Hospital Home Health articles from November 2008

Hospital Home Health archives from November 2008

Massage, music, and meditation become extra tools for HHA staff.
November 1, 2008... Massage, music, and meditation become extra tools for HHA staff Recognition of complementary therapy benefits grows The use of integrative medicine therapies continues to grow, with hospitals opening integrative medicine centers and...

Complementary therapies offer new options.
November 1, 2008... Complementary therapies offer new options Different techniques benefit patient needs Complementary. Integrative. Alternative. These three words often have been used interchangeably to describe non-traditional therapies to relieve pain...

Hurricane Ike tests HH emergency plans.
November 1, 2008... Hurricane Ike tests HH emergency plans Pleased with response but need improvements Winds that exceeded 80 miles per hour, storm surges that covered major streets, and power outages that lasted more than a week for many people were just...

Hurricane: Lessons learned improve preparedness.
November 1, 2008... Hurricane: Lessons learned improve preparedness Generators, extra oxygen, and walkie talkies There is nothing like a real emergency to test and evaluate your hospice emergency preparedness plan. Although hospices and home care agency...

Electronic records are great except during power outages.
November 1, 2008... Electronic records are great except during power outages Keep good supply of paper forms at all times Laptops and other point-of-care documentation systems have greatly increased the efficiency of hospice clinicians. They no longer have...

Long lines at gas pumps not limited to coastal areas.
November 1, 2008... Long lines at gas pumps not limited to coastal areas Staff alerts managers to beginning of crisis Hospice staff members in areas directly affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike knew to prepare for gasoline shortages or the inability to...

Use Internet to speed referral process.
November 1, 2008... Use Internet to speed referral process Two-way communication ability is best In today's fast food society, a speedy response often determines which home health agency gets the referral. By taking advantage of the speed of the Internet...

News Brief: AHRQ says telehealth can improve home care.
November 1, 2008... AHRQ says telehealth can improve home care Implementation challenges identified in report Patient safety and quality of care are improved with the use of telehealth, according to a recent report by the Agency for Health Care Research...

CMS takes steps to fight fraud.
November 1, 2008... CMS takes steps to fight fraud RACs to look at DME claims The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is consolidating its fraud detection efforts; strengthening its oversight of medical equipment suppliers and home health...

Palliative care saves money, study says.
November 1, 2008... Palliative care saves money, study says A palliative care program can save hospitals an average of at least $279 per day, up to $374 per day, according to a study of eight hospitals by the Center to Advance Palliative Care and the National...

CNE Objectives/Questions.
November 1, 2008... CNE Objectives After reading each issue of Hospital Home Health, the reader will be able to do the following: 1. Identify particular clinical, ethical, legal, or social issues pertinent to home health care. 2. Describe how those...