|
|
|
Physician-Assisted Death Becomes Legal in California |
|
by Karl Steinberg, MD, CMD
On October 5, Gov. Jerry Brown—after much consideration and deliberation—signed AB X2-15 “Death With Dignity” (referred to as physician-assisted suicide or euthanasia by others) into law. This bill, which will permit terminally ill patients to request a prescription for lethal medication from their physicians—and permit physicians to prescribe such medication once two physicians have certified that the patient is terminal.
There are some other requirements before the medication can be prescribed (including that the patient have decision making capacity and the ability to self-administer the medication), and the law is similar in many ways to Oregon’s law that has been in effect for almost 20 years. Despite all of the fanfare and contentious debate on this topic, it seems that only a tiny fraction of their population has elected to make use of this option—in all that time, an average of less than 100 prescriptions a year have been written, and there has only been one year where more than 100 patients have actually taken their own lives by using the medication.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes |
|
by Frank Randolph, MD, CMDCALTCM BOD Member & Past President
On September 18th the American Geriatric Society’s Week in Review publication called attention to the need to improve prescribing practices to reduce treatment-resistant infections by spotlighting a resource from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, “Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes."
This resource points out that up to 70% of residents in a nursing home receive one or more courses of systemic antibiotics when followed over a year. Studies reveal that 40–75% of antibiotics prescribed in nursing homes may be unnecessary or inappropriate. The down side for often frail elders includes risk of major diarrheal infections from Clostridium difficile, adverse drug events and drug interactions, and colonization and/or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
Meet the BOD: Paul Duranczyk |
Meet The CALTCM Board of Directors: Paul Duranczyk, LNHA, FACHCACALTCM BOD Member, Treasurer 
Paul has served as the Senior Administrator of Creekside Rehabilitation & Behavioral Health in Santa Rosa, California since 2004. A native of Michigan, Paul has been a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1983. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Services Management from Ferris State University. Paul has served in leadership positions in various healthcare settings to include assisted living, behavioral health, skilled nursing, and post acute care. He is a Fellow of the American College of Health Care Administrators.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
CMS Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities Proposed Rule |
CMS Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities Proposed Rule
September 11, 2015
Dear AMDA Members:
As you know, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule, Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities. This is the most comprehensive revision of the rules since 1991 and it adds new requirements and revises other existing regulations. CMS extended the comment period another 30 days until October 14, 2015.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
CALTCM Continues Emphasis on QUALITY! |
|
by Debra Bakerjian, PhD, APRN, FAAN, FAANP
As most of our members know, CALTCM has focused on Quality Improvement for the past several years. We have provided education on QAPI during our annual conferences and had several applications of content organized around QAPI as well. As widely announced, the Obama administration proposed sweeping regulatory changes for nursing homes; the first major update to nursing home regulations in over two decades that will have a significant impact on nursing homes. (The changes were included in the Federal Register, July 16, 2015.)
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
|
<< first < Prev 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 Next > last >>
|
|
Page 39 of 78 |
