Nancy Schoenborn, MD, of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues asked more than 1000 older adults with chronic illnesses when and how they wanted to talk to physicians about life expectancy. Dr. Schoenborn's findings are...

From allergy season to flu season and beyond, the common symptoms of a stuffy nose, cough and sore throat lead many individuals to their local clinic in search of relief. The presence of a fever increases the possibility of a bacterial infection; but often the culprit...

  As one of the most common chronic diseases, diabetes is an everyday reality for an estimated 23.1 million people in the United States. While healthcare professionals provide regular monitoring, the majority of care and disease management is a result of...

Recent readmission penalties have impacted most Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) providers. The first quality measure in SNF Value-Based Purchasing is the SNF Readmission Measure (SNFRM) - which NOW affects quality, compliance and financial outcomes for all providers...

The South Dakota State University Extension recently released 'A Profile of Older South Dakotans' authored by Gerontology Field Specialist, Leacey Brown. The document is a broad overview of social indicators from marital status to health insurance coverage and...

WebEx Opportunity - #HowIRecommend Flu Vaccine December 12, 2018 - 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. CT Every year, large numbers of Americans get sick and die as a result of seasonal flu. Yet, many patients may underestimate flu's severity or their own susceptibility to catching it...

We are excited to let you know that the final Change Package to prevent all cause harm in nursing homes has been released. The Change Package was developed by the Quality Innovation Network - National Coordinating Center. The Office of Inspector General reported...

Clostridium difficile (klos-TRID-e-um dif-uh-SEEL), often called C. difficile or C. diff, is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon. On November 25, NPR reported that C. diff, first seen as a problem...

According to the CDC, the amount of opioids prescribed and sold since 1999 has nearly quadrupled, yet there has not been an overall change in the amount of pain Americans report. We have a genuine and devastating epidemic of opiate abuse in this country, and it is of...

Great Plains QIN facilitated a WebEx on Teach-Back in late October to demonstrate the use of teach-back to support patients and families throughout the healthcare journey. The teach-back method, also called the "show-me" method, is a communication confirmation method...