While a newly published AHRQ report shows an overall decrease in hospital-acquired conditions between 2014 and 2017, the good news, unfortunately, doesn’t extend to pressure injuries. The rate of PIs rose by 6% over the study period. In patient terms, this uptick represents an increase of 119,000 pressure wounds, resulting in close to 5,000 deaths.…
The perfect recipe for optimizing employee and patient satisfaction at long-term care and skilled nursing facilities includes two key elements: a well-staffed facility and a team of nursing professionals who feel appreciated and engaged. Unfortunately, that scenario is not often the case in post-acute care. Long-term care and skilled nursing facilities are typically widely understaffed,…
Recent headlines have inundated us with news about the alarmingly rapid spread of a new and deadly strain of C. auris — a drug-resistant fungus, still with no discernible origin, that has seen 309 cases in New York, 104 in New Jersey and 144 in Illinois, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.…
Trauma is not an uncommon experience: 60% of men and 50% of women will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime, and nearly 8% of the population will at some point meet diagnostic criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, according to the National Center for PTSD. With Phase III of the Final Rule going into effect…
For years, I have joked that I teach things for the Utopian World — the world as it should be — with the knowledge they won’t always happen that way. But, as of late, I am struggling with statements I hear from my fellow post-acute care providers. We need to take a step (or five)…
Most nursing homes are businesses, and like any business, they must be continually on the lookout for ways to keep operating costs in check. Further, they must be continually marketing their facilities so that more people are interested in using them and investing in them, helping to keep them profitable. One way many facilities are…
When a major client and mentor tells you that you are wrong, it can be a humbling experience. When I considered redefining our company’s focus as a “dementia-engagement platform” instead of a “resident-engagement platform,” one client’s response was very strong. Ultimately he said it didn’t make sense to add the word “dementia” to the focus.…
This is Fall Prevention Awareness Week, but the truth is that preventing fall injuries among residents is a major year-round concern for long-term care providers. It’s with good cause: Fall safety programming has been increasing at skilled nursing facilities across the country, yet the number of fall injuries is still rising annually. Currently, over 800,000…
“We spend more than $3 trillion dollars a year on healthcare in America and generate more data than ever before. Yet some of the most meaningful data – data to unlock potential improvements in patient outcomes is fragmented, inaccessible or incomplete,” says James Madara, CEO of the American Medical Association. While the clinical hard chart…
Change is the only constant for America’s healthcare landscape of late. Patients are taking a more earnest look at their options for healthcare, while payment sources are seeking the biggest value for the lowest dollar. Of note, senior care providers are feeling the squeeze of changing payment incentives that encourage utilization of lower-cost care, including…
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