Cultural change: Why the old is stronger than the new
Cultural change must be intentional, focused and deliberate.
Guest Columns
Analysis: 2,800 nursing homes getting, or on the edge, for ‘abuse’ icon
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced last week that effective Oct. 23, it will add an “abuse” icon on Nursing Home Compare to identify skilled nursing facilities that have received recent abuse, neglect or exploitation citations. In addition, those facilities that receive the icon will have their CMS Five-Star health inspection rating limited to a…
Red for stop or green for go?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, hoping to provide consumers with more usable information, is employing anachronistic thinking. If agency officials believe the threat of negative branding will scare facilities to do the “right thing,” the world may as well be flat. Last week brought the announcement that skilled nursing facilities with a single…
Light duty or new job?
Remember “light duty,” when your certified nursing assistant or nurse gets hurt during a patient transfer and they disappear into an eternally deep black hole? What is the definition of light duty? Many workers’ compensation boards don’t have a hard definition. According to the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation in my state of Ohio, “a light…
Take a look at PDPM through the patient’s eyes
Now that we are past last week’s transition to the Patient-Driven Payment Model, providers should stay focused on providing good quality care, in the right setting, with the right method, at the right time to position facilities and residents for optimal medical outcomes. These measures are key to maintaining and even improving resident and caregiver…
Non-invasive technology can halt liver disease in elderly patients
Given the nation’s aging population, skilled nursing clinicians must be prepared to make proper identification and management of liver disease. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common in the elderly and common comorbid factors such as diabetes and obesity can create progression of more substantial liver disease, such as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis and hepatocellular…
Bring up next generation of nurse aides
The challenges our industry faces are not limited to nurses and nurse managers. Nurse aides will need to cope with the increase in acuity as well.
Ideology trumps rationality in Tennessee block grant proposal
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan once admitted he had been “dreaming” of cutting Medicaid since his college kegger days. But one person’s dream can be another’s nightmare. That’s now the case for Medicaid advocates in Tennessee. There Republican Gov. Bill Lee is seeking radical block grant authority from the federal government in which the state…
PDPM is looming: Here’s what to do if you’re not prepared
It isn’t coming anymore. It’s here. The Patient Driven Payment Model has finally arrived. And even though we have been talking about getting ready for it since April 2018, there’s still work to be done. For providers who started preparing right away, there will be a learning curve as the new rules around coding, billing…
Patient-Driven Payment Model: What’s in the name?
Though it’s less than a week to go and many colleagues are jittery and restless, I also have seen a feeling of excitement that has been missing for years in the post-acute setting. The Patient-Driven Payment Model arrives on Oct. 1 and turns on its head the reimbursement philosophies in skilled nursing facilities as the…
Integrating behavioral healthcare into short-term rehab
I concur with my nursing supervisor, who says that “it’s very effective” to offer immediate, consistent, readily available counsel.
Are we really treating depression in our nursing homes?
A star of “The Sound of Music” probably wouldn’t be hitting the right notes if she were trying to be admitted to a U.S. nursing home nowadays.
Shared governance: Why you need to empower your workforce and get out of the way
Shared governance is a dynamic employee-leader partnership that promotes collaboration, shared decision making and accountability for improving quality of care, safety, and enhancing work life. Through consulting with long-term care administrators and nursing directors, I have found there is little utilization of shared governance. Yet there is a deep desire to elevate employee engagement and…
Compliments matter. Try one.
Having walked for over 50 years through many turnstiles of life, many under the rubric of senior living, I consistently return to one conclusion: a sincere, unpretentious compliment to a resident of such a facility is often met with the return phrase, “You made my day.” Let’s take a couple of minutes to note the…
Climate change and older adults: Lessons from Canada
You don’t have to look far to see the effects of climate change these days. But those effects are all the more acute for vulnerable seniors, especially those living in nursing homes. The reality is that nursing home administrators must now include disaster planning as a key part of their risk management planning. There have…
Build it and they will stay: Creating job satisfaction for CNAs
Let’s be honest. The fundamental reason for a job or occupation is to provide financial income for ourselves and our families. This may answer the question, “Why do I have a job?” However, it does not answer the question, “Why do I have this job?” Reasons for choosing a particular occupation may range from availability…
Helping MDS staff prepare for PDPM
The days of Medicare A reimbursement being managed by “Mom” and “Dad” is now dependent on the “village,” i.e. the interdisciplinary team. This transition will create a huge opportunity for MDS professionals to grow and expand their expertise.
Transformational leadership: Why you matter!
Is transformational leadership trendy or a radical change in leadership styles for today’s environment? Long-term care managers need to know.
What I learned at the Pioneer Network conference
Anyone who has planned a new program or process in their community, or has been in charge of a special event, knows that there are always “hiccups.”
Preparing for trauma-informed care in LTC
It is even more crucial for facility staff to be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma, emotional and behavioral effects of trauma, and to have an action plan of how to address their residents’ associated emotional and behavioral needs.
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