Blogs, Guest Columns, Things I Think and Living Leadership
The value of attending national Open Door Forum calls
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 23, 2014
I often describe the monthly CMS Open Door Forum call as a monthly staff meeting; if you miss the meeting you better read the minutes to see what projects were assigned to you!
Palliative possibilities: Therein lies the rub
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Apr 22, 2014
When a patient is referred to therapy, and they are receiving hospice care, then therapy needs to seek permission from the hospice company to provide any treatment. Hospice is required to reimburse the...
Final rate notice signals continued pressure on Medicare Advantage payments
By
Jennifer Rak
Apr 21, 2014
CMS recently finalized Medicare Advantage plan payment rates for Calendar Year 2015 and announced other changes to payment and program policies for MA and Part D plans. Although the announcement included...
Top 10 ways to avoid litigation
By
Davis Frye and Bradley W. Smith
Apr 18, 2014
In nursing home lawsuits, plaintiffs are often unhappy family members of residents who have experienced falls, pressure wounds, unexplained injuries or death. In our practice defending long-term care facilities,...
Battling depression: Advice on how to make seniors feel valued by others
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Apr 17, 2014
Senior living providers can design programs that increase the opportunities for residents to be valued within their communities and in the outside world. They have nothing to lose but high depression rates....
Asking about end-of-life care when patients can still answer
By
Stephan Deutsch, M.D.
Apr 17, 2014
It’s a scene at plays out all too often in hospitals across the United States. A stroke leaves a frail senior incapacitated, lying in a hospital bed. Family members gather around, but no one can...
Nurses Day — a picture of perseverance
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Apr 15, 2014
As Nurses Day approaches, I’ve begun to wonder: How do you describe in one blog the “awesomeness” of a long-term care nurse? And then it hit me … a single word. Perhaps no single...
Integrating mind, body and spirit
By
Michael McCann, MS
Apr 14, 2014
As technologies continue to develop, our residents’ needs also change. The need for a computer lab is waning as our residents are starting to be more tech-savvy. Life enrichment teams in long-term...
Pain: An LTC rehab perspective
By
Tara Roberts
Apr 11, 2014
LTC therapists seem to be stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to patient pain. Pain management is at the forefront of surveyors and scrutinized as a CMS quality measure.
Long-term (care) anxiety at bargain prices
By
Gary Tetz
Apr 10, 2014
The median annual cost of a nursing home room is now more than $87,000, according to a recent survey. To an uninformed member of the public, I’m sure that seems like a lot. But what the average person...