I threw down the gauntlet for the nursing home industry to focus on clinical care two years ago. I warned that in the spring of 2020, providers would “start to hurt because the cost of caring will hit the P&L.” I then wrote an article on the critical importance of the leadership team, saying, “In…
On March 11, I wrote about the COVID-19 storm rapidly approaching our nursing homes, and particularly the risk of nursing home staff transmitting the virus to residents. On March 15, I pointed out the need for an infection prevention general in every nursing home. This wasn’t a topic that came to me out of the…
The year was 1985. I was an intern in the cardiac intensive care unit at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. A man who was the well-known voice for several animated television characters was laying on a gurney. I remember it like it was yesterday. He was smiling and talking, despite the fact that he was having a heart attack. Something…
There needs to be a clear commitment to the concept of the leadership team.
The only way to prepare for PDPM is to effectively engage with the experts who understand this highly complex and frail patient population.
Those lacking this type of training and experience are at a distinct disadvantage, which is why I am a fierce advocate for having geriatricians hold accountable positions of authority in organizations that are responsible for the health and wellbeing of frail older adults and other seriously and chronically ill patients.
