Reasons to Become a CALTCM Member
by Chris Mlot MD, CMD
Originally posted May, 2012
It’s been so long now, I hardly remember the exact year. I993 to 1996, I was the Medical Director for FHP’s 99 bed freestanding SNF in Westminster Ca. Truth be told, besides the nursing home in Chicago that I had visited my grandmother in once, prior to1993, I had never stepped foot into a nursing home let alone an HMO’s skilled nursing facility which was a clever disguise for a 99 bed med-surg floor. I had never treated a decubitus ulcer or dealt with a feeding tube.
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CMS to Hold off on Mandatory Consultant Pharmacist “Independence”
by Flora Brahmbhatt, Pharm D, CGP
Originally posted April, 2012
In October 2011, CMS indicated that it was considering mandating the separation of a facility’s consultant pharmacist from its long term care dispensing pharmacy. In April 2012, CMS reached the conclusion that this transition would be disruptive and would not solve the issue of chemical restraints.
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Dual Eligibles Coordinated Care Demonstration
by Jay Luxenberg, MD
Originally posted April, 2012
As California moves forward with plans to enroll all dual-eligible (those with both Medicare and MediCal insurance) into managed care, a milestone was reached with the announcement on April 4, 2012 of the first 4 counties that will serve as the pilot for statewide implementation. Of course, since the four counties chosen (Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and San Mateo counties) house approximately 50% of all California dual eligibles, perhaps the term “pilot” is misleading.
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Beers Update
Jay S. Luxenberg, MD
Originally posted April, 2012
It seems like every decade or so we have a new iteration of the Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. The last one was in 2003, and now we have a new update with a handy, dandy pocket guide and promise of a mobile app clinical tool in the near future. I think that the impact of the new criteria will be fostered by the fact that more and more of us are using electronic health records.
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CALTCM Member Profile: Janice Marie S. Diez, MSN, BSN, RN, CNL, CWCA, DON-CLTC
Originally posted April, 2012
Please provide a brief background of your training and practice setting and years in practice.
I have been in healthcare profession for 21 years and the last 5 years was in the nursing profession. I earned my Doctor of Optometry in the Philippines, practiced for 16 years as a clinician and as Dean of Optometry in Cebu Doctors' University. I had my BSN in 2006 and started my nursing career in long-term care in 2007. Pursuing graduate studies in University of San Francisco as CNL (Clinic Nurse Leader) came as a natural interest and I'm currently contemplating applying to a PhD program in Geriatrics in 2013. After a year of being a charge nurse, I became a Director of Nursing, which I am still doing, and recently moved to Central Valley and joined Covenant Care family. I am a certified wound care associate and ongoing with my nursing rehabilitation certification.
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