Hospital Home Health articles from February 2004

Hospital Home Health archives from February 2004

What causes more than 40% of home care sentinel events? Answer: fire: improve patient education and staff vigilance to ensure safety.
February 1, 2004... Your nurses teach patients how to administer their medications, check their blood sugars, use their oxygen, care for their wounds, and in general, take care of themselves as they deal with their illness or condition. Your nurses also review the...

Small steps and realistic goals control diabetes: don't overwhelm patients with lofty expectations.
February 1, 2004... Helping your diabetic patient stabilize blood sugar levels and improve control of the disease doesn't necessarily mean new medications, significant weight loss, or a major change in their lifestyle, according to experts interviewed by Hospital...

HIPAA Q & A.
February 1, 2004... [Editor's note: This column addresses specific questions related to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) implementation. If you have questions, please send them to Sheryl Jackson, Hospital Home Health, Thomson American...

Impact of new legislation continues for home health: background checks, homebound evaluated by HR 1.
February 1, 2004... [Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part article that looks at the challenges faced by home health managers. In the first article, challenges were identified and the impact of the Medicare Prescription Drug Improvement and Modernization...

End-of-life caregivers often don't get support: grief counseling should be available.
February 1, 2004... In teaching health care providers how to care for patients at the end of life, many institutions forget to teach the providers that they need to care for themselves as well. Physicians, nurses, and other personnel who care for dying...

Pain-relief measures take root nationwide: despite progress, much pain still poorly managed.
February 1, 2004... Attorneys general should play a role in advising state agencies and educating others about how laws and policies related to end-of-life care should be enforced, especially if they seem to be at odds with patient rights. The most salient example...

Ethics of discontinuing home health services.(Legal ease: understanding laws, rules, regulations)
February 1, 2004... Over time, patients who initially are appropriate for home health services may no longer meet the care criteria from agency staff. For example, the clinical condition of patients may become so complex that they cannot be treated properly at...

New tool evaluates care options for seniors: web site educates and empowers caregivers.
February 1, 2004... Those who work with senior citizens have a new tool to help them advise their clients on appropriate care or living decisions. CarePlanner is a web site and on-line tool to help people make decisions about care for the elderly or disabled,...

JCAHO modifies patient safety goals.
February 1, 2004... An important part of any accreditation survey by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations is the review of a home health agency's compliance with the National Patient Safety Goals. (For information on patient safety...

CE questions.
February 1, 2004... Editor's note: Last month's CE questions were numbered incorrectly. The numbering should have been 13, 14, 15, 16. This month's questions resume the correct pattern. For more information on the CE program, contact customer service at (800)...