May 06, 2013
It's your turn to risk having an excited staff. Starting today, the second annual McKnight's Excellence In Technology Awards program is officially underway.
A four-part series of webinars delving into QAPI mandates kicks off at 1 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Wednesday. "New QAPI requirements: designing, implementing and sustaining excellence" is the title of the series, which also will take place April 10, 17 and 23. Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) standards will soon be the gold standard by which nursing homes are judged. These LeadingAge-sponsored webcasts will help you figure out how to design, build and maintain a program that state surveyors will find acceptable. CE credit will be available for the series, which is offered to members, as well as non-members of LeadingAge.
March 06, 2013
Nobody should pass up the opportunity to have a nationally respected professional expert visit his or her office. The chance to get six in there in a short amount of time? Outrageous. Yet, it's going to happen.
Medline Industries has launched a program intended to support four key quality goals of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. Called Advancing Quality Together, Medline's program targets the following areas: Safely reduce hospital readmissions, improve staff stability, increase customer satisfaction and safely reduce the off-label use of antipsychotics.
February 21, 2013
The Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement system from CMS is on our doorsteps. As facilities have been training and educating themselves, the new QIS (Quality Indicator Surveys) are ready to roll. So, while the entire nursing facility department heads gear up for this new survey process, where does this leave therapy?
Nursing and healthcare professionals from around the globe will convene Wednesday through Friday at the 7th Annual American Nurses Association "Nursing Quality Conference." The latest research relating to organizational performance and its effects on care will be a focal point that all providers can learn from for the coming era of bundled payments and team care. Findings gleaned from 1,900 hospitals in the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators Former will be featured. Registered nurse and country music star Naomi Judd will be a keynote speaker. Safe patient handling is the focus of one special breakout session on opening day. Up to 13.5 contact hours may be earned.
December 20, 2012
As federal debt negotiations continued Wednesday, an industry group unveiled its three-part plan for reform in post-acute care.
December 11, 2012
As you engage in quality improvement efforts, put together data-driven marketing materials, complete a HUD refinance application, or talk with families and other community members take care to make sure you're using an appropriate comparative benchmark.
November 07, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is encouraging around 375,00 Medicare Advantage members to re-evaluate their plans.
With reimbursement increasingly tied to quality and safety measures, it's imperative providers have best practices in place, according to a "call to action" released by a healthcare quality group.
October 11, 2012
The American Health Care Association's David Gifford, M.D., is offering tips for nursing homes looking to meet regulator and trade group deadlines for reducing antipsychotics use.
September 05, 2012
PointRight combines Minimum Data Set 3.0 data and unique analytics to calculate case-mix adjusted hospital readmission rates.
Nearly 30 nursing leaders from skilled nursing and assisted living communities recently participated in Direct Supply's 5th annual Clinical Leadership Conference: "Continuing Quality in Challenging Times."
July 20, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has just rolled out its latest version of Nursing Home Compare. If your facility garnered five stars, you probably love it. If you received one star, you surely hate it.
June 06, 2012
Last week, I heard one of the most insightful, no-baloney talks I've heard in a while from a long-term care official.
May 08, 2012
Long-term care providers should hone in on the changing needs of their market by embracing what customers want and will pay for, and by working to change the profession's image problem, LTC executives said Monday.
Providers from around the country are already making the sixth annual McKnight's Online Expo the most successful version yet. They have signed up in record numbers for the virtual trade show, which takes place next Wednesday and Thursday from the comfort of wherever your computer can get an Internet connection.
March 07, 2012
The sixth annual McKnight's Online Expo is almost ready to begin. More than 20 industry vendors will exhibit at this annual event, which runs March 21-22. Attendees again will be able to earn up to five free NAB-approved continuing education (CE) credits. Free registration is ongoing at McKnights.com or by clicking here. A record number of professionals have attended and earned thousands of CEs during the past three years. The virtual trade show will get operators up-to-speed on the hottest topics in long-term care: payment, capital, technology, wound care and quality.
March 01, 2012
The McKnight's Online Expo returns for a sixth successful year with five educational webcasts March 21 and 22. After a successful debut last year, a series of six affiliated monthly "Super Tuesday" webcasts again will follow.
February 28, 2012
How can long-term care operators provide consistent, quality care under today's cost pressures? Attendees at this special McKnight's webcast will learn one big reason when Holland Management CEO Janet Harris reveals some secrets to success. This no-cost webinar will focus on managing staffing levels to drive efficiencies and maintain appropriate staffing at all times. The event took place at 1 p.m. (Eastern) March 6 and will be archived at the McKnight's website for 90 days thereafter.
Reducing rehospitalizations and the off-label use of antipsychotics were named top priorities by long-term care groups Wednesday.
The nation's largest nursing home association and its sister assisted living group will be putting quality practices for long-term care operators under the microscope next Thursday and Friday in Houston. The 4th Annual AHCA/NCAL Quality Symposium features a premium first-day session with university researchers Joseph G. Ouslander, M.D., and Jo A. Taylor, B.S.N., M.P.H. Keynote speakers at the closing general session will be former AHCA Board Chair Mary Ousley, RN, and one-time forklift operator Bob Murphy, Esq., RN, FACHE, a well-known operations expert. AHCA also will hold a Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday, preceding the symposium.
February 06, 2012
The Sixth Annual McKnight's Online Expo is just around the corner. The virtual trade show will get you up-to-speed on the hottest topics in long-term care: payment, capital, technology, wound care and quality. The event kicks off Wednesday, March 21 and continues on March 22.
January 19, 2012
The Department of Health and Human Services is in danger of missing critical deadlines in developing the quality measures used to evaluate the Affordable Care Act's cost-savings initiatives, a government report revealed.
Long-term care officials will have a stake in the 23rd annual National Forum of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement from Sunday through Wednesday in Orlando, FL. Nearly 6,000 healthcare professionals from more than 40 countries are expected to take part. Sessions will focus on providing more effective patient care while lowering costs. Resident- and family-centered care, transitions and hospital re-admissions will be among the conference's focal points. Top speakers will include Michael J. Fox, the acclaimed actor and Parkinson's research advocate, and Eric Greitens, a Navy Seal officer and the CEO of The Mission Continues, a nonprofit organization focusing on wounded and disabled veterans. Maureen Bisognano, the president and chief executive of the host group also will present.
October 13, 2011
Resident satisfaction rates have improved and health survey citations are declining in skilled nursing facilities, according to a new quality of care report.
Providers should be avidly trying to reduce rehospitalization rates as a measure of quality, according to an American Health Care Association executive.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services likely will focus on 24 health quality measures when evaluating care received by adult Medicaid beneficiaries, according to a draft from an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality advisory panel released last week.
The risks of long-term care providers not improving quality are growing larger and more expensive every day, cautioned a nationally known expert Tuesday during a McKnight's Super Tuesday webinar.
June 14, 2011
Pressure ulcers and falls are among the National Quality Forum Board's 29 serious reportable events addressed in its 2011 report.
