For physicians practicing or anticipating involvement as hospice medical directors, the Hospice Medical Director Manual (HMDM) is the go-to reference. Recently the third edition was released. Not only does it have twice the content of the previous edition, it also has a Kindred touch.

Two Kindred at Home physician leaders contributed to the new edition: Lyla Correoso-Thomas, MD, Kindred at Home Southeast Region National Medical Director is co-editor, and John Manfredonia, DO, Kindred at Home West Region National Medical Director, is also a contributor.

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For infection control nurses, the little things make a difference - from the microscopic germs seeking to wreak havoc to the incremental steps taken to prevent or contain them.

That's why Anna Lagahit, a nurse and Infection Control Practitioner at Kindred Hospital Santa Ana, goes out of her way to recognize hospital staff for doing the little things to prevent hospital-acquired infections. Staff might receive a "you made a difference today" card from Anna for something as routine as wiping a patient's table or IV machine, keeping catheter lines off the floor or ensuring the cleanliness of everything from the patient to the bed to the area between the bed and bathroom.

"I am a resource to remind nurses and staff that they are protecting not only the patients but themselves and their families when they go home," she said.

 

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Hospice Care Improves Patient Experience

A new study adds to evidence that hospice care during the last six months of life is associated with better overall experiences for patients and a lower likelihood of dying in a hospital. Read More   

Study Finds Benefits When Seniors Call Shots to Help Them

A federally funded project that researchers say has potential to promote aging in place began by asking low-income seniors with disabilities how their lives at home could be better, according to a study released Wednesday. Read More  

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David and his wife, Linducia, were visiting a friend in Las Vegas. When they returned to their hotel she noticed his breathing didn't seem right. This is his story.

"It wasn't long after we got back to our hotel that David began having trouble breathing. I called the front desk and the paramedics arrived very quickly" Linducia said. "He was rushed to the hospital and we later found out it was only a matter of minutes before he would have died from a heart attack. He had emergency heart surgery and had three stents put in. During the surgery he also suffered from three strokes and his doctors had to induce a coma."

After surgery his outlook was very poor. David also began suffering from massive kidney failure and had to have dialysis. "His condition actually worsened" Linducia recalled. "He was on every kind of medication imaginable, completely unconscious and immobile. None of the doctors thought he would survive. Then four weeks into this ordeal I asked his doctors to run an MRI brain scan as he had said that if he was ever brain dead he wouldn't want to 'live' hooked up to a machine."

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As clinicians, we go to work every day to provide quality medical care to our patients. And while medical care will always be our number one concern, hospitality is now the second-most important standard in healthcare. The world is evolving, and with it, our hospitals. Many medical facilities are beginning to resemble hotels in varying degrees.

On the surface, and from a business standpoint, it seems simple. Hotel-like amenities can improve health outcomes by reducing stress and cutting down on the transfer of diseases by using private rooms. This patient-centered environment helps patients focus on getting better, which leads to decreased lengths-of-stay and readmissions. 

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As clinicians, we think daily about problems and their solutions. If a patient is having trouble breathing, we go through a series of steps to diagnose and treat the problem. If a patient has a wound, we go through the proper steps to clean and heal it. But what happens when the problem is that the patient can't get to you for the right treatment? Again, you find a solution.

When visiting a doctor becomes a transportation hassle, patients begin to miss visits. This leads to untreated symptoms, which are costly for medical institutions losing potential revenue. Currently, if senior patients don't have the ability to drive themselves, they must call upon one of several alternatives:

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September is Intergeneration Month, a month dedicated to connecting people across generations. For people living in multigenerational households-a home that includes two or more adult generations, or both grandparents and grandchildren-this is not a new concept.

However, multiple generations living together doesn't necessarily mean that they are thriving together. A pain point for many of these families is medical care. Thankfully, this is an area where nurses and other clinicians can help by providing a safe and nurturing environment for patients living in these circumstances. Read Full Post

With Room Service and More, Hospitals Borrow From Hotels

At the Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital outside Detroit, patients arrive to uniformed valets and professional greeters. Read More   

Remote Heart Monitoring Can Help Detect Emergencies

Instead of having heart monitors with noisy alarms near patients' beds in the hospital, it might be better to have off-site technicians do the heart monitoring remotely, a recent study suggests. Read More  

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The Night Doctor is in: Why 'Nocturnalists' Are Replacing Some On-Call Physicians

More hospitals are hiring experienced "nocturnalists" to improve patient safety and prevent calls to tired on-call physicians, according to an article in the Boston Globe. Read More  

Healthcare Hiring Momentum Leads to another 38,500 Jobs in June

Healthcare added 38,500 jobs in June and a total of 234,600 jobs in the first six months of 2016, according to initial seasonally adjusted figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Read More  

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Family Caregivers Become More Crucial as Elderly Population Grows

Strain on family caregivers is alarming many lawmakers and social-service providers. Read More   

Anti-depressants Carry Much Higher Fall Risk than Anti-psychotics, Study Finds

Nursing home residents with dementia who take antidepressants are at significantly higher risk of falls and fractures than those on anti-psychotics, new research shows. Read More  

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