Blogs, Guest Columns, Things I Think and Living Leadership
New models predict SNF hospital readmission rates
By
Steven Littlehale
Jan 21, 2015
If a skilled nursing facility were an overall Five Star performer, you would think that it would provide the best care and have the fewest rehospitalizations, right?
6 ways to improve dealing with death in LTC
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jan 20, 2015
How someone dies is a very important part of the culture of the long-term care organization. Odds are your community can improve its culture in this area.
ADL coding: The importance of being accurate
Jan 16, 2015
Section G is one of the most inaccurately coded sections of the MDS 3.0. This is primarily due to the inaccuracy of the supporting documentation for Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
Culture shift starts with employee investment
By
Teresa Buchman, RN
Jan 15, 2015
Providing the highest quality care to our geriatric long-term care residents and short-term stay rehabilitation patients has been a major focus and investment throughout our organization. Our goal, from...
Intervention: How eating and drinking can save your skin
By
Martie Moore
Jan 14, 2015
Graduating with a nursing degree in hand, I was ready to bring my new knowledge and skills to the bedside. Thirty years later, I am amazed at how much I still have to learn and apply to my practice. In...
C’mon, be reasonable: Goals for the new year
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jan 13, 2015
Well gang, it’s a new year and the time where we set sparkly, brand spanking new goals. Most of the world sets goals such as losing weight, getting in shape, setting their finances in order and things...
This year holds promise for post-acute care
By
Stephanie Anthony
Jan 12, 2015
Hospitals traditionally have viewed a patient’s discharge as the endpoint of their care responsibilities. In reality, hospital stays frequently are just one step in ongoing episodes of care. Ensuring...
Tomorrow’s nursing homes must integrate palliative care
Jan 09, 2015
Palliative care, a form of patient-centered care focused on quality of life for the seriously ill, should be the standard of practice for all elderly patients with complex illness in nursing homes.
New Year, new choice
By
Gary Tetz
Jan 08, 2015
People have wondered if I was awake to welcome the New Year. I think it’s another way to find out if I’m old, like one of those trick long-term care job interview questions that would be illegal...
After Ebola: Preparing for the next catastrophic pandemic
By
Jeanne Oronzio Wermuth and Rafael Haciski
Jan 07, 2015
The rapid spread of infectious disease through human populations across a large region is not a new problem. But unfortunately, planning for or contemplating the risks associated with pandemics often becomes...