McKnight's Long-Term Care News articles from March 2004

McKnight's Long-Term Care News archives from March 2004

Kindred settles for $3.7 million.
March 1, 2004... Kindred Healthcare has agreed to pay $3.7 million to settle allegations from the Kentucky attorney general that four of its nursing homes operated under poor conditions. Kentucky's Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Division investigated...

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) said his party would again bring legislation proposing federal limits on medical lawsuits to the Senate floor by the end of March.(Late Breaking News)
March 1, 2004... Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) said his party would again bring legislation proposing federal limits on medical lawsuits to the Senate floor by the end of March. Nursing home advocates were concerned that compromise legislation might...

Liability claims costs for hospitals and physicians are expected to increase just under 10%.(Late Breaking News)
March 1, 2004... Liability claims costs for hospitals and physicians are expected to increase just under 10%, similar to increases each of the last three years, according to a study by Aon Risk Services.

Patients 65 years and older may have been prescribed inappropriate medications at 8% of doctor visits in 2000.(Late Breaking News)
March 1, 2004... Patients 65 years and older may have been prescribed inappropriate medications at 8% of doctor visits in 2000, similar to findings from 1995, according to a study featured in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A federal appeals court found that when Sunrise Senior Living switched from CGB Occupational Therapy to Symphony Health Services, it recruited therapists from the first company to the newly hired company.(Late Breaking News)
March 1, 2004... A federal appeals court found that when Sunrise Senior Living switched from CGB Occupational Therapy to Symphony Health Services, it recruited therapists from the first company to the newly hired company, thereby tortiously interfering with the...

National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform.(Late Breaking News)
March 1, 2004... Alice Hedt was named the executive director of the National Citizens' Coalition for Nursing Home Reform, succeeding Donna Lenhoff. who resigned in November.

University of California.(Late Breaking News)
March 1, 2004... University of California-Davis researchers said they have discovered a tremor disorder in adults that is often mistaken for Parkinson's or Alzheimer's and is linked to fragile X syndrome in children.

Databank ... ADL dependency rates.
March 1, 2004... DATABANK...... ADL DEPENDENCY RATES More than half of 51% 5 ADLs U.S. nursing home 24% 4 ADLs residents had 8% 2 ADLs dependencies on 7% 1 ADLs all five activities 5% 3 ADLs of daily living, 5%...

Poor funding by Medicaid gets worse.
March 1, 2004... The gap between Medicaid funding for long-term care and the base cost of care continued to grow last year, hitting an all-time high of $4.1 billion nationally, according to the results of a new study. Nationwide, the average shortfall in...

Hard data.(News)
March 1, 2004... 7.3 Percentage of nursing home residents reported with chronic pain in the latest round of quality-indicator results from the Centers for Medicare & Medical Services, a drop from 10.7% the previous measuring period. 8.2 Percentage of...

Providers have low hopes for better reimbursement.(Reimbursement)
March 1, 2004... Long-term care providers may find themselves in a situation this year where no news is good news regarding reimbursement. Then again, they probably aren't really going to have much of a choice: In a year where there presidential and other...

More funding, scrutiny for LTC hospitals.(News)
March 1, 2004... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a rule that would increase Medicare payment rates for long-term care hospitals 2.9%, or an estimated $118 million, for fiscal year 2005. At the same time, however, Democrats in...

Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a bill that would give the Department of Health and Human Services authority to negotiate with drug makers through Medicare for lower prices.(Legislative update)
March 1, 2004... Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) introduced a bill that would give the Department of Health and Human Services authority to negotiate with drug makers through Medicare for lower prices. This process is currently not accepted...

Reps. Marion Berry (D-AR), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Tom Allen (D-ME) introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings Act.(Legislative update)
March 1, 2004... Reps. Marion Berry (D-AR), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Tom Allen (D-ME) introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings Act, a bill that would amend the new Medicare reform law to lower Medicare prescription prices. The proposal, HR 3767, was...

President Bush's 2005 budget proposal includes further restricting of intergovernmental transfers, which states often take advantage of to artificially pump up Medicaid funding.(Regulatory update)
March 1, 2004... President Bush's 2005 budget proposal includes further restricting of intergovernmental transfers, which states often take advantage of to artificially pump up Medicaid funding. The administration could trim funding for IGTs, such as for bed...

Glare hits wander monitors; facilities risk harm to residents, costly lawsuits, lack of insurance coverage and bad publicity with insufficient wandering monitoring systems.
March 1, 2004... The Charles Klaer story set off alarm bells in the ears of tong-term care providers and anti-wandering device manufacturers around the country in January. The figurative alarms sounded, ironically, because an actual siren linked to his...

Immigration policy, OT pay, drug concerns.(Nursing News)
March 1, 2004... President Bush has proposed a shift in the U.S. immigration policy that would grant temporary legal status to foreign workers for up to three years, with the possibility of permanent citizenship. Sens. Tom Daschle (D-SD) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE)...

FY 2004 spending bill may eliminate overtime pay.(Nursing News)
March 1, 2004... The $328 billion spending bill for fiscal 2004 passed by the Senate Jan. 22 will allow the Labor Department to change laws that may make many nurses ineligible for overtime pay. Although earlier versions of the bill blocked the Bush...

Facilities have 13.9% vacancy rate for RNS.(Nursing News)
March 1, 2004... The average vacancy rate for registered nurses at healthcare facilities was 13.9%,an online survey of 151 healthcare recruiters found.Bernard Hodes Group conducted the survey from April 22 to Oct. 1,2003. Registered nurses had the highest...

AACN says proposed nurse funding inadequate.(Nursing News)
March 1, 2004... Though the American Association of Colleges of Nursing said it supports $147 million allocated for nursing education programs, a $5 million increase, under President Bush's FY 2005 budget, the association noted it's still inadequate to manage...

Residents on antipsychotics cautioned.(Nursing News)
March 1, 2004... Four medical associations caution that people undergoing a drug regimen for schizophrenia, manic-depression, autism, or dementia among other psychiatric disorders need to be monitored for signs of diabetes, obesity or high cholesterol. Their...

Nitrate use may be linked to osteoarthritis.(Pharmacy News)
March 1, 2004... Elderly women taking nitrate medications for a heart condition may have a heightened risk of developing hip osteoarthritis, according to a study in the medical journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, Dr. Nancy E. Lane and colleagues from the...

Study: more vitamin B doesn't lower stroke risk.(Pharmacy News)
March 1, 2004... In a two-year study of 3,700 stoke patients aged 66 on average, researchers found that a high dose vitamin B treatment does not lower the risk of a recurring stroke. Studies have suggested that high levels of homocysteine raise the risk of...

Providers aim to reduce inevitable falls, lower costs.(Patient Care)
March 1, 2004... Colin McCarty identified three residents within six weeks at Our Lady of Mercy Life Center in Guilderland, NY, who fell because they were hypo-intensive. He was surprised:The quality improvement specialist didn't know until recently that...

Nursing home chain Manor Care credited a five-year occupancy rate peak (more than 89%) for its skilled nursing facilities for increased fourth-quarter earnings.(Earnings)
March 1, 2004... * Nursing home chain Manor Care credited a five-year occupancy rate peak (more than 89%) for its skilled nursing facilities for increased fourth quarter earnings. Earnings were $37.9 million, up from $23.1 million. Revenues were $787 million,...

Sun Healthcare Group said it has reconsidered and won't be selling its rehabilitation business to Beverly Enterprises.(M&A)
March 1, 2004... * Sun Healthcare Group said it has reconsidered and won't be selling its rehabilitation business to Beverly Enterprises. Sun had earlier announced a $34 million deal involving its SunDance Rehabilitation Corp and SunDance Rehabilitation Agency...

Healthcare real estate investment trust Ventas continued a merger-and-acquisition spree, acquiring 18 ElderTrust properties for $184 million in cash.(M&A)
March 1, 2004... * Healthcare real estate investment trust Ventas continued a merger-and-acquisition spree, acquiring 18 ElderTrust properties for $184 million in cash. Ventas said Feb. 5 it funded the deal with proceeds from the sale of 10 other facilities to...

Overall, merger and acquisition activity in long-term care rose 38% in 2003 compared with 2002, according to a new report from Irving Levin Associates.(M&A)
March 1, 2004... * Overall, merger and acquisition activity in long-term care rose 38% in 2003 compared with 2002, according to a new report from Irving Levin Associates. "With a relatively upbeat stock market, low interest rates and continued economic growth,...

The $2.4 trillion budget that President Bush proposed for fiscal 2005 calls for a 5.8% increase in spending at the Department of Health and Human Services.(Worth Watching)
March 1, 2004... * The $2.4 trillion budget that President Bush proposed for fiscal 2005 calls for a 5.8% increase in spending at the Department of Health and Human Services. Mandatory Medicare and Medicaid expenditures will consume 85% of the $580 billion...

The costs of health insurance offered through work increased 10.1% nationwide in 2003.(Worth Watching)
March 1, 2004... * The costs of health insurance offered through work increased 10.1% nationwide in 2003, a marked slowdown from the nearly 15% increase in 2002 over the previous year, according to a survey of employers by Mercer Human Resource Consulting LLC....

Overlooked charges add up.(Reimbursement)
March 1, 2004... With the ongoing concern over limited long-term care resources and dwindling budgets, providers can't afford to overlook opportunities to maximize reimbursement. Nonetheless, reimbursement specialists say many facilities are leaving substantial...

Taking steps to reduce insurance costs.(Executive Decisions)
March 1, 2004... Q Why are malpractice premiums rising so fast for nursing homes? A The recent dramatic increase is partially a result of the overall increase in commercial insurance premiums.More specifically, the nursing home Industry has experienced an...

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is issuing new requirements designed to prevent nursing home residents from harming each other.(Enterprise)
March 1, 2004... * The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is issuing new requirements designed to prevent nursing home residents from harming each other. Facilities in Massachusetts will soon be required to set up programs that prevent...

Arkansas Medicaid beneficiaries who received a cash allowance for personal care services--instead of going through an agency--had more control and cost Medicaid the same, an online study published by the journal Health Affairs reports.(Enterprise)
March 1, 2004... * Arkansas Medicaid beneficiaries who received a cash allowance for personal care services--instead of going through an agency had more control and cost Medicaid the same, an online study published by the journal Health Affairs reports. Those...

Feds single out providers with electronic claims.(Managing Technology)
March 1, 2004... The government has your number. Or to be more precise, the government will soon give you a number, under a just-published rule. Providers filing Claims or conducting other transactions electronically are likely to benefit from the 10-digit...

Medicare officials are essentially tightening eligibility requirements for power wheelchairs, according to vendors.(Quality Corner)
March 1, 2004... * Medicare officials are essentially tightening eligibility requirements for power wheelchairs, according to vendors. The action comes as both demand and fraud cases are on the rise. Medicare administrators have began to take a closer look at...

A Florida law passed two years ago to improve nursing home care appears to be working.(Quality Corner)
March 1, 2004... * A Florida law passed two years ago to improve nursing home care appears to be working, but has not yet resulted in lower insurance rates for providers, patient advocates and industry officials recently told state lawmakers. The number of...

Be thorough but careful with drug checks.(Legal Matters)
March 1, 2004... Q I realize I need to get a good anti-drug use policy In place quickly--what should I do? A An employer who has elected to implement an alcohol and other-drug testing program needs to be certain that the program includes certain...

TB rule retraction good, but leaves concern.(Regulations/Compliance)
March 1, 2004... Q What do you make of OSHA's announcement that it is backing off Its earlier attempt at workplace tuberculosis rules and instead has decided to use general Industry standards? A In general, OSHA's withdrawal of its 1997 proposal on...

Weigh in-house therapy vs. contract services.(Payment Answers)
March 1, 2004... Q Which type of therapy service is mere beneficial to skilled nursing facilities: contract therapy or in-house therapy services? A That decision depends on several factors. First, you need to determine your therapy utilization. As a rule of...

When DONs 'lose it' on performance issues.(Staffing Concerns)
March 1, 2004... Q My director of nursing seems to lose it when she has to deal with a performance issue. She seems to either lose control of her emotions or she loses control of the performance discussion with the employee. 0o you have any suggestions on how...

Are you ready for 'just in case' situations?(P&L Journal)
March 1, 2004... Building cash reserves for "just in case" situations is an essential step in sound financial planning for senior living organizations. Successful budget processes balance the potential for the positive developments (such as exceeding...

Residents' mental status, 2002.(Market Monitor)
March 1, 2004... MARKET MONITOR Residents' Mental Status, 2002 Percentage of nursing home residents with: Psychiatric Behavior Diagnosis Dementia Symptoms United States ...

Space saving retractable bed.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... * Low bed designed for long-term care facilities * Has auto contour and cardiac chair positioning for comfort * Uses side rails and low voltage drive system for safety * Produced by Med Mizer Circle 161 on reader service card...

Orange Force cleaner and degreaser.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... * Multi surface cleaner with twice the efficiency of ordinary cleaners * Leaves sweet orange aroma after cleaning * Non-abrasive formula safe for walls, floors, countertops mirrors, chrome, etc. * Made by Ecolab Circle 182 on...

Pedal EZ 150.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... * Ergonomically-designed chair for ambulatory resident * Recommended for residents with Alzheimer's or dementia * Low seat height allows occupant to maintain eye contact * Produced by HMS Seating inc. Circle 163 on reader...

Thermoskin ankle/foot gauntlet.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... * Designed for patients with diabetes, arthritis or Raynaud's Disease * Anatomically shaped to increase circulation and relieve pain * Has a support and side-stabilizer insert * Made by Swede-0 Circle 164 on reader service...

Smart Can[TM].(New Products)
March 1, 2004... * Uses an infrared laser that automatically opens the lid when a person is within inches of it * Eliminates the need to touch a lid or open a trash container with just-washed hands * Produced by Hospital Specialty Company Circle...

Gimme A Lift[R] personal aid.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... * Allows caregiver to lift a 200 pound patient with 25 pounds of lifting effort * Has a 50-inch aluminum shaft with a honeycomb core and anchor pad * Weighs less than two pounds, does not come with batteries, wires, gears or motors ...

Alco comfort classic solid seat folding wheelchair.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... * Holds up to 500 pounds, with a 2 5 inch padded seat * Recommended for rehab and therapy patients * Available in 12 models, folds for convenient storage * Made by ALCO Sales & Service Company Circle 167 on reader service card...

Attendant[TM] Bed and Chair Alarm with nurse call.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2004... The Attendant Bed and Chair Alarm incorporates quality components at a value price. When the magnet is displaced, the alarm sounds. It includes a nurse call jack to alert you immediately when a resident needs assistance. Also comes with a...

Wanderguard[R] Portable Series.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2004... The new Portable Series from WanderGuard[R] offers additional wandering protection where and when ever you need it most. It's portable and transferable, battery operated and wireless offers point-of-care protection, and comes complete with...

QuickCare Software Services.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2004... Virtually runs itself. Powerful, affordable and scalable clinical A/R, Billing, A/P, G/Land payroll software includes: drug interactions with real time assistance for resident care strategies, tighter database controls that assist with HIPAA...

WatchMate[R] Wander Prevention system.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2004... Thousands of long-term care facilities rely on the WatchMate system to protect Alzheimer's residents at risk of wandering. No matter the facility size or budget, Xmark has the right wander solution. Xmark Systems (800) 267-9111 ...

Safe automatic wheelchair braking.(Product Focus)
March 1, 2004... Memory-Matic Safety Brake helps prevent a fall or injury by automatically applying the brakes as a person exits the wheelchair. The brakes remain engaged until resident safely reenters the chair. Memory-Matic easily fits on most wheelchairs,...

Worth repeating.(People & Opinions)
March 1, 2004... "Who knows how this will turn out, but it's positive what we're hearing. We and every other healthcare provider are trying to get these people." Rick Rump, spokesman for HCR Manor Care, on a President Bush proposal that could cut the time...

LTC failures attributed to all.(Q&A)
March 1, 2004... Q & A The time has come for providers and other key players and stakeholders to accept "our collective failings" and come together to improve quality of care. That's the view of the leader of a new consultancy and clearinghouse who has invested...

It's a nice program.(Commentary)
March 1, 2004... I once had a boss who was sure to hand out compliments, almost as if they were a standard means of a greeting. The more marginal the greeting became, however, the more you knew you had to look out for what came next: usually a backhand or...

What concerns about your job keep you awake at night?(Reader Poll)
March 1, 2004... ALAN ROSENBAUM Administrator, Hillcrest Nursing Center, Round Lake Beach, IL "Funding is a big issue with the 5.7% state cuts last year. There's no money to around. We've lost money this year, while a lot of bigger facilities absorbed...

McKnight's ADLs.(People & Opinions)
March 1, 2004... "The nursing home sent non-essential personnel home? But you're chairman of the board."

Busy beaver: Oregon professor uses classroom and facility settings to inspire hundreds of students to go into long-term care.(McKnight's LTCN profile)
March 1, 2004... Meagan Fisher was terrified of nursing homes when she was eight years old. She and her classmates at a private Catholic elementary school in Bend, OR, volunteered at a nursing home, and Fisher was paired with a woman with an eye patch. Fisher...

You don't have to be top gun to be a leader; finding leaders at every position will be critical to your facility's future success.(Parting Shots)
March 1, 2004... As a nation, we have a fixation with leaders. What's the top trait most of us will look for when choosing our next president? The ability to lead. Which people get their faces carved into mountainsides? Leaders, of course. It has been...

Medicaid funding fears heightened.
March 22, 2004... Providers and state officials were mobilizing for intense battles over threatened Medicaid funding cuts as of press time. Long-term care advocates were rallying supporters the first week of March after learning a vote could be taken on...

Non-profits out, CCRCs in, say analysts.
March 22, 2004... Fitch Ratings forecasted modest growth in the continuing care retirement community industry in 2004, but anticipated a negative outlook for freestanding nonprofit nursing homes, according to a special analyst report issued in early March. ...

The U.S. Department of Labor.(Late Breaking News)
March 22, 2004... * The U.S. Department of Labor announced plans to conduct another investigation of assisted living and nursing facilities to determine long term care employers' compliance with the minimum wage, overtime and child labor requirements of the Fair...

The Food and Drug Administration.(Late Breaking News)
March 22, 2004... * The Food and Drug Administration has recalled all Faaborg model battery-operated patient lifts distributed by Moving Solutions Inc. because a bolt may break and cause a dangerous fall, the agency announced March 4. More than 850 of the lifts...

Merely 36% of healthcare.(Late Breaking News)
March 22, 2004... * Merely 36% of healthcare workers receive influenza vaccinations annually, despite a federal recommendation since 1986 that such workers be immunized, the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases said. The foundation, called the figure...

President Bush nominated.(Late Breaking News)
March 22, 2004... * President Bush nominated Dr. Mark McClellan, the current Food & Drug Administration Commissioner, to head the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Senate must confirm the nomination of the physician economist. One Senate committee...

Databank ... advance directives.
March 22, 2004... The percentage of nursing home residents with advance directives has grown by almost 30% over the previous seven years. 1995 46.5 1996 52.9 1997 54.8 1998 56.4 1999 57.0 2000 58.2 2001 59.5 2002 60.3 ...

Hard data.(News)
March 22, 2004... 0 The number of fines resulting from the first 4,266 complaints received about alleged HIPAA privacy violations since they went Into effect last April, according to federal source. 1.5 Billions of dollars the federal government could save...

Ulcer study tries to unify paperwork, speed alerts.(Quality)
March 22, 2004... Wound care nurse Perry Tackett said he was elated when he found out his facility, Sugarcreek Rest in Worthington, PA, was picked out of a hundred to take part in a study aimed at speeding up nursing interventions to reduce pressure ulcers. ...

Study examines full-time clinicians in homes.(Resident Care)
March 22, 2004... A federally sponsored study is examining the effects of a physician's assistant working full time at a nursing home, in close coordination with a physician. The clinicians are concentrating on preventive medicine, hoping to reduce hospital...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid.(Regulatory)
March 22, 2004... * The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services instructed Medicare carriers and intermediaries to slow payment of legacy claims, which technically are not compliant with the HIPAA transactions standard but have been accepted since last fall...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid.(Regulatory)
March 22, 2004... * The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed a rule that would require skilled nursing facilities to record staffing levels for direct care nursing staff at the end of each shift. It was published in the Federal Register Feb. 28. The...

Sens. Larry Craig (R-ID), George.(Legislative)
March 22, 2004... * Sens. Larry Craig (R-ID), George Allen (R-VA) and Evan Bayh (D-IN) introduced "The Long-Term Care Partnership Program Act of 2004"(S.2077). Under it, an individual would purchase a long term care insurance policy approved by a state...

Federal funding, staffing ratios, job growth.(Nursing News)
March 22, 2004... Though the American Association of Colleges of Nursing said it supports $147 million allocated for nursing education programs, a $5 million increase, under President Bush's fiscal year 2005 budget, the association said that amount is still...

Coalition recruits nurses to be educators.(Nursing News)
March 22, 2004... A coalition of 43 national nursing healthcare associations, Nurses for a HealthierTomorrow, has launched a campaign to recruit nurses to become educators. The campaign is in response to figures that U.S. nursing schools turned away more than...

AONE approves policies on heated issues.(Nursing News)
March 22, 2004... The American Organization of Nurse Executives' board of directors has approved policy statements regarding foreign nurse recruitment, mandatory overtime and mandated staffing ratios. The statements can he found at...

Many execs expecting staffing-ratio proposals.(Nursing News)
March 22, 2004... More than half of 139 hospital executives said they think legislation on mandatory nurse-staffing ratios will be introduced in their states within two years, and about a quarter of those expect a law to be enacted, according to a Governance...

RN is occupation with largest projected growth.(Nursing News)
March 22, 2004... The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics listed registered nurses as the occupation with the largest projected 10-year job growth for the first time ever. The demand for RNs will grow to 2.9 million, up 26% from 2.3 million in 2002, the agency...

Bar-coded drugs earlier than expected.(Pharmacy News)
March 22, 2004... The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced it is giving PHARMACY drug makers only two years, instead of three, to make sure bar codes are on drugs dispensed in hospitals. The final bar-coding regulation was in the Feb. 26 Federal Register...

Statins may help those with low cholesterol.(Pharmacy News)
March 22, 2004... Cholesterol lowering drugs called statins, which greatly reduce the risk of stroke and heart attack, may also help keep patients with heart failure alive even if they do not have high cholesterol, new research suggests. Study subjects who took...

Take-out or the 'in' thing? There are signs that a tight labor market may be leading more providers back to contract therapy services.
March 22, 2004... As Bob Heminway puts it, therapists in his part of New Hampshire aren't just falling out of trees. And a few years ago, he could have really used a few to do so. Now, he believes, his labor problems might have been a blessing in disguise....

New therapies may close wounds faster, but grow costs.(News)
March 22, 2004... Wound care expert Diane Krasner discovered ionic silver dressings to treat her nursing home residents' pressure ulcers four months ago. She was ecstatic. As a frustrated wound care and infection control consultant at 167-bed Rest Haven in York,...