Contemporary Long Term Care articles from August 1999

Contemporary Long Term Care archives from August 1999

Progress report.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... THIS JUNE, WHILE ON VACATION in Sweden, I toured a nursing home and a dementia and psychiatric care facility with influential architect and professor Victor Regnier. Vic, the jury chair for our design contest and a contributor to our magazine,...

Focus on CNAs.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... We just received the latest (May 1999) issue of CLTC, and I wanted to say you have done an excellent job in representing the CNA. The articles are cutting edge and exactly what we need to be saying in regard to the people serving our residents,...

A broader net.(facilities evaluation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... In a report released late in June, the GAO said the number of facilities meeting HCFA's poor-performer criteria would increase from about 1 percent to about 15 percent if the agency expands the criteria as planned, including homes with repeated...

Opting out.(Medicare services)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... More managed care companies have defected from Medicare, the industry's main trade groups announced early in July. About 250,000 patients will be dropped, and many of the other 6.7 million elderly Americans who belong to HMOs should expect...

From the top.(Medicare proposal)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... President Clinton's Medicare proposal, released late in June, would add $7.5 billion in the next 10 years to help fix coverage gaps caused by the Balanced Budget Act, It's unknown how the new funds would be split among nursing homes and other...

Recipe for change.(curbing malnutrition)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Curbing malnutrition can lessen many other problems A RECENT STUDY OF HOSPITALIZED OLDER patients that draws a link between malnutrition and mortality holds strong implications for long term care facilities and their role in managing...

United we stand.(industry associations)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... ALFA brings on former NASLIE members THE ASSISTED LIVING FEDERATION OF America has more independent living and continuing care retirement community members among its ranks, thanks to a consolidation with the National Association of Senior...

Come on down.(industry associations)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... AAHSA institute leader promises collaboration, independence ROBYN I. STONE, PHD, SAYS HER FIRST tasks as head of a new policy institute will be to establish an advisory board and take other steps to ensure that it functions independently of...

Thumbs up.(disability ruling)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... High court disability decision wins praise from diverse groups MENTAL HEALTH AND DISABILITY RIGHTS advocates heralded a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court regarding the Americans with Disabilities Act--and those groups weren't alone...

Ready, set, go.(procedure enforcement)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Providers prepare for surveyors' new focus, methods HCFA OFFICIALS AND WORRIED PROVIDERS WERE working collaboratively and playing catch up at press time in early July, when four key changes to the survey and enforcement process were...

What a relief.(Medicare payments)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Congress mulls revisions to SNE Medicare payments WITH MOMENTUM BUILDING ON CAPITOL HILL, skilled nursing facilities are likely to get some much-needed relief from payment cuts resulting from the prospective payment system within the next...

Watchful eyes.(fraud prevention)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... HCFA enlists help of more seniors in fight against fraud A HALF MILLION SENIORS WILL BE JOINING the federal government's war against Medicare and Medicaid fraud and abuse, thanks to a $7 million expansion of a program that teaches retired...

Death in Arizona.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... The death of an Arizona nursing home resident with Alzheimer's, under investigation by the state licensing agency, has inspired the formation of an "unofficial" task force to look into concerns about long term care in the state. Arizona state...

Life Transitions in the Older Adult (Springer Publishing Company).(Review)
August 1, 1999... The contributors to this book cover matters such as helping people adjust to relocation, relocating people with dementia, intergenerational concerns, coping with grief and bereavement, and legal and ethical questions. To order, call...

Enteral Therapy Policy & Procedure Manual (American Society of Consultant Pharmacists).(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Developed in consultation with the Consultant Dietitians in Health Care Facilities, this ASCP guide is designed to help nursing facilities, assisted living centers, and home care agencies establish policies and procedures for enteral therapy....

Centenarian study.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... The Harvard Medical School and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are recruiting study participants for genetic studies on aging. Researchers are seeking people 100 and older, those who will celebrate their 100th birthdays by the end of...

Victory in Colorado.(personal needs allowance)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Army veteran Freddy Lipton, 56, wanted to die in battle. The nursing home resident got his wish, winning a posthumous victory with the Colorado legislature on behalf of state Medicaid recipients. Under the banner of "No Dignity on a Dollar...

SHOW TIME.(conference)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... The PPS T-shirts sold well enough and many seminar titles contained the word "cost," but attendees at NADONA's recent show seemed less preoccupied with prospective payment than those at many other trade shows this year. Some even grumbled that...

To admit or not to admit.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Michael H. Cook heads the health law practice group in the Washington, D.C. office of Jenkens & Gilchrist. Leslie Ann Stein is an associate in the firm's health law practice group. High-acuity residents are high reimbursement risks ...

Fiscal exercise.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... A contributing writer to Contemporary Long Term care, Jim Moore is president of Moore Diversified Services, a Fort Worth-based senior housing and health care consulting firm, and author of Assisted Living 2000. Even if you don't plan to...

Odd couple.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Wendy L. Bonifazi, RN, a contributing writer to Contemporary long Term Care, has been a volunteer ombudsman in Larimer County, Colorado, for nearly three years, where she now serves as special projects coordinator. Providers and ombudsmen...

Continence by design.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Rachel Long is a freelance writer based in Tampa, Florida. She was the project writer for this month's Senior Living Design supplement. Keeping things homelike was top of mind when Parkcliffe Eldercare Community in Toledo decided to add a...

Playing computer catch-up.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... David L. Jackson, MD, PhD, is CEO of HealthWare Solutions International, a Baltimore-based long term care informatics firm. A wake-up call to the technologically timid F0R THE PAST FIVE YEARS, THE LONG TERM CARE INDUSTRY HAS been...

Prepare to win Y2K lawsuits.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... William T. Harvey is a partner and Marcella. J. Mulvaney an associate with Pittsburgh-based Tucker Arensberg. They specialize in health care law. Documentation is the key to filing or defending a claim HOPEFULLY, YOUR ORGANIZATION HAS...

Finding better ways to pay for long term care.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Representative Anne Northup (R-Ky.) serves on the House Appropriations Committee, where she is a member of the Labor, HHS, and Education and the VA, HUD, Independent Agencies subcommittees. THE 106TH CONGRESS HAS SPENT MUCH TIME AND ENERGY...

Cost shifting.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Katherine J. Paul, a freelance writer In Hiram, Ohio, is a frequent contributor to Contemporary Long Term Care. How will Medicare pay for prescription drug coverage? MEDICARE MAY SOON PAY FOR OUTPATIENT PRESCRIPTION drugs, bringing...

Wall Street turns its back on Vencor, Sun. NewCare, and ALC.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... As if rumors of imminent Chapter 11 filings weren't bad enough, when Vencor and Sun's net worth fell below the New York Stock Exchange's listing criteria, the two companies were delisted and suspended, respectively. On June 8, Vencor Inc....

CORPORATE LADDER.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Charles Rinne has joined Franklin, Tennessee-based Advocat Inc. as president and chief operating officer. Both positions were formerly held by Dr. Charles Birkett, who continues as chairman and CEO. Allen Johnson has been named president...

Leaders and Laggards.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... How industry stocks fared from 5/25/99 through 6/25/99 June was a turning point for the long term care sector. A trio of publicly-traded nursing home stocks representing more than 150,000 beds fell below $1 due to financial woes, missed...

NewCare Health Corp. files Chapter 11.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Atlanta-based nursing home operator NewCare Health Corp. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The petition was filed in Worcester, Massachusetts, by Lenox Healthcare, a management company which has been responsible for NewCare's...

Pitts resigns as Mariner chairman, CEO.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Keith Pitts has resigned as chairman and chief executive officer of Atlantabased Mariner Post-Acute Network Inc. Pitts left the company to join Vanguard Health Systems Inc., a privately held hospital corporation based in Nashville. Mariner...

Emeritus to buy 21 assisted living facilities.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Seattle-based Emeritus Assisted Living has agreed to acquire 21 ALFs it currently leases from Health Care Property Investors Inc., a real estate investment trust. The combined purchase price is $114.25 million. The facilities have a total...

Lehman named president of Hyatt's Classic Residence.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Dennis Lehman, a 20-year veteran of the senior housing and health care industries, has been named president of Classic Residence by Hyatt, the senior living affiliate of Chicago-based Hyatt Corporation. Penny Pritzker, who has served as...

Six Massachusetts non-profits form network.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Six not-for-profit Massachusetts organizations that provide housing and health care services to seniors have formed IntegraCare, a postacute network. The organizations--Jewish Rehabilitation Center for the Aged of the North Shore, The Diocesan...

Omega completes sale/leaseback with Alterra.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Omega Healthcare Investors Inc., a real estate investment trust, has purchased from and leased back to assisted living provider Alterra 10 properties containing 361 units for about $36 million. The properties were...

NHC to manage Hamilton County nursing home.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... The Hamilton County (Tennessee) Commission voted to sell the county's 550-bed long term care facility to Murfreesboro, Tennessee-based National Healthcare Corporation for $12 million effective January 1, 2000. Johnny Strawn will serve as...

Perennial subsidiary to manage Wisconsin SNF.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Perennial Health Management Inc., a subsidiary of Louisville, Kentucky-based Perennial Health Systems, an operator of skilled nursing facilities and a provider of therapy services to long term care providers, will lease Premiere Nursing & Rehab...

Investment firm to pay $2.8M fine.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... A New York investment firm and one of its executives agreed to pay nearly $3 million to settle charges that the company violated the federal Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust law when negotiating the leveraged buyout of a nursing home chain. ...

Derma Sciences buys Genetic Laboratories.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Princeton, New Jersey-based Derma Sciences Inc. has completed the acquisition of St. Paul-based Genetic Laboratories Wound Care Inc. The new subsidiary, which continues to be headquartered in St. Paul, will broaden Derma Sciences' product line...

ARC gets $200M in new financing.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Nashville-based American Retirement Corporation, a provider of senior living and health care services, has arranged $200 million in financing to fund its growth. The first part of the financing package is a $75 million commitment for a 3-year...

Alterra reports $230M in new financing.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Brookfield, Wisconsin-based Alterra Healthcare Corporation has arranged $230 million of financing to fund its continuing development and acquisition of assisted living residences. Alterra received commitments from a syndicate of banks led...

Sun stopped from paying interest on bonds.(Sun Healthcare Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Sun Healthcare Group Inc. announced on May 31 that, although the company had the funds to make the payment, its bank lenders had exercised their contractual right to block Sun from making a semiannual interest...

Pharmacies adjust to new realities.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
August 1, 1999... Institutional pharmacies are hurting under PPS, and it's going to take more than two aspirin to cure what ails them. Omnicare, one of the leading providers of pharmacy services to nursing homes, said it expects earnings for the second...

Wound care.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Transparent film dressings, hydrocolloids, foam dressings, alginates, and hydrogels are a few of the products that serve as shelters for wounds, helping to make skin vital again. Deciding on which product to use can depend on several factors,...

Overcoming denial about age.(Brief Article)(Interview)
August 1, 1999... Mary Pip her, PhD, is the author of Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of our Elders (Riverhead Books, 1999), An internationally noted psychologist, she decided to write Another Country after caring for own mother until her death...

EDITOR'S NOTE.
August 1, 1999... Between the boom in assisted living and the drive to update older, institutional nursing homes, there's plenty of work for architects and interior designers. If there's a problem associated with the growing interest in long term care, it's poor...

By popular demand.(facility design)
August 1, 1999... Design teams can meet today's market challenges at any price point In today's competitive long term care market, good design has a lot to do with privacy, homelike design, and dementia care--elements in big demand from prospective...

Check it out.(site inspections)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Don't overlook site characteristics that could in crease costs Finding a desirable site isn't easy. In fact, they're becoming so rare that one architect, when shown a potential site, always asks, "What's wrong with it?" Such skepticism may...

Does it pay?(renovation)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... The rule in today's competitive market." spend wisely and go for big returns Frank Lloyd Wright once observed, "The doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines." Maybe so, but ivy can mask only...

The winners' circle.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... The competition for Contemporary Long Term Care's 16th annual Order of Excellence awards may have been its stiffest yet. In the end, the jury chose five winners from a pool of nearly 50 entries sent in from long term care communities across the...

Architecture and interior design RENOVATION Marquette Manor Healthcare Center, Indianapolis.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Architecture and interior design: The InterDesign Group, Indianapolis Number of beds: 78 Total project cost: $2.1 million Total square footage: 31,800 Cost per square foot: $66 [*] Average age of residents: 87 ...

Architecture RETIREMENT HOUSING.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... McKeen Towers, West Palm Beach. Florida Architecture: O'Keefe Architects, Palm Harbor, Florida Number of residents: 145 Total project cost: $21.5 million Total square footage: 233,695 Cost per square foot: $92 [*] ...

Architecture and interior design ASSISTED LIVING Sunrise of Bellevue, Bellevue, Washington.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Architecture: Dieterich Mithun Architects, Seattle Interior Design: Martha Child Interiors, Sterling, Virginia Number of units: 70 Total project cost: $5.9 million Total square footage: 54,290 Cost per square foot: $95 [*]...

Architecture and interior design HOSPICE Rose Arbor Hospice, Kalamazoo, Michigan.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Architecture and interior design: Diekema/ Hamann/Architects, Kalamazoo, Michigan Number of beds: 12 Total project cost: $2.25 million Total square footage: 7,000 Cost per square foot: $132 [*] Average age of...

Architecture RENOVATION Architecture: DiMella Shaffer Associates, Boston.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Sunrise of Norwood, Norwood, Massachusetts Number of beds: 72 Total project cost: $5 million Total square footage: 54,000 Cost per square fool: $93 [*] Average age of residents: 83 Single room size: 400 sq. ft. ...

BEST PRACTICES.(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... How can you make a good thing better? Many of this years' best practices projects are honored for taking sound new ideas in senior architecture and interior design a step further Though they did not win Order of Excellence awards, these...

Not wanted.(nursing home abuse education)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... Providers fear fallout from HCFA's poster campaign THE VERDICT IS STILL OUT REGARDING whether HCFA's latest effort to prevent neglect and abuse in nursing homes will be effective. But providers worry that the poster program conveys the...

In distress.(pain management)(Brief Article)
August 1, 1999... New study finds pain undermedicated MANY WOMEN WITH SEVERE OSTEOARticular pain are not taking enough pain medication, suggests a study at the National Institute on Aging (NIA). Researchers asked 1,002 women aged 65 and older to rate...