Contemporary Long Term Care articles from April 2007

Contemporary Long Term Care archives from April 2007

Fight the power.(OFF THE TOP)(managing health care facilities)
April 1, 2007... "My CNAs are holding me hostage," my friend told me one night over a cup of coffee. "What?!" I choked, ready for a good story about her trials and tribulations as a therapist in a nursing home. "How can that be?" After all,...

AHCA backs letter opposing budget cuts.(INDUSTRY UPDATE)(American Health Care Association)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... The American Health Care Association (AHCA) encouraged its members to support a letter sent to House Budget Committee Chair John Spratt (D-SC) and Ranking Member Paul Ryan (R-WI) opposing the Bush administration's proposed cuts to the...

Healthcare spending to double in less than ten years.(INDUSTRY UPDATE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... By 2016, U.S. healthcare spending will nearly double to $4.1 trillion and account for one-fifth of the nation's gross domestic product, reported Forbes.com. The National Health Statistics Group, which is part of CMS, released a report stating...

Therapists want input in quality reporting system.(INDUSTRY UPDATE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Therapists in the future may have to comply with a quality reporting system, which was one of the critical provisions of the Tax Relief and Healthcare Act of 2006, said Justin Moore, PT, DPT. Moore, the director of congressional affairs for...

Americans support Medicare drug negotiations.(INDUSTRY UPDATE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A national poll conducted by AARP showed that 86% of Americans over age 18 believe that Medicare should have the ability to bargain for lower prescription drug prices, according to an AARP press release. Support for granting Medicare the...

High Vitamin D dosage prevents resident falls.(INDUSTRY UPDATE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Nursing home residents who take a high dose of Vitamin D were less likely to fall and had a lower rate of repeat falls than those taking a placebo or lower Vitamin D doses, reported the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The study, A...

Organizations partner for quality.(INDUSTRY UPDATE)(American College of Health Care Administrators, American Medical Directors Association, American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, National Association for Directors of Nursing Administration/Long-Term Care)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... A leadership council was formed in late February by four long-term care professional organizations for the purpose of defining and meeting quality standards for long-term care facilities, according to an American College of Health Care...

More financial assistance yields better results for low-income residents on Part D.(INDUSTRY UPDATE)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... If low-income nursing home residents could receive financial help from their caregivers, they would have a better chance of being enrolled in the Medicare Part D plan that best covers their medications, according to a study by the Long-Term...

Direct data entry is critical under the UB-04.(INDUSTRY UPDATE)
April 1, 2007... Is your nursing home losing its touch with direct data entry (DDE)? Many long-term care facilities that do batch billing using commercial software products have let their access to the Fiscal Intermediary Standard System (FISS)--and their...

Catching up on ... assisted living investment.(John Cobb of GE Healthcare Financial Services)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... CLTC caught up with John Cobb, senior managing director of real estate for GE Healthcare Financial Services. Forecasting 2007 for assisted living investments, what are the trends to note? If you look at 2006, you see a good predictor...

The calendar.(Calendar)
April 1, 2007... Conference April 14-17 American College of Health Care Administrators Annual Convocation and Exhibition Charlotte, NC www.achca.org May 15-17 Assisted Living Federation of America ALFA 2007 Conference & Expo ...

Security made easy by Tiffin.(WHAT'S NEW)
April 1, 2007... Tiffin Metal Products Company, a national manufacturer of security cabinets and lockers, announces the release of a new series of security cabinets and in-wall lockers designed to reduce the risk of theft for persons staying in or visiting...

Resource Systems announces CareTracker 8.0.(WHAT'S NEW)
April 1, 2007... Resource Systems, a leader in the development of data collection and reporting tools for long-term care and MR/DD organizations, announces the CareTracker 8.0, which offers many improvements to help directors of nursing, MDS coordinators, and...

InPro ShowerShield[TM] boosts safety for patients and staff.(WHAT'S NEW)
April 1, 2007... Traditional shower curtains allow water to leak out the bottom of stalls with no barrier, thus raising the risk of slips and falls for both residents and staff. InPro's patented ShowerShield[TM] curtain has a unique lip on the sides and...

Flowmeter advantages with Western Medica.(WHAT'S NEW)
April 1, 2007... Western Medica announces a new line of click-style oxygen flowmeters. The new QuickClick[TM] flowmeters provide confidence for the user with every connection. They do not have traditional flow tubes to adjust; the user simply "clicks in" the...

CISCOR keeps tabs on emergencies.(WHAT'S NEW)
April 1, 2007... CISCOR's SPH-200 automated emergency call system speaker phone allows two-way voice communication between residents and facility caregivers. The communication is hands-free on the part of the resident. The speakerphones can be installed one...

Age-in-place with QuietCare[R].(WHAT'S NEW)
April 1, 2007... Roughly 10.5 million people, or one-third of older people, live alone, and seven million to l0 million adult children care for their parents from a distance. QuietCare[R] is a life-changing system created by Living Independently Group, Inc.,...

Armed and dangerous: surveys come equipped with cameras under new photographic evidence guidelines.(LEGAL ISSUES: INSIDE SCOOP)
April 1, 2007... On September 29, 2006, CMS released principles for the use of photography during nursing home surveys. Although photography has always been a valid method of collecting information during surveys, there has been little emphasis placed on this...

Meds on the mind: what we've learned about medication management in the last few months.(VIEWPOINT)(Viewpoint essay)
April 1, 2007... As you're probably aware by now, the updates to the unnecessary drugs and pharmacy services F-tags #329, #425, #428, #431 present a number of operational challenges to any nursing home. Although the regulations related to unnecessary...

Power mongers: curbing employee abuse of workers' comp and termination agreements: traps for the unwary: how to draft severance agreements that will stand up in court.(Cover story)
April 1, 2007... TRAPS FOR THE UNWARY How to draft severance agreements that will stand up in court Sooner or later, all employers in long-term care--without exception--are faced with the necessity of firing or laying off employees. In many cases,...

Power mongers: curbing employee abuse of workers comp and termination agreements: hitting the brakes on workers' comp costs: how to minimize claims in the long-term care setting.
April 1, 2007... Long-term care is challenged on a daily basis to maintain workers' compensation costs and handle both the claims and the corresponding personnel issues. Most states require employers to purchase an insurance policy to provide benefits for...

Assistive technology in the ALF: monitoring technology can lead to better senior living.(assisted living communities )
April 1, 2007... No longer evoking fears of "Big Brother," personalized monitoring technology has gained popularity over the past several years. Consumers, including long-term care residents, have started to understand and welcome the advantages this...

The continuum drumbeat: understanding the role of CCRCs and public perception in culture change.(GUEST VIEWPOINT)(continuing care retirement communities)(Viewpoint essay)
April 1, 2007... For the past five years, our industry has played a steady drumbeat to the tune of The Boomers are Coming. Now, the Baby Boom generation is on the cusp of entering the continuum of care, and culture change is needed to meet their desires. The...

Going naked: what to consider when getting ready to drop your liability insurance.
April 1, 2007... In the senior living industry, the price of liability insurance has been at a crisis level for several years. As insurance becomes unaffordable for more long-term care facilities, many small and mid-sized companies have faced the ultimate...

A storm-inspired makeover: how a snowstorm forced a nursing home's complete culture change.(FIRST PERSON)(Fox Valley Nursing Center)(Personal account)
April 1, 2007... It was late November some years ago, and the Chicago area was experiencing an early snowfall that continued from one day into the next--16 inches in 24 hours. It was a nightmare commuting anywhere, including to the Fox Valley Nursing Center...

Pet pleasures: proper etiquette with therapy dogs and other furry friends.
April 1, 2007... I remember it vividly: an Australian shepherd, Dax, leaning close to a resident putting her head on the resident's leg as he stroked the dog's head and rubbed her ears. As he touched her ears, he smiled. When the dog pushed closer to him, he...

Interview.(Getting Residents Out of Wheelchairs program discussed with Mary Harroun and Diana Waugh)(Interview)
April 1, 2007... In October 2005, the GROW (Getting Residents Out of Wheelchairs) Coalition was born out of some complex questions: Why are so many residents in wheelchairs? Why do long-term care facilities seem to assume that all elderly belong in...

The efficient laundry purchase: don't let equipment upgrades become a wash.
April 1, 2007... As everyone in the long-term care industry knows, resident comfort starts on the floor with a caring, professional staff. Overlooked, however, may be the important role a facility's laundry system plays in resident satisfaction. Every...

Washer extractors from Milnor.(PRODUCT INSIGHT)
April 1, 2007... Milnor has introduced a new line of cabinet-style washer-extractors with 20- and 40-lb. (9- and 18-kg) capacities. These machines are part of Milnor's new MWR line and they offer durable construction and an easy-to-use control. Both of...

Speed Queen's SC80 is a durable laundry player.(PRODUCT INSIGHT)
April 1, 2007... Speed Queen's SC80 delivers the durability your long-term care laundry requires. However. the programmability of its MicroMaster2 Control also ensures you have the versatility to adapt your washing process to linen upgrades or changes in the...

RNs getting older and greater.(THE BREAKROOM)(registered nurses)(Brief article)(Statistical data)
April 1, 2007... The average age of licensed RNs continued to increase, even though the number of RNs grew by almost 8% between 2000 and 2004, according to a Health Resources and Services Administration press release. The report The Registered Nurse...

ALFs and dementia care units.(BY THE NUMBERS ...)(assisted living facilities )(Statistical table)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... Assisted living facilities and dementia care units are seeing construction increases all around the country. The National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry highlighted the leading metro markets in its 2006 "Seniors...

Read letter days.(THE BREAKROOM)(Vermont Sunshine Society)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... "To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart," wrote the California essayist and teacher Phyllis Theroux. Theroux would probably agree that letter writing today is a lost art, and so would the...

Overheard.(THE BREAKROOM)(Mother Theresa didn't have a medicaid)(Quotation)(Brief article)
April 1, 2007... "Mother Theresa took care of the sick, the poor, and the hungry--And she didn't even get Medicaid." --Mary Tellis-Nayak, "Leadership: What's Needed for the Next Decade," during the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators...