Hospital Home Health articles from September 2008

Hospital Home Health archives from September 2008

How do you respond to a request to upload info to a PHR?
September 1, 2008... How do you respond to a request to upload info to a PHR? Use of online personal health records raises questions for HHAs Home health nurses are accustomed to point-of-care technology for completing charts and assessments. A growing...

Tips to keep in mind for personal health records.
September 1, 2008... Tips to keep in mind for personal health records Not many home health nurses have had patients offer them access to their online personal health records (PHR), but now is the time to prepare for that offer, suggests Karen Golden Russell,...

New NPSG addresses central line infection risks.
September 1, 2008... New NPSG addresses central line infection risks Requirements for therapy reduced for HHAs The importance of reducing deadly drug-resistant, healthcare-acquired infections is the basis for The Joint Commission's 2009 National Patient...

Interim deadlines keep you on track to compliance.
September 1, 2008... Interim deadlines keep you on track to compliance "Milestones" must be met for new infection control The newest requirement for compliance with Goal 7 of the 2009 Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goals is "Implement best...

Specialized care improves outcomes for diabetics.
September 1, 2008... Specialized care improves outcomes for diabetics Partnership with endocrinology practice is a win-win Reducing emergency department visits for all home health patients is a key factor in improving outcomes and ensuring good...

Hospice Conditions of Participation focus on quality.
September 1, 2008... Hospice Conditions of Participation focus on quality Quality assessment requires look at performance For the first time since the Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs) were created for hospice in 1983, significant revisions that...

Medicare's proposal equals rate cut.
September 1, 2008... Medicare's proposal equals rate cut More than 80% of counties see decrease in first year The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) doesn't call it a rate cut. However, the net result of the proposed hospice wage index...

Average reductions will vary from state to state.
September 1, 2008... Average reductions will vary from state to state Know how your county will be affected beforehand Although the proposed wage index reductions by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will vary from county to county and...

CMS rule doesn't address factors such as salary.
September 1, 2008... CMS rule doesn't address factors such as salary Competition for nurses not reflected Hospice managers and staff members have become accustomed to looking for ways to streamline services and lower costs, but the proposed three-year...

What if your laptops quit talking to your server?
September 1, 2008... What if your laptops quit talking to your server? Flexibility solves the unexpected The 22 laptops were working fine. Data were being entered, nurses were visiting patients, and everyone was thrilled with the newly installed electronic...

News Brief: CMS issues report on Medicare demonstration.
September 1, 2008... CMS issues report on Medicare demonstration According to the recently report on the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) 3-year demonstration program, RACs recouped $992.7 million in overpayments to providers, while $37.8 million in...

CNE Objectives/Questions.
September 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...