by Rebecca Ferrini, MD, CMD

Do you want to go to a wonderful CALTCM conference for free?

Do you want to have something cool on your resume?

Do you want to honor the staff at your facility?

One of the best things about the annual CALTCM conference in LA is the poster session. On Friday night May 2, participants have wine and cheese and mill around looking at about 15 posters from facilities all over California. The authors discuss their posters with the attendees and share stories and successes. People are surprised what is shown—“I did that!” they might say or maybe “I can try that!”

by Jay Luxenberg, MD

Several changes have been made in the state’s implementation of the duals demonstration project intended to provide coordinated care for dually eligible (Medicare and Medi-Cal) beneficiaries. Details of this project, called Cal MediConnect, can be found on this web page. Initially to include 8 counties, the dates of beginning roll-out have previously been delayed, and now additional changes have been announced.

On January 27, 2014, a long-awaited All-Facilities Letter that CALTCM, CAHF, and other stakeholders within California’s postacute and long-term care community have been requesting since 2011, was finally released.  Signed by Acting Deputy Director Pam Dickfoss, who was in charge back in 2011 when our discussions on this topic were just starting, the letter informs general acute care hospitals that (while not explicitly required in the hospital setting) documentation of the obtaining of informed consent for psychotropic medications in the transfer summary will allow patients to continue to receive necessary medications while waiting for the nursing home attending clinician to verify consent.  

by Tim Gieseke, MD, CMD

At the November 6 Coalition for Compassionate Care local POLST coalitions meeting in Sacramento, we discussed opportunities for improving palliative care in the SNF setting.  Though death is very common in our facilities, I for one would not like to die in any of my facilities.  Even with hospice involved, the death of most of my patients seems to be an isolated experience where the appropriate meds may be given, but most of the “bucket list” remains unfulfilled.  When death occurs, the bed is filled ASAP and the person is seldom mentioned again.  We can and should do better.