TIP OF THE WEEK
Recognize and reward performance of direct caregivers
Consistent recognition of employee behaviors and workplace practices that align with your organizational vision can help your organization fulfill its goals. Encouragement and praise go a long way, and it is important to reward the right behaviors. Feeling valued and appreciated is one of the key elements in staff retention, and generally people with a positive self-esteem can be your best employees.
Although employers agree that recognition helps create a positive workplace atmosphere, most admit that they “don’t have time” to do this. Employee recognition does not have to be labor-intensive or expensive to be effective. Below are just a few ideas for recognition programs and easy staff rewards.
RECOGNITION AND REWARDS
- Just say “thank you” at staff meetings, one-on-one, in a card, or on the bulletin board.
- Attendance Raffle – Include names of staff members who had perfect attendance during a specific amount of time.
- Recognize improvement – Let employees know you have noticed improved attendance or performance.
Other reward ideas:
- Hand out Ohio KePRO’s new Pocket Guide for Direct Caregivers to recognize staff and to give them a tool that they can use to further improve. The guide covers the following topics: communication, pain, skin, nutrition/dehydration, and proper techniques for delivering care.
- If budget allows, reward staff with bonuses, gift cards, paid days off, or free lunches.
- Provide opportunity for advancement, cross training, or reimbursement for continuing education.
- Offer flexibility through staff self-scheduling.
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
Pocket Guide for Direct Caregivers
The Pocket Guide for Direct Caregivers contains information about communication, pain, bowel/bladder, skin, nutrition/hydration, depression, restraint alternatives, proper techniques for care, medication side effects, stress management, and common conversions.
To order, click here and select “Nursing Home” in the drop-down box. Then add the “Pain Resource Manual CD-ROM” to your cart. Finally, proceed to checkout. All resources in the Ohio KePRO Shopping Bag are free of charge to Ohio healthcare providers. Please allow 10 business days to process your request. Or contact the Ohio KePRO Nursing Home Team for more leadership training resources (1-800-385-5080).
IN THE NEWS
MEDICARE: NO HOSPITAL REIMBURSEMENT FOR PRESSURE ULCERS
August 2007 -- HcPro -- Hospitals will no longer receive Medicare reimbursement for eight preventable infections after October 2008, said CMS in a press release. According to CMS officials, the move is a cost-cutting measure, and its list of conditions includes pressure ulcers. Other conditions include falls, urinary tract and vascular infections stemming from improper catheter use, objects left in the body during surgery, blood incompatibility, and mediastinitis after heart surgery, according to the New York Times. Source >>
August 2007 -- HcPro -- Want your facility to be a part of CMS' upcoming Post Acute Care Payment Reform Demonstration (PAC-PRD)? The agency is actively soliciting participants for the next phase of the project, which CMS hopes will beget a new reimbursement tool and payment structure uniform to all types of postacute care. To be considered, contact Barbara Gage, the principal investigator at RTI, at 781/434-1717 or ltc@ohqio.sdps.org. The demonstration and data collection will begin in January 2008; RTI is CMS' contractor for the project. Source >>
MORE CARE NEEDED IN HOMES, SAYS OHIO AIDE
August 21, 2007 -- Toledo Blade -- To help keep Ohio's Medicaid costs under control, the state wants more senior citizens to get healthcare services in homes and communities, which will balance out nursing home usage and improve choices for long-term care options, a state official visiting Toledo said yesterday.
Gov. Ted Strickland is expected to soon appoint a group of long-term care consumers, providers, advocates, and others to complete a budget and service plan for the state to better meet needs and control costs. Read more >>
August 21, 2007 -- Kaiser Network -- The Medicare prescription drug benefit has significantly increased the share of seniors with drug coverage, but one in five beneficiaries reported delaying or not filling prescriptions because of cost, according to the results of a survey published online in the Journal Health Affairs, the Los Angeles Times reports. The survey -- conducted in October 2006 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund and Tufts-New England Medical Center -- included more than 16,000 seniors. Read more >>
August 16, 2007 -- The Commonwealth Fund -- A new study by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health finds that Green House nursing home residents experience better quality of life, with the same or better quality of care than those in traditional nursing homes. The study, which was published in the June 2007 Journal of American Geriatrics Society, found that Green House residents experienced lower rates of depression, bed rest, reduced activity, and decline in functional abilities, but did have higher rates of incontinence than did residents in one of the comparison settings. Read more >>
SENIORS HEAD SOUTH TO MEXICAN NURSING HOMES
August 18, 2007 -- USA Today -- As millions of baby boomers reach retirement age and U.S. healthcare costs soar, Mexican nursing home managers expect more American seniors to head south in coming years. Mexico's proximity to the United States, low labor costs and warm climate make it attractive, although residents caution that quality of care varies greatly in an industry that is just getting off the ground here. Read more >>
OHIO KEPRO EVENTS
NURSING HOME QUALITY AFFAIR
Northeast Conference Center, Westerville, Ohio
September 11, 2007 – 9:30 to 3:30
At this meeting, we will spotlight nursing homes that achieved remarkable rates of improvement and overall performance in the areas of pain, pressure ulcers, depression, and/or the use of physical restraints.
This event is an opportunity for your nursing home to renew its quality improvement efforts by learning “what works” and discussing successful strategies at a forum of your peers.
Who should attend: Administrators/CEOs, Directors of Nursing, Direct Care Staff, Social Workers, Activities Professionals.
Download the flyer and register today!
INDUSTRY EVENTS
Ohio Immunization Partners for Healthy Adults Meeting
September 6, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.
LifeCare Alliance, 1699 W. Mound Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43223
Or dial 1.877.339.0018, conf ID: *8625947*
RSVP by calling Liz Simpson at 216.447.9604 by August 31, 2007
Together We Make a Difference: Solutions for Senior Care 2007
October 5-7, 2007, Columbus Ohio
The conference features plenary sessions and didactic sessions on medical direction, physician-nurse practitioner collaboration, urinary incontinence, atrial fibrillation, appropriate medication prescribing, and the latest diabetic medications (Registration ends Sept 28, 2007). Contact Catherine Austin at (216) 778-8087, Executive Assistant of OMDA, for more details.
Medicare Learning Network:
Learning resources and products for the healthcare professional.
Alzheimer’s Association Training Events
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Courses
Ohio Department of Health, Technical Assistance Program – New Programs
Ohio Health Care Association Events
An archive of The Nursing Home Weekly Update is available on our Web site. Click here >>
