Hospital Home Health articles from August 2004

Hospital Home Health archives from August 2004

Flu season still means physician orders for most home health patients: pneumococcal and pediatric flu vaccines not offered universally.
August 1, 2004... Although the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) changed the rules governing flu and pneumococcal vaccines in 2002 to allow the use of standing orders for home health patients who receive the vaccines, most home health agencies still...

Strategies key to boost health provider flu shots: APIC: educate staff as well as patients.(Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology)
August 1, 2004... Health care workers need an annual influenza vaccine to protect themselves and their patients, advise national infection control officials. The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), based in...

Should you get the live attenuated flu vaccine? ACIP to present new guidelines.(Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology )
August 1, 2004... Moving to clear up the considerable confusion of the last flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has drafted new guidelines for health care workers who receive the live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV). The...

Say yes to that cup of tea! Sharing food builds trust: get in touch with patients' cultural practices.
August 1, 2004... Anyone listening to news programs in recent months will say that we are a nation obsessed with food and eating. If the news report isn't talking about overeating and obesity rates, it's focusing on the latest diet program to find favor with the...

Thorough assessment is key to wound care: cause of wound and nutrition drive care plan.
August 1, 2004... The key to good outcomes in wound care is to assess the whole situation and develop a treatment plan that includes patient education and nutrition counseling as well as actual treatment of the wound, say experts interviewed by Hospital Home...

Revised recommendations for flu prevention issued.(Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has released its revised recommendations for the prevention and control of influenza (flu). The new recommendations update 2003 ACIP...

Influenza vaccine supply increases for 2004-2005.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... The supply of influenza vaccine will be increased this year in an effort to prevent the shortages that occurred during the past flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced. Manufacturers will make 90 million...

CMS slower to pay noncompliant claims.(for Medicare & Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... On July 6, 2004, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began to treat electronic claims that were not in compliance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards as paper claims. "The great...

Audio conference gets your facility ready for flu.(Thomson American Health Consultants )(Brief Article)
August 1, 2004... Brace yourself: Flu season is right around the corner. Are you prepared? If an influenza pandemic hits, the entire U.S. population could be at risk. The annual impact of influenza on the United States is staggering. Ten percent to 20%...

CE questions.
August 1, 2004... 17. What is one benefit of obtaining physician orders for flu vaccinations, according to Mike Ellis, RN, BSN, director of support services at Henry Ford Home Health Care in Detroit? A. Medicare will reimburse the agency. B. It keeps...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
August 1, 2004... In the July 2004 issue of Hospital Home Health, we used incorrect numbering in the CE answer box. The correct answers for July are: 13. C; 14. D; 15. D; 16. A