The United States isn’t the only country experiencing explosive growth within the senior demographic. As the elderly population and the costs of senior care rise across the globe, other countries are weighing the U.S. long-term care experience. Read More »
For senior mental health outreach, one size does not fit all. Programs designed to engage seniors within their specific spaces and cultures have the highest success, say behavioral health experts. Are you reaching out across the diversity within your communities? Read More »
Five years of data from Center for Medicare & Medicaid’s largest experiment in performance-based reimbursement are mixed, but physician groups succeeded in slashing the costs for dual-eligibles. Read More »
To achieve the best results, pain management interventions should be customized for each individual. Krista Das, director of marketing and communications for AMDA–Dedicated to Long Term Care Medicine, discusses the myths and methods concerning the use of opiods in LTC pain management. Read More »
The healthcare system has taken three large steps toward longitudinal care—and toward embracing long-term/post-acute care’s role in that picture. Progress on the Meaningful Use stages and templates for the new Continuity of Care Document were among the highlights. Read More »
The best way to reduce the cost of trips to the ER and doctor’s office is to stay home. One study finds that remote health monitoring technology is ripe for home care and non-hospital care locations like assisted living. Read More »
Residents who are recovering from surgery need special transitions of care and monitoring to prevent post-operative complications and hospital readmissions. Read More »
People with Parkinson’s have to take pills many times a day to control their symptoms. A new medication technique developed at the Cleveland Clinic uses a gell-based medication to curb the “fall off” effects that pills often have. Read More »
Should unused drugs be flushed? Tossed in the trash? The nation’s top hospice organizations partner to create better training on the safe disposal of unused medication. Read More »
Healthcare systems will be taxed to deal with the substance abuse problems that many members of the Baby Boomer generation will be carrying with them into their senior years. Read More »
As reimbursement becomes increasingly tied to clinical quality and performance, Ohio joins the list of states that are trying a bigger carrot instead of the stick. Read More »
No one ever said being a long-term caregiver is easy. At times, it’s downright olympic. Going for the gold takes teamwork, dedication and … well, a sense of humor. Read More »
The antidepressant I take presently I have taken since 2009. During that time I have noticed behavioral changes. I told the nurses I wanted to get off the antidepressant. I said I hoped the psychiatrist would assist with a withdrawal plan. Read More »
How to increase efficiency of visits without adding hours and miles? Check up on the patients without even starting the car. One visiting nurse organization takes the plunge into robotic telemedicine. Read More »
LTC providers are investing more heavily in short-term rehab as a way to recoup shrinking Medicare reimbursements while taking on higher-acuity cases in order to keep residents out of the hospital. Meanwhile, they are giving wellness amenities and programs higher priority as families evaluate facilities with a more discerning eye. Read More »
The new version of CMS' Nursing Home Compare website now includes data on readmission rates, nursing home inspections and antipsychotic drug use. Read More »
The Health Information Management Systems Society has released a free guide to help healthcare facilities select the best mobile apps for their work tasks and environments. Read More »
According to a recent study, one in every six admissions to nursing homes was for individuals who had a history of emphysema or COPD. This puts greater pressure on LTC facilities to gain a stronger understanding of the disease and to meet new demands in terms of assessment and treatment. Read More »
With the crackdown on “pill mills” in Ohio, nursing homes have become targets for employee theft of narcotic prescription drugs. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine intensifies anti-drug abuse efforts. Read More »
Major efforts are needed to increase the mental health workforce and train them in the mental health and substance abuse issues that relate to seniors, a new Institutes of Medicine report warns. Read More »
A stunning 99 percent of nursing home records examined by the OIG failed to meet one or more of the federal guidelines for assessing and documenting the use of antipsychotic drugs. Read More »
While trying to save on prescription costs, seniors in the Medicare Part D doughnut hole are skipping or reducing their maintenance medications for depression, chronic heart failure and diabetes, among other chronic conditions, recent data suggests. Read More »
Portable stroke monitors, video visits, diabetes testing on a cell phone… these tools and more are coming soon to a healthcare site near you, according to an emerging technology report. Read More »
BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court has decided the Affordable Care Act will stay in place. The majority voted to keep individual mandate and the right for Congress to offer funding for state reform programs. Read More »
Last spring (May 2011), the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published a report titled, "Medicare Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Claims for Elderly Nursing Home Residents." Here is what medical directors practicing in long-term care had to say about the appropriate prescribing of antipsychotic medications. Read More »
Solving the problem of hospital readmissions will take much more than follow-up calls at home. Each link in the care chain has quality improvements to make, say health IT experts at the 2012 LTPAC Health IT Summit. Read More »
Georgia Tech’s new lab for senior home health technology will test pilot products designed to help seniors remain independent for longer and to assist them in maintaining chronic conditions at home. Read More »
Consumer empowerment is on the rise, and HIT leaders explain why the LTPAC industry is looking with new eyes at another potential data source for electronic health records: the residents themselves. Read More »
