Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Improving dementia care has become a hot topic in many facilities, especially nursing homes. And now you have more resources at your fingertips to accomplish your dementia care goals.

On Feb. 26, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) held an MLN Connects Call to discuss the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes. The initiative aims to promote individualized, comprehensive care approaches to, among other things, reduce the use of unnecessary antipsychotic medications in dementia patients.

In the call, dementia care experts discussed the role of surveyors, the importance of leadership, proper pain assessment, and more. If you missed the provider call, CMS has posted all the materials, including the audio recording, transcript and slide presentation, at www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/NPC/National-Provider-Calls-and-Events-Items/2014-02-26-Dementia.html?DLPage=1&DLSort=0&DLSortDir=descending. 

CMS also posted on this webpage a new tool entitled, “Helpful Resource: Nonpharmacologic Approaches to Care and Effective Pain Assessment & Management.” The direct link for this tool is: www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/NPC/Downloads/Helpful-Resources-Nonpharmacologic-Approaches-to-Care-and-Effective-Pain-Assessment-and-Management.pdf. 

Are You Following Hospital Discharge Instructions?

You know how important your discharge instructions are when a resident leaves your nursing home to go to another facility, hospice or home. But what about the discharge instructions you receive when a resident transitions from a hospital to your facility?

In fact, many nursing homes are ignoring hospital discharge instructions, which appears to increase the chances of hospital readmissions, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Aging Research. Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients discharged from an academic medical center and admitted to nursing homes.

Specifically, the researchers investigated the type of hospital discharge recommendations and rate of completion, as well as the 30-day hospital readmission rate. The hospital discharging team made 152 recommendations on the 51 subjects, but the nursing homes failed to act on nearly one-quarter of those recommendations, the study found. 

Also, about 20 percent of the subjects returned to the hospital within 30 days. “Further investigation is warranted to determine if an association exists between missed recommendations and hospital readmissions from the nursing home setting,” the study noted. To view the study, go to www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2014/873043/.