The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) recently made changes to the terminology and system for staging pressure ulcers. The NPUAP, a multidisciplinary group of experts, changed the common term “pressure ulcer” to “pressure injury,” stating the new term is more inclusive and descriptive of both intact and ulcerated skin. Some feel that the change to “injury” [...]
In July CMS released a 403 page proposal that would make sweeping changes to nursing home regulations in hopes of slashing the number of unnecessary hospital readmissions and infections, increase quality of care and improve resident safety. The President and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), Mark Parkinson, however, is making an effort [...]
Section 1150B of the Social Security Act requires the reporting of “any reasonable suspicion of a crime... against any individual who is a resident of, or is receiving care from, the facility” to local law enforcement. An August 2014 report published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimates almost half of all [...]
As Nebraska’s elderly population continues to grow, the need for guardians and conservators will continue to increase. In response, the Nebraska legislature has adopted new laws which went into effect on January 1, 2012. These laws are designed to provide the courts with more information on the individual who seeks guardianship or conservatorship and about [...]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making changes to its Nursing Home Compare website (http://www.medicare.gov/NHCompare/). In the interim, CMS is freezing the quality measure data and the five-star quality ratings that are currently on the site for a period of six months. In an age where technology makes everything easier, the federal [...]