovery that a suburban Chicago nursing...

Facilities, union reached agreement.(ILLINOIS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... ILLINOIS -- Nursing horse operators and the union representing more than 7,000 nursing assistants in the state have come to an agreement after more than five months of contract negotiations. The agreement provides workers with an immediate...

'Dual eligibles' to test California.(WEST)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... CALIFORNIA -- California faces a major challenge in transferring drug coverage for 1 million dual-eligible Medicare recipients under the pending Medicare Part D drug plan, a new report warned. The new federal regulations will present...

Bed tax nixed, Medicaid cuts 'on'.(SOUTHWEST)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... NEW MEXICO -- Gov. Bill Richardson's administration plans to implement Medicaid cutbacks in the wake of lawmakers' opposition to proposed nursing home bed tax. The state's Human Services Department has said that without the bed tax relief,...

Healthcare providers sue state.(NORTHEAST)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... NEW HAMPSHIRE -- A group that represents home healthcare agencies has filed a lawsuit against the state, claiming it is not providing adequate funding of their care. The legal action comes at a time when the state's Department of Health...

Nursing home construction banned.(PLAINS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... SOUTH DAKOTA -- A 1988 ban on new nursing homes was made permanent this year as the state tries to reduce Medicaid spending and encourage less costly healthcare alternatives, such as assisted living facilities. Since the temporary ban on...

How to do it ... risk management.(Business & Marketing)
June 1, 2005... "A single occurrence of negative resident outcome can result in double consequences and costs for a facility!" Long-term care is a "risky business" and a little unmanaged risk can cost your facility a lot of money. Risk is the possibility,...

Building the business.(Business & Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Challenge: New ownership Response: Wellness audit Result: Better transition IN MAY, SALEM, OR-based Sunwest Management, Inc., opened its Hillside community in McMinnville. The facility will be able to accommodate up to 329...

Design decisions: healthcare in a residential setting.(Business & Marketing)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... RENAISSANCE VILLAGE in Peoria, AZ, faced the challenge of providing skilled nursing and subacute care in a residential environment. Designers added numerous non-institutional elements throughout. For example, several courtyards give residents...

Man of many callings: Robert Kramer: president and CEO, NIC.(Profile)(National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industries)
June 1, 2005... FOR SOME, the road to their career is relatively straight and narrow, paved with a few key interests and underlying passions. For others, that path is long and winding, dotted with decades of unique experience and life-altering detours. No...

What goes around comes around.(THE BIG PICTURE)(employee relations at long term care facilities)
June 1, 2005... Bill Gleeson was my first boss. He was classic "old school." Tough, gruff and a hard drinker, Bill was a stickler for getting stories first and getting them right. He also gave me some of the best advice I ever received about being a manager....

When quality comes first, others recognize it, too.(Editor's DESK)
June 1, 2005... Yon have to like what you do to be of the best benefit to your employer, clients and, perhaps most of all, yourself. The more you're interested in an activity, the more likely you'll be personally invested in it. That's good for everyone...

Who has been your favorite resident?(Reader Poll)
June 1, 2005... "My favorite resident was a man who taught me everything I know about tending roses. He was an ardent rose grower and talked us into planting five rose bushes, which he tended with care. His favorite variety was a Tropicana tea rose. He taught...

Wireless? Why not: wireless nurse-call systems are creeping into nursing homes more often--regardless of what regulations say or imply.(Information Technology)
June 1, 2005... Nobody's ready to call it a tidal wave yet. But there are signs of an undercurrent starting to form, and a type of wave is involved. Wireless technology is beginning to appear more often in nurse- and emergency-call systems hl skilled...

Countdown: providers and therapists are nervously watching the calendars, hoping for another delay or a reprieve from therapy caps.(Rehabilitation)
June 1, 2005... Teresa Hildebrandt would like to begin preparing for the onset of the Medicare therapy caps this January. But she knows a lot can still happen between now and then. "It's kind of hard putting programs in place to work within the caps when...

Pressure relief surfaces: products to help resident positioning.(Product Focus)
June 1, 2005... SPAN AMERICA New Geo-Wave[TM] geri-chair overlay features a proprietary, finned profile designed specifically to overcome the harmful effects of shearing in institutional seating. The chair also features wipe-clean, fluid-proof top, hook...

Recent arrivals: these new products provide you with the means to success.(New Products)
June 1, 2005... FALL MONITORS Bed-Check Corporation has released the Basic-Check, a simple easy to use fall risk resident monitor for use on chair, wheelchair or toilet. In addition, the company has introduced the Classic-Check, a revolutionary new bed...

Transportation: the following firms offer various options for transporting residents.
June 1, 2005... Atlantic Carpenter Turtle Bus Top Sales, Inc. Variable specifications Chassis ...