Should the Nurse Who Refused To Wear Masks Be Fired?

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/08/flu-mask-termination/1817571/

What a controversial issue! First, I thought she was fired for refusing the flu shot. But when I read the article, it said she was fired for non-compliance with her hospital's policy of wearing a mask if you refuse the flu shot. It makes sense if you put it that way. On the other hand, it is very difficult to work with a masks on all the time. My patients can't even hear me with them on, especially if you're soft spoken and your patient is hard of hearing. Do you think requiring the employees to wear a mask is a way to get you to take the flu shot? Let us know what you think?

Are You Feeling the Changes Yet?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/04/health/obamacare-2013/index.html

Every year I set aside money to my FSA (Flexible Spending Account). I really think I save a lot in taxes by putting money into it. So, I wasn't happy  to find out it is now limited to $2,500/annually. That's is just a minor change that has taken effect so far. I found this article that outlines what we expect to see.Did you know breast pump is now a covered DME?  Surprise, surprise! I wonder though if this will keep patient longer in the hospital because they are waiting for an authorizations to come through for their pumps? What do you think?

Facts on Mental Healthcare

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/17/seven-facts-about-americas-mental-health-care-system/

The Connecticut shooting sparked so many arguments on gun control. I hope that our present administration will not only focus on gun control but  on mental health as well. This article showed 7 facts about our mental health care system. Very interesting.

Job Opportunities and Health Care Reform

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20121202/BUSINESS11/312020020/Tech-worker-opportunity-health-care-law-kicks-in?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7C&gcheck=1&nclick_check=1

Statistics shows that as the new Health Care Reform rolls in, IT jobs are expected to increase by 22%. Computer programmers, and customer support will be in demand once insurance exchange starts. We will be seeing opportunities in hiring  Coders from insurance companies  once the new coding system is implemented. This is a good thing for employment rate.

Interesting Concept On Keeping Seniors Home

http://homehealthcarenews.com/2012/11/new-technology-allows-seniors-to-age-at-home-and-stay-connected/

We're beginning to see more and more new technology for seniors. This is the latest one I have read where our senior would be able to stay home and connected using a web based monitor to check their blood pressure, oxygen saturation,  blood sugar levels, and weight and relay that data to their healthcare professionals. It monitors their medication schedules and movements at home as well.  It's a great way of maintaining their independence- which is a hard thing to give up. LivHOME Caremonitor offers more interesting features such availability of care professional 24 hour/7days, music, photos, even SKYPE. Awesome, right?!

November Is National Home Care Month

Congratulations to All our Home Care Nurses and workers. All of you are making a big difference in our patient's lives. It is not an easy job to keep them away from hospital admissions, so keep up the great work!

Co-producing Healthcare with The Veterans

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2012/11/11/on-veterans-day-the-healthcare-debt-we-owe-our-troops-and-veterans/

The concept of co-production fascinates me. Studies have shown that empowering patients through co-production yield better outcomes. This article explains how Veterans can manage their own healthcare and be a co-producer of their own health. The VA created a website for them MyHealTheVet.com, where the veteran can manage their own care,schedule their own appointment online, view their lab values and medical records, consult a doctor, fill their prescriptions, etc. I think this is a great way of empowering patients.

Proposed Settlement Agreement That Will Affect Medicare Beneficiaries

http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/hidden/highlight-improvment-standard/

Often times, we see patients that are needing further skilled services but because they have reached the plateau, Medicare stops paying. Pretty soon this line " for as long as you show improvement, Medicare will continue to pay for your services" will be changed to "Medicare will pay for you're maintenance therapy". This Proposed Settlement Agreement  will hopefully stop CMS from denying patients with chronic conditions the appropriate care they need to continue living a quality life. This will hopefully decrease hospital re-admissions and eventually save us health care dollars.

Happy Case Management Week!

Don't forget to join us tomorrow as we toast to our accomplishments! Send us your pictures !

(On Friday, October 19, 2012 at 1 PM ET, 12 Noon CT, 11 AM MT and 10 AM PT, CMSA President Nancy Skinner would like you to join her in toasting the individual and collective accomplishments of the case manager. Choose your beverage, set the alarm on your smart phone and put it on your calendar! )  from www.cmsa.org

Tell Us What You Think

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHA4dncwVzA0Z0VoTEVyTFh6Z2pkMUE6MQ#gid=0


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