January 2018: LTC Newsletter

Posted on January 25, 2018

Long-term care facilities are often faced

with challenges surrounding facility-
initiated discharges. These types of dis-
charges are typically initiated because the

facility finds themselves without an ade-
quate number of staff who are either avail-
able or qualified to care for residents with

behavioral concerns or the residents’ ina-
bility to pay for care. Finding appropriate

placement is difficult.

January 2018: Clinical Connection

Posted on January 25, 2018

Recently, I had an unusual experience throughout the health care continuum that
caused me considerable frustration, and I wasn’t even the patient! Perhaps those of
you reading this diatribe will relate to the maze that we have created for patients
and families to navigate.

January 2018: Influenza Vaccinations

Posted on January 23, 2018

Flu season is upon us and many healthcare workers have questions regarding the

mandatory policies surrounding the flu vaccine. Specifi-
cally, those policies that identify employees who have

or have not taken the vaccine. Examples include alerts
on identification badges or requiring those who have
not received the vaccine to wear a surgical mask
throughout flu season.

C4 December

Posted on January 03, 2018

HTS3 is providing monthly webinars that will offer contemporary and informative topics for all to learn new strategies and actions to continually improve performance. The First Quarter of 2018 webinars are provided with the corresponding links to register below. Please share the calendar with everyone so no one misses the valuable content.

December 2017: Clinical Connection

Posted on January 03, 2018

Managing patients who have mental health and substance
abuse diagnoses, and sometimes combined diagnoses, can
oftentimes cause one to pause and remember that there are

special regulations and considerations for these patients.

HIPAA Privacy In Rural Health Care

Posted on January 03, 2018

Practicing healthcare in rural communities can
create unique barriers to compliance with

HIPAA Privacy Laws. Both clinical and non-
clinical staff is frequently called upon to serve

their neighbors and their own families when
providing healthcare services in both the rural
clinic and rural hospital setting.

Medical Identity Theft

Posted on November 28, 2017

Has your facility implemented measures to prevent or reduce the risk of identity theft? An Identity Fraud Study conducted by Javelin Strategy & Research found that the identify fraud incidence rate has increased by sixteen percent.1 Medical/healthcare organizations were affected by 377 breaches which was 34.5 percent of the total breaches.2 These statistics reflect only those cases that were identified. According to the report, “These figures do not include the many attacks that go unreported. In addition, many attacks go undetected.” 3

November 2017: Clinical Connection

Posted on November 15, 2017

CMS and numerous speakers discuss patient centered care, the patient experience and the importance of both. Most, if not all care providers believe that patients should be at the center of all that we do, and that each patient deserves an out-standing experience while they entrust their precious lives to us.

C4 November

Posted on November 14, 2017

The recent report from Leapfrog and a review of the data caused consternation from this writer. It is important for everyone to know that I believe that data is critical and should be available for making knowledgeable decisions. However, after reviewing the Leapfrog report, it became quite apparent that measuring performance is clearly not a perfected science, and requires considerable man hours to assure accurate reporting.

October 2017: LTC Newsletter

Posted on November 10, 2017

Promoting healthy lifestyles is important at all ages, but is sometimes overlooked in older adults. According to Healthy People 2020, “…growth in the number of older adults is unprecedented.”1 The US population aged 65 and older reached 14.5% in 2014 and is expected to reach 23.5% by 2060.