Nursing home management agreements may run afoul of federal law, but it's hard to argue that having a third-party manager hurts resident care. That was the message from Judge Jon S. Tigar, who recently dismissed a complaint brought by nonprofit resident rights group California Advocates for Nursing Home Care.
May 01, 2013
I'm not going to worry too much about the Second Annual McKnight's Technology Awards program, which kicks off this month. The first one last year was a smashing success. I have no reason to believe there are any fewer proud and successful programs out there this year.
February 15, 2012
We do a lot of "stuff" in nursing that makes no sense (both in acute care and long-term care — I'm not singling us out here). We do a lot of things that waste precious time and are definitely not evidence based. Let's take a look at some myth busters.
June 22, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Friday issued new guidance for nursing home surveyors emphasizing the importance of resident quality of life and homelike environments.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is warning healthcare workers to avoid using skin-sanitizing products manufactured by Clarcon Biological Chemistry Laboratory.
Researchers at the University of Kentucky have announced a major breakthrough in the prevention and early detection of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The condition affects between 10 million and 12 million Americans and is the number-one cause of blindness among seniors.
June 11, 2009
The number of both nursing home beds and nursing home residents in the United States declined between 1999 and 2004, according to the recently released results of the National Nursing Home Survey: 2004 Overview.
Nearly one in every four nursing home residents has been colonized by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to a recently published report from Queen's University Belfast.
The U.S. spent $1.7 trillion treating patients with chronic conditions in 2007—the equivalent of 34 million annual salaries of $50,000, according to the second annual Almanac of Chronic Disease, which was released Thursday.
The World Health Organization has released a new report, "Guidelines on Hand Hygiene in Health Care," which target administrators, public health officials and healthcare workers.
Nursing home care and assisted living care are more affordable in the Midwest than in the Northeast or West. Meanwhile, long-term care in Alaska remains the most expensive in the country, according to the results of the 2009 Cost of Care Survey from Genworth Financial.
Eleven F-tags with revisions related to the quality of life and environment of nursing home residents will be available June 17.
Nursing facilities with a primarily Hispanic resident population generally provide lower quality care than facilities primarily servicing whites, say Brown University researchers who focused on pressure ulcer care.
March 30, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Friday announced a new, four-state demonstration project to test whether cash incentives will help improve quality and efficiency in nursing homes.
Japan, like many countries around the world, is facing a serious shortage of caregivers to look after its rapidly growing elderly population. Unlike others, however, it is about to create an army of robot nurses.
(Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, we reported that providers would be responsible for paying for fees associated with employee background checks. That is not necessarily the case. A revised and updated version of the story follows.) The Patient Safety and Abuse Prevention Act of 2009, which was reintroduced in the Senate this week by Sens. Herb Kohl (D-WI) and Susan Collins (R-ME), would expand upon a seven-state pilot program that instituted federal background checks for potential nursing home employees.
Technology that tracks caregivers' hand hygiene practices is proving effective at reducing costs and increasing compliance, according to the results of a recent pilot study.
A recent study has identified a number of hazardous conditions found in home healthcare settings--conditions that are of special concern to both the elderly and their caretakers.
March 05, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is planning to delay the implementation of Minimum Data Set 3.0 for one year because of concerns that there is not enough time to adequately prepare systems for the start date.
Public and private sector officials convened Wednesday to discuss the important role long-term care reform could play in a grander, overall healthcare reform scheme.
Younger people who believe negative stereotypes about aging are more prone to suffer poor health when they themselves reach old age, new research suggests.
March 01, 2009
Advanced wound care tools help caregivers treat complicated pressure ulcers. But solid wound management also involves a talented care team
March 01, 2009
Sherrie Dornberger, RNC, CDONA, FACDONA President, NADONA
New international guidelines for performing prevalence and incidence studies on pressure ulcers will make their debut today and Saturday at the Biennial Conference of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel.
February 25, 2009
Geography plays an important role in the cost of nursing home and other long-term care services, according to a recently released report.
January 07, 2009
The prevalence of chronic conditions among Americans is on the rise with many people now saddled with up to three continuing afflictions. Nowhere is the up-tick more noticeable than among the senior citizen population, according to a report released Tuesday.
Inconsistent state laws and low federal standards have resulted in varying qualification and certification standards for nursing home social workers, according to a recently released report.
Temporary lapses in Medicaid coverage can lead to higher rates of hospitalizations for diseases that can be treated in primary-care settings, according to a recent report.
A pro-active, multifaceted approach to senior care can significantly reduce both hospitalization and death rates among seniors with multiple chronic conditions, according to a new report. People with diabetes might have the most to gain.
A new Iowa statute that will take effect Jan. 1 will protect Iowans who are denied long-term care insurance benefits. If successful, it could be used as a model for other states, according to industry experts.
