Nursing schools had to turn away over 41,000 qualified applicants in 2005 because there weren't enough faculty to teach. This is an unfortunate trend because of the overall nursing shortage nationwide. According to USA Today, 7.9 percent of faculty positions at nursing schools remain unfilled, and the Department of Health and Human Service reports that the 10 percent RN vacancy rate will increase to 36 percent by 2020. In July, I blogged about the high turnover rate in health care jobs and … [Read more...] about Over 41,000 Qualified Nursing School Applicants Rejected in 2005
Provider Letter: Changes To Dental Evaluation Approval Process
In a provider letter dated September 27, 2006, the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS) informed Community Based Alternatives (CBA) Home and Community Support Services (HCSS) providers about changes to the approval process for dental evaluations. Under the new process, an HCSS provider's registered nurse is allowed to get multiple evaluations for CBA participants without obtaining prior approval from the DADS case manager. For more information, you may download the … [Read more...] about Provider Letter: Changes To Dental Evaluation Approval Process
Texas Register Updates; New OIG Report
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) recently adopted amendments to §371.204 and §371.208, relating the Hospital Screening Criteria for Texas Medical Review Program (TMRP), Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act (TEFRA), and LoneSTAR Select II Contract Reviews and Appeals Related to Utilization Review Department Review Decisions. For more information, see this section of the July 14 Texas Register. The Board of Nurse Examiners will review and consider whether to re-adopt, … [Read more...] about Texas Register Updates; New OIG Report
High Employee Turnover Rates Affect LTC
According to an article in The Enid News and Eagle, the national turnover rate for elderly health care jobs is as high as 150 percent. There are several reasons for the country's shortage of elderly health care workers - especially nurses - and aging is high on the list. With an aging baby boom generation beginning to retire, including nurses in the cohort, shortages will likely become more pronounced. According to the National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, the average age of the … [Read more...] about High Employee Turnover Rates Affect LTC
Provider Letter: Texas NATCEP Review
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services has issued a new provider letter to nursing facilities alerting them to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid's (CMS) recent review of the Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP). You may download the letter here. From the letter: Among its findings, CMS reporting difficulty in evaluation nursing facility documentation regarding annual performance reviews and in-service training of Certified Nurse Aides … [Read more...] about Provider Letter: Texas NATCEP Review
New CPR Guidelines From AHA
KidneyNotes.com posts about the new CPR guidelines. As the post notes, the highlights are: *The ratio of compressions-to-ventilations has been changed to 30:2 *Rescuers now deliver 1 shock (360J monophasic) followed by CPR, not 3 shocks *Lay rescuers no longer check for circulation *Many other algorithms have been simplified These are published in the Nov 29, 2005 issue of Circulation. KidneyNotes has formatted some easy links to the above for you to read. Click here to see … [Read more...] about New CPR Guidelines From AHA
Clostridium difficile –Some Important Information from MedSleuth
MedSleuth makes some important points about C-Diff and you should all take note of this: Two facts about Clostridium difficile are of increasing concern. First, it is becoming resistant to antibiotic treatment, and second, it is being discovered in otherwise healthy individuals who have neither been hospitalized nor been on antibiotics . MedSleuth goes on to quote some other important facts: In another article in the New England Journal of Medicine, health officials said … [Read more...] about Clostridium difficile –Some Important Information from MedSleuth
Reflections On Being A Nurse
Shrinkette, a psychiatrist, provides a roundup of the reflections of a number of Nurses on what it takes to survive in the profession. She begins with a list of what it takes to be a nurse compiled by a nursing instructor at Top of My Head:What is takes to be a nurse:1. To see people at their worst and know it was part of their job to help them in anyway they could.2. To be exposed to things that many people could never imagine and continue to do their job and not think twice about their career … [Read more...] about Reflections On Being A Nurse