Healthcare Headlines Blog
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January 27, 2015
By Dianne Halderman, AVP, Clinical Operations, Kindred at Home
Results of a recent study showed that burnout among palliative care physicians – those who focus on pain and symptom relief among patients with various diseases and conditions – is extraordinarily high: over 62 percent. The study, which relied on a survey of over 1,200 hospice and palliative care clinicians, also found that 50 percent of palliative care physicians expect to leave the field in the next 10 years. Severity of the burnout seemed to be affected by younger age, having fewer colleagues and working weekends.
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December 16, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
Do you ever have trouble with cold air causing shortness of breath? If you suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you might find that your symptoms worsen when you are outdoors in winter weather. COPD is characterized by limitation of airflow to and from the lungs. It is generally progressive, meaning it worsens over time. According to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), 64 million people currently have COPD and 3 million people died from COPD in 2005, which is equal to 5% of all deaths globally that year. Many people who suffer from COPD acknowledge that harsh winds and frigid air can result in wheezing and breathlessness which can be frightening and sometimes dangerous. Cold air can be irritating and drying to the mouth and airway passages and trigger or intensify symptoms for those suffering from COPD.
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November 12, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
Jane Dailey is Vice President of Clinical Operations, East Region and Southeast Region, in the Hospital Division of Kindred Healthcare. She provided an update on the Cognitive Care pilot in Dallas, starting first by recognizing what she called “an amazing group of people” in the Dallas-Fort Worth integrated care market. The folks who have been working on the pilot “wanted to continue the impact from the 2013 symposium,” Dailey notes. One year later, she says, “we have identified processes across the continuum that will allow us to promptly screen and evaluate patients with cognitive issues.”
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November 11, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
Adrienne Boissy, MD, MA, is the Medical Director for the Center of Excellence in Healthcare Communication at the Cleveland Clinic. She and her team have created a comprehensive program to strengthen physician and provider communication skills throughout the Cleveland Clinic and have trained more than 4,000 staff physicians and house staff to date.
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October 9, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
The most common hospital setting in America is one that provides short-term acute care for patients with pressing health issues – emergencies brought on by an acute illness or an accident. The immediate objective is to stabilize patients and help them recover as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, not all patients can recover quickly. They need a transitional care hospital.
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September 11, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
Reducing Rehospitalizations: What to Focus on Next
Here is a mini-roadmap on what to focus on next for this important initiative. Reducing rehospitalizations is the right thing to do for patient care – we all know this. But with task forces on performance improvement initiatives ranging from infections to patient satisfaction, it can be difficult to know where to focus efforts for the greatest impact.
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July 29, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
Patients, their family members and friends are often overwhelmed during care transitions so we have compiled some frequently asked questions about our transitional care hospitals. Whether you are a patient, loved one or healthcare professional, here are a few things about our transitional care hospitals you should know:
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July 10, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
At Kindred we understand that when people are discharged from a traditional hospital, they often need continued care in order to recover completely. That’s where our Transitional Care Hospitals come in.
Many medically-complex patients benefit from extended recovery time. Our patients receive that much needed care through treatment delivered according to their individual needs. Our physicians see patients daily to assure the best outcomes possible. Our goal is to help each patient reach the highest level of recovery before being discharged.
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July 8, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
Helping others recognize the signs of a stroke can shorten the time before a person gets treatment, and faster medical treatment can minimize long-term effects or prevent death.
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June 18, 2014
By Kindred Healthcare
Aphasia is a little-known language disorder that affects nearly one-third of stroke victims. It occurs when there is damage to the communications hub in the left side of the brain. While aphasia disrupts communication skills, it does not affect a person’s thinking skills.
There are many types of aphasia, but the most general categories are receptive and expressive aphasia. With receptive aphasia, the person can hear a voice or read print, but may not understand the meaning of the message. With expressive aphasia, the person knows what he or she wants to say yet has difficulty communicating it to others.
Someone with receptive aphasia may:
- Have difficulty comprehending what others say
- Have difficulty with reading comprehension
- Be unaware that they are using words incorrectly
Someone with expressive aphasia may:
- Be able to understand what others say
- Have difficulty saying what they are thinking
- Speak in a jumbled manner
- Say a word different than the one they want to say
- Have difficulty writing