The Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM), as we all know by now, is the new reimbursement system model that Medicare is currently using to determine payments for skilled nursing facilities, which started on October 1, 2019. PDPM replaces the previous...
I entered medical school in 1969. Through a quirk of fate, I found myself part of an experimental program in medical education, the “Clinical Program,” as it was called. It was an off-the-wall endeavor, but I was forged by it. From my first day of...
For the first several decades of my practice in post-acute and long-term care, it was a constant battle to get information or cooperation from our local hospitals. For all the wonderful, life-saving treatments they provided to our mutual patients,...
Medical directors play an essential role in the care that residents receive in the post-acute and long-term care arena. They wear many hats, ranging from thought leader and role model to clinical resource and educator. In particular, medical...
Mrs. S is an 85-year-old woman who moved into the nursing home five years ago when her husband could no longer provide care for her due to her progressive weakness and failure to thrive. She has a history of Barrett’s esophagus and significant...
Dear Dr. Jeff: Our nursing home fills its beds with patients being discharged from the hospital. We have tried to position ourselves as a useful resource and reliable care partner. But as everything in health care changes, how should we prepare...
Rollin Wright, MD, CMD, co-chair of the Annual Conference Planning Subcommittee, has expressed a conundrum shared by many conference participants: “There are so many great sessions, it’s nearly impossible to choose just one for each time period.”...
Hospitals can be dangerous places for older adults. One of these dangers is inappropriate medications — the most common of which is proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Patients who are discharged taking a PPI often continue to receive it after their...
