Garlo Ward, P.C.

Navigation

Private Providers, Dual Diagnosis and the Justice System

by

  In the past I have given presentations about providers and those they care for and interactions with police. Here is a very disturbing podcast about wrongful convictions and those with mental health problems. These kinds of things can and have happened with the intellectually disabled who have problems such as autism and other mental health conditions.     … [Read more...] about Private Providers, Dual Diagnosis and the Justice System

GAO Gives Troubling Report Regarding Lack of End-of-Life Visits by Hospice

by

    CMS arranged and paid for an investigation by the  U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to look at quality measures pertaining to Hospice which found troubling results.  Previously, the OIG had identified "that 18 percent of all hospices in a nationwide survey had serious deficiencies, like failing to vet staff."   The GAO report concluded that ..."eighty for-profits failed to send registered nurses, physicians or nurse practitioners to visit discharged patients even … [Read more...] about GAO Gives Troubling Report Regarding Lack of End-of-Life Visits by Hospice

Google Takes over Fitbit

by

I love my Fitbit.  I has helped me become very disciplined.  Google is taking over the company and privacy activists are concerned.  What do you think? "Over the past three years, Google's experiments in using artificial intelligence and medical data have resulted in government complaints and lawsuits because critics say patient privacy wasn't protected. In one case, Google was provided with identifiable patient information that included doctors' notes and date stamps." … [Read more...] about Google Takes over Fitbit

Monitoring Home Health & Hospice Employees

by

I have had clients call me upset that documentation from employees reflected visits to patients that patients or their families say never happened.  Technology continues to assist owners of these businesses to monitor and confirm visits and care. "As a real-time, GPS-enabled care management delivery solution, Visit Path verifies where and when a hospice or home health field nurse is on duty, begins service for a client, when they complete service and when they are off duty. This verification of … [Read more...] about Monitoring Home Health & Hospice Employees

Bill Approved to Repeal Federal Law Stripping Students of College Financial Aid for Drug Convictions.

by

  The House Education & Labor Committee has approved a bill to repeal a federal law which made college students ineligible for financial aid due to drug convictions.  It also clarifies a previous rolling back of the penalties passed in 2006.  The reasoning of the committee is as follows: Critics have argued that blocking people from being able to pursue a college degree is a counterproductive way to respond to substance use and misuse issues. “The best possible intervention for a … [Read more...] about Bill Approved to Repeal Federal Law Stripping Students of College Financial Aid for Drug Convictions.