A new Kaiser study confirms what many skilled care operators already know. Occupancy levels are dipping as residents’ conditions are getting worse. Investigators found nearly half of the nation’s nursing home residents had a dementia diagnosis, while just under a third had other psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia or mood disorders. About two-thirds of residents…
If Iowa’s experience privatizing Medicaid is an indicator, the movement might proceed with a little more caution. The independent Iowa Office of Ombudsman reported that the state’s privatized Medicaid program saw its number of complaints nearly triple last year. In the program’s first year, 2016, there were 85 complaints. Last year, the number jumped to…
Long-term care facilities are in desperate need of more trained professionals as the population continues to age, and the vendor and education communities are looking to help. Georgia Southwestern State University, for one, just announced that it is rolling out what it says is a “first-of-its-kind” degree for long-term care leaders this fall. The Americus,…
Certified nursing assistants have one of the highest reported rates of injury across the country and particularly in Ohio, according to a review of injury data and first-person stories reported in April by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Nursing assistants are injured three times more often than the average worker, researchers and government statistics show. In…
One of our subcontractors did not follow our falls protocol. The person directed our staff to “let her rest and she will be OK.” The resident was severely injured and her condition was made worse by the delay of treatment and bad medication advice. We received a large fine. Can we seek restitution from the…
The market for digitally measuring and treating wounds is heating up, with a recent cash infusion. Toronto-based Swift Medical has announced that it earned some $11.6 million in funding from a group of venture capitalists in Palo Alto, CA, and Montreal. The smartphone-based care aid — which helps clinicians measure wounds, without touching the resident or…
Legislators’ request for sweeping information about federal regulators’ oversight of nursing homes is part of a House Energy and Commerce Committee official inquiry. A letter from four U.S. Representatives pointedly asks CMS for any information on Jack Michel, who leads the company that owns the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, in Florida, and has had…
The U.S. District Court of Massachusetts has ruled that wrongful death plaintiffs must take their claims against nursing homes to arbitration, regardless of whether they or their deceased relatives were the ones to sign the arbitration agreement. While acknowledging a split among state courts with respect to this issue, U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P.…
You have to give the folks at The Glebe and parent company LifeSpire of Virginia credit. When it comes to going counterintuitive, they’re all in.
Inadequate Medicaid payments appear to be taking a major toll in Wisconsin. Two more facilities announced at press time they are closing. Executives in other states are keeping a close eye on developments. John Vander Meer, executive director of the Wisconsin Health Care Association, said the closures reflect a troubling trend. “In the last year,…
