by | Jun 14, 2017 | Archived
Did you Know? In 2012, 29.1 million Americans, or 9.3 percent of the population, had diabetes. Another 8.1 million people are estimated to have the disease, but are undiagnosed. 86 million are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at risk for...
by Keri McDermott | Jun 14, 2017 | Archived
“Sleep is the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” – Thomas Dekker Recently, the Great Plains QIN team offered a WebEx on the importance of sleep as one of the most important services that can be offered to nursing home residents....
by | Jun 8, 2017 | Archived
A global ransomware attack, called WannaCry, started on May 12, 2017 and is continuing. It is important to understand the full impact of this ransomware breach, primarily directed at healthcare organizations. Below are some of the functions that might be...
by | Jun 8, 2017 | Archived
Antibiotic resistance is a critical concern. Every day, thousands of Americans are impacted by the improper use of antibiotics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to...
by Keri McDermott | Jun 8, 2017 | Archived
On May 30, 2017, Healthy Day News reported that Multi-Drug resistant bacteria can be found in 1 out of every 4 nursing home residents. “Nursing home residents are at a higher risk to become colonized with these resistant bacteria” said Sainfer Aliya at Columbia...
by Keri McDermott | Jun 7, 2017 | Archived
Communication is the lifeline of a well-functioning team. AHRQ’s TeamSTEPPS® Long-Term Care (LTC) Communication Module is being utilized to instill standardized information exchange strategies for use within and across nursing homes in an effort to improve...
by Keri McDermott | Jun 7, 2017 | Archived
A new, online and self-paced overview course on the Quality Payment is now available through the MLN Learning Management System. Learners will receive information on: The origin and goals of Medicare’s Quality Payment Program The four performance categories within the...
by | Jun 2, 2017 | Archived
June is National Safety Month: Medication safety and falls are two of the more common safety hazards today. Medication Safety Prescription painkiller overdoses are a growing problem in the United States, especially among women. About 60 people die from opioid pain...
by Keri McDermott | Jun 2, 2017 | Archived
Diet trends and conflicting messages on proteins, carbohydrates and fats makes healthy eating seem complicated and confusing. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion recently shared the How to Build a Healthy Eating Pattern resource to promote four...
by Keri McDermott | Jun 1, 2017 | Archived
Many Medicare beneficiaries find that they need short-term nursing home services (also referred to as Skilled Nursing Facilities; or SNFs) at some point in their lives. For example, if an individual receives a hip replacement as a hospital inpatient, he or she may...