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Did you know that families desire emotionally sensitive and empathetic caregivers and not just technically competent workers? Relationship building is an important task of nursing home employees that generally starts with the first admissions meeting. If a family feel connected, they are more likely bring issues to the nursing home staff rather than taking issues directly to the state regulatory board. To read more about the importance of relationship building, click here:http://gerontologist.gerontologyjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/34/2/235.

Nursing homes across the country are seeking ways to reduce multiple hospital admissions. The Boston Glob recently reported on a chain in Massachusetts that has implemented telemedicine which gives patients immediate access to doctors evenings and weekends. HealthBridge Management, which owns the nursing home, plans to expand the videophone doctor, visits to many of its 14 other facilities. To read more on this innovative method, click here:http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/07/03/nursing_homes_seen_deficient_on_basic_care/

Should residents with dementia be congregated in the general nursing home population? In an article published by MSNBC, the author presents the questions based on an increasing trend of nursing home peer abuse.  According to the article, While the traditional view of elder abuse in nursing homes involves staff harming residents, new research suggests residents may have more to fear from their peers. To learn read more about nursing home peer abuse, click here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19712822/

Wondering why the bottom line is looking thin? Or, maybe your admissions department is experiencing high numbers and you need a way to keep track of all of the activity. A recent article reported that healthcare workers are not getting the detailed information they need to appropriately measure progress (Stolle & Parrott, 2007). What does this mean for your bottom line? Some facilities may overlook marketing opportunities and forgo accurate data because of the lack of detailed information.

The primary revenue source for post acute organizations is admissions. Don't allow the lack of information to continue plaguing your organization with low census numbers. Whether you are a home health provider, nursing home or hospice, it is imperative that the referral management process be effective and efficient.

If you have not heard, acute and post acute healthcare organizations are facing the challenge to be as safe, thorough, productive, cost-effective, efficient and accurate as possible (Stolle & Parott, 2007). Ensuring that information is accurately and safely transferred benefits everyone.

Reference: Stolle, R. & Parrott, D. (2007). It’s not easy being lean, but scripting can help. Retrieved on February 2, 2007 from www.healthmgt.com