by Tim Gieseke MD, CMD

I received the attached announcement recently about important changes to the Medicare rules on Inpatient Admissions from Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.   I believe this is good news! for our potential residents, since it means more hospital admissions will meet CMS’s 3 day qualifying stay criteria, necessary for qualifying for the

by Donna Renee Williams,  RN, MBA, CDONA/LTC

It is often stated that the long term care industry is second only to the nuclear power industry as it relates to regulatory requirements in California.  Many companies that provide long term care also provide services across the continuum inclusive of assisted living facilities (ALFs).  Recently the spotlight has shifted

In my work as a Medical Director the past 26 years, I have never had a facility go a month without at least 3 falls.  Despite multiple attempts to reduce fall risk and the risk of fall associated injuries, falls in LTC continue to occur and have serious consequences ~ 5-10% of the time.

In the age of performance improvement, one of my facilities boldly declared they wanted to do better in this area.  I reviewed AMDA’s (American Medical Directors Association) new falls clinical practice guidelines and the AHRQ manual on Falls Management developed by Drs. Jo Taylor and Joe Ouslander, et al.  My subsequent presentation reviewed the many reasons our patients may have high fall risk, as well as potential interventions including various types of alarms.

CALTCM leaders, including Deb Bakerjian, Karl Steinberg, Janice Hoffman and I, actively participated in round two of all-day meetings of the California Partnership to Improve Dementia Care.  The meetings, July in Sacramento, Glendale late August, are a continuation of the work of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Region IX (CMS), the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and a diverse group of stakeholders which launched the California Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and Reduce Unnecessary Antipsychotic Medication Drug Use in Nursing Homes in 2012.