Scripps Howard Analyzes Five Star Rating System

Scripps Howard conducted an analysis of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Nursing Home Compare after Five Star introduction. Some nuggets:

For-profit corporations, which account for about two-thirds of all nursing homes, generally get lower scores than those run by nonprofits groups.

Homes with more nursing staff per patient, which also tend to be run by nonprofit groups, generally do better in the ratings.

Homes with more than 100 beds tend to get lower scores in all categories, including health of residents and levels of nursing care.

Ratings are lowest in Southern states, particularly for nursing care and registered-nurse staffing, and highest for homes in the Northeast.

Slightly more than 20 percent of nursing homes nationwide have been regularly given the lowest ratings, and 12 percent to 13 percent have received the top rating.

More at Scripps here.

Internet Use Reduces Depression in Elderly

Spending time online reduces depression by 20 percent for senior citizens, the Phoenix Center reports. In addition they report that reducing the incidence of depression by widespread Internet use among older Americans could trim the nation’s health care bill.

“Maintaining relationships with friends and family at a time in life when mobility becomes
increasingly limited is challenging for the elderly,” says Phoenix Center Visiting Scholar and study co-author Dr. Sherry G. Ford. The policy paper examines survey responses of 7,000 retired Americans 55 years or older. The data was provided by the Health and Retirement Study of the University of Michigan.

The implications of the findings are significant because depression affects millions Americans
age 55 or older and costs the United States about $100 million annually in direct medical costs,
suicide and mortality, and workplace costs. The Pew Internet & American Life Project estimates
that only about 42 percent of Americans aged 65 or more use the Internet, far below the adoption rate of other age groups.

“Efforts to expand broadband use in the U.S. must eventually tackle the problem of low
adoption in the elderly population,” says study coauthor Dr. George S. Ford. “The positive mental health consequences of Internet demonstrate, in part, the value of demand stimulus programs aimed at older Americans.”

View the study here.

Depression Common in Older Cancer Patients

Depression is common in older cancer patients and could be treated in primary care according to a study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine on cancer survivorship care. 55 percent of the patients who receive collaborative treatment, compared with 34 percent receiving the usual care, showed a 50 percent or greater reduction in depression symptoms.

They also suffered less fatigue, had a better quality of life, less functional impairment and fewer thoughts of death.

The collaborative care program, known as Improving Mood-Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment, included medication and other care coordinated by a depression care manager under the supervision of the primary-care provider and a psychiatrist. Said one researcher "It can literally double the likelihood that the patient's depression will improve over time."

Causes You Adopt Can Come Back to Help You!

If I told an orthopedist he/she should adopt the cause of fall prevention, they might twitch, raise an eyebrow and say I am crazy. Likewise the nursing home administrator who can count many a hip and knee replacement patient as their resident might look at me funny. But the cause you adopt are no laughing matter. In fact cause adoption done strategically will gather you great word of mouth in the short term and patients and residents in the long term.

Another Indication that Healthcare Reform is Not Reform at All

Here is an LA Times article worth reading that goes into what will NOT change under reform and that is the ability for insurers to deny care. Yes they may be mandated to cover you but that may not stop them from denying you.

Congress would give patients little new power to challenge life-and-death decisions. Congress, in promoting cost containment and price competition, may actually add to the pressure on insurers to deny requests for treatment. Reform will make it more difficult for insurers to control their costs. According to the Times that "leaves insurers with the other big cost-containment tool: turning down requests to cover treatments."

Americans Lacking in Long-Term Care Knowledge

Overall, Americans did not do well on a survey of their long-term care knowledge, according to results gathered by the MetLife Mature Market Institute. Most know what long-term care is and how much it costs, but their scores fall short regarding how many people will need it and how they will pay for it.

The MetLife Long-Term Care IQ Survey, taken by 1,021 individuals aged 40 to 70 in 2009, compared results with a similar 2004 study. The respondents' overall score was 52%, unchanged since 2004; and only 21% scored 70% or higher. The study reveals that most are not taking appropriate steps to protect themselves from potentially catastrophic expenses. Read the article at Long Term Living News.

Can Leaders Succeed without Being Authentic?

What is authentic leadership? Can leaders succeed wearing masks at some point and unveiling them at others. You may have viewed my video blog on the subject. Here is a guest blog just published in Advance in Long Term Care Management.