National Assisted Living Week® (NALW) 2023 is quickly approaching, so make plans now to celebrate! Gerald Hamilton, Chair at the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), has a few words of encouragement in this short video message to help you get started.
CMS Final Rule Removes COVID-19 Testing and Staff Vaccination Requirements
This rule will be effective 60 days after it is published in the federal register, which is scheduled to happen on June 5, 2023.
Read more at https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/CMS-Final-Rule-Removes-COVID-19-Testing-and-Staff-Vaccination-Requirements.aspx
Collaboration Is Key to Effective Pain Management
Recent estimates indicate more than half of residents in nursing homes suffer from chronic pain. Yet multiple studies over the years show it remains largely undertreated.
That’s not suprising, given the challenges of pain management across the population generally. There’s simply no clear way to measure pain. And identifying the source can be just as tricky.
In senior communities, particularly in nursing homes, there are additional complexities—from residents living with cognitive impairments and communication limitations to access to diagnostic and specialty services.
Making sure pain is being properly evaluated and treated requires a coordinated and personalized approach involving the residents’ doctors, specialists, therapists, nursing center staff, and families.
Read more at https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/Collaboration-Is-Key-to-Effective-Pain-Management.aspx
The Spring Gero Nurse Prep Sale is Almost Over!
The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s Gero Nurse Prep course significantly increases RNs’ gerontological nursing competency test scores. Registrant’s can save $200 on Gero Nurse Prep through June 1, 2023 with promo code GNP4QUALITY (all caps).
Specifically designed for registered nurses working in long term care, this curriculum provides comprehensive online training that leads to board certification in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for RNs.
Repeated research conducted by AHCA/NCAL since 2016 finds compelling reasons to consider the Gero Nurse Prep course and ANCC Board certification for RNs. Nursing facilities with at least one ANCC Board certified RN experienced:
- Fewer deficiencies on average
- Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations
- More stars — nearly twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility
- Lower re-hospitalization rates
Gero Nurse Prep makes a big difference even for those RNs who are not interested in pursuing ANCC Board certification. Nurses who complete Gero Nurse Prep show an average 24 percent increase between their pre- and post-course test scores. Quite simply, Gero Nurse Prep delivers smarter RNs who are better prepared to deliver quality geriatric nursing care in skilled nursing and assisted living settings. Both two-year RNs and BSNs can take the Gero Nurse Prep course and sit for the ANCC exam.
RNs have one year to complete Gero Nurse Prep and earn 30 quality nursing contact hours – enough to meet the criteria for taking the ANCC certification exam. Gero Nurse Prep grads who choose to sit for the ANCC gerontological nursing certification exam ($395 separate fee paid to ANCC) have a pass rate of 95% on their first try. RNs who pass the ANCC exam can then use the GERO-BC™ credential after their RN credential.
Watch this video or visit the website at geronurseprep.com to learn more about this online program designed to help RNs increase their geriatric nursing skills and to pass the ANCC exam. And don’t forget to use the GNP4QUALITY promo code when registering by June 1 to save $200 off the regular $790 Gero Nurse Prep registration fee.
The Quality of Your Care Is Connected to the Competency of Your Staff
The safety of a health care facility is completely dependent upon the competency of its staff.
This may seem like an obvious observation, but this is a challenge health care organizations face every day. They must provide life-saving care to their patients while also simultaneously advocating for their employees’ competence and well-being. If one of these areas slips, the other one suffers. And when the lives of patients are in your hands, your facility cannot afford not to prioritize competency-based staffing.
Find the complete article at https://www.providermagazine.com/Articles/Pages/The-Quality-of-Your-Care-Is-Connected-to-the-Competency-of-Your-Staff.aspx
National Nurses Week Freebies, Deals & Coupons
Every year from May 6th to 12th, nurses are recognized for their service and dedication to caring for others and improving the health of patients nationwide through National Nurses Week. Throughout the week, healthcare organizations celebrate their teams, and you’ll even see nurses featured on the news. People across the nation thank the nurses that have made a difference in their lives.
Nurses Week celebrates the effort, dedication, and sacrifice nurses make every day. Nurses are essential members of America’s healthcare workforce who provide care through every stage of life, working with patients at their most intimate and vulnerable moments. Nurses Week offers a chance to highlight and celebrate nurses for all they do.
Find all the Nurses Week Deals for 2023 at https://nurse.org/articles/free-nurse-week-giveaways/
CMS Announces Ending of COVID Staff Vaccine Requirement, Other Protocols
Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new regulatory memo QSO-23-13-ALL entitled “Guidance for Expiration of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023.” The memo outlines each waiver CMS put into place during COVID-19 and how the end of the PHE will affect those waivers. Additionally, the memo outlined timelines for certain regulatory requirements issued through the PHE. This memo applies to Long Term Care (LTC), Intermediate Care Facilities (ICF), and other provider types.
Find out more at https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/CMS-Announces-Ending-of-COVID-Staff-Vaccine-Requirement,-Other-Protocols.aspx
Just For LTC RNs – The Spring Gero Nurse Prep Sale is On!
The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s Gero Nurse Prep course significantly increases RNs’ gerontological nursing competency test scores. Registrant’s can save $200 on Gero Nurse Prep through June 1, 2023 with promo code GNP4QUALITY (all caps).
Specifically designed for registered nurses working in long term care, this curriculum provides comprehensive online training that leads to board certification in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for RNs.
Repeated research conducted by AHCA/NCAL since 2016 finds compelling reasons to consider the Gero Nurse Prep course and ANCC Board certification for RNs. Nursing facilities with at least one ANCC Board certified RN experienced:
- Fewer deficiencies on average
- Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations
- More stars — nearly twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility
- Lower re-hospitalization rates
Gero Nurse Prep makes a big difference even for those RNs who are not interested in pursuing ANCC Board certification. Nurses who complete Gero Nurse Prep show an average 24 percent increase between their pre- and post-course test scores. Quite simply, Gero Nurse Prep delivers smarter RNs who are better prepared to deliver quality geriatric nursing care in skilled nursing and assisted living settings. Both two-year RNs and BSNs can take the Gero Nurse Prep course and sit for the ANCC exam.
RNs have one year to complete Gero Nurse Prep and earn 30 quality nursing contact hours – enough to meet the criteria for taking the ANCC certification exam. Gero Nurse Prep grads who choose to sit for the ANCC gerontological nursing certification exam ($395 separate fee paid to ANCC) have a pass rate of 95% on their first try. RNs who pass the ANCC exam can then use the GERO-BC™ credential after their RN credential.
Watch this video or visit the website at geronurseprep.com to learn more about this online program designed to help RNs increase their geriatric nursing skills and to pass the ANCC exam. And don’t forget to use the GNP4QUALITY promo code when registering by June 1 to save $200 off the regular $790 Gero Nurse Prep registration fee.
SAMHSA Establishes Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently established the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF) to offer nursing facility staff a centralized resource hub with easy access to training, technical assistance, and additional resources, at no cost. Its focus areas include: Serious Mental Illness (SMI), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), Co-Occurring Disorders (COD), and Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED). In addition to the resources listed below, the COE-NF provides tailored technical assistance, such as an individualized plan to assist facilities with specific behavioral health needs.
Find out more at https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/SAMHSA-Establishes-Center-of-Excellence-for-Behavioral-Health-in-Nursing-Facilities.aspx
Improving Skin Care and MDRO Prevention in LTC with the AHRQ Safety Program
Skilled Nursing Facilities are invited to participate in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) program to reduce the spread of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other multi-drug resistant organisms. This is a free 18-month program that provides tips, tools, and resources to improve bathing and skincare techniques that have been shown to reduce pressure injuries, wounds, and transmission of infectious pathogens.
Beginning in June 2023, this program combines evidence-based guidance with strategies on how to change the culture of infection prevention and effectively implement infection control practices in your facility. This program will help guide infection preventionists to educate and engage direct care staff on best practices including improvement of hand hygiene, proper skin care, antibiotic stewardship, and environmental cleaning.
Visit https://safetyprogram4mrsaprevention.org/ or email MRSAPrevention@norc.org for more information.