PharmacyerrorThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued additional regulatory guidelines for F329 Unnecessary Drugs, with a special focus on use of antipsychotic medications for residents diagnosed with behavioral or psychological symptoms of dementia. The CMS release advises that all antipsychotic medications carry Food and Drug Administration Black Box Warnings. These warnings caution [...]
According to industry experts, persistent pain affects 50% of individuals age 65 and older. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) place considerable focus on pain management as evidenced by their development of the following: Short-term and long-term resident Quality Measures for pain; Section J Health Conditions as part of the Minimum Data Set [...]
PharmacyerrorContributed by Dr. William Hallett, Guardian Consulting Services Private Consultation Services, Pharmaceutical Industry Consulting, and Legal Expert Consultation Services available nationwide. www.guardianconsulting.com F425 requires that the Consultant Pharmacist work with the facility to develop a system to provide for Medication Regimen Review (MRR) services for residents admitted with an intended length of stay of less [...]
The following is a reprint from Long Term Living Magazine It is estimated that as many as 80 percent of residents in long-term care facilities suffer from at least one condition associated with pain. Unfortunately, there are often barriers to the recognition and treatment of pain in the LTC setting associated with the nature of [...]
Hospital readmissions are a growing concern due to their financial impact and the disruption they cause to the resident. Rehospitalizations are a resident-safety concern, as they can lead to disorientation, hospital-acquired infections, pressure ulcers, and transfer trauma. A Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report revealed that one in five elderly patients is back in the hospital [...]
In 1999, the Institute of Medicine published a well known article entitled “To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System” in which it discussed an on-going and ever-increasing epidemic in our health care system… Human Error. The article was innovative and ground-breaking for its time. It focused on a problem that everyone was aware [...]
Every good-hearted and well meaning health care professional has, at some point, taken notice of all those unused medications that just get, literally, flushed down the toilet (at least before the environmental agencies have their say). Our society prides itself on “going green” and conservation in every other facet of life, yet with this one [...]