Mary Hansen’s Post

Medicare Long-term care hospital services Long-term care hospitals specialize in treating patients with more than one serious medical condition who are hospitalized for 25 days or more. These patients may improve with time and care, and eventually return home. Long-term care hospitals may offer services like: - Respiratory therapy - Head trauma treatment - Comprehensive rehabilitation - Pain management Your costs in Original Medicare As of 2023, you pay this for each benefit period: - Days 1-60: $1,600 deductible* - Days 61-90: $400 coinsurance each day - Days 91 and beyond: $800 coinsurance per each “lifetime reserve day” after day 90 for each benefit period (up to a maximum of 60 reserve days over your lifetime) - Each day after the lifetime reserve days: All costs *You don’t have to pay a deductible for care you get in the long-term care hospital if you were already charged a deductible for care you got in a prior hospitalization within the same benefit period. This is because your benefit period starts on day one of your prior hospital stay, and that stay counts towards your deductible. For example, you won’t have to pay a deductible for your long-term care hospital care if: - You’re transferred there directly from an acute care hospital - You’re admitted to a long-term care hospital within 60 days of being discharged from a hospital Need no cost help? Call Sheryl Gulan Lic #19582450

Really useful infographic on #ICU #deprescribing So many opportunities to deprescribe medications during and after an ICU stay 🔴ICU 🔵Hospital 🏥 Ward 🟢Community Care Medicines review & reconciliation at each transition of care and early after hospital 🏥 discharge ⤵️

ICU patients are at high risk for prescribing cascades (e.g. involving opioids, psychotropics, & PPIs). Acute medications started in the ICU, are often no longer needed at discharge from the ICU. However a systematic review shows 10-60% of patients continued to use medications that were deemed clinically inappropriate even after ICU discharge. #Deprescribing is "critical" in these patients! 🔍 How can we best tackle this problem? Read this overview article here: https://buff.ly/3yarJb9 Burry, Lisa Richard S Bourne Also check out our Deprescribing Guidelines & Algorithms: https://lnkd.in/ggwJhCCy

🎯 Deprescribing and ICU Pharmacy ICU might not feel like the natural home of deprescribing, but #pharmacists in #ICU have an important role to play in supporting a person's health team in delivering the best medicines care. Three tips which would help me in my role as a pharmacist in community when medication is started in ICU.. 1️⃣ Communicate 🗣️ 2️⃣ Communicate 📝 3️⃣ Also, communicate 😁 If the INDICATION and PLAN FOR REVIEW for medication is clear, it really supports GP and community based pharmacy teams to avoid #overprescribing and maximise patient safety.

We specialize in treating chronic wounds. But what exactly defines a chronic wound? Simply put, a chronic wound is a sore that’s remained open for 30 days or longer and hasn’t closed beyond 40%. It can be a diabetic foot ulcer, pressure ulcer, venous ulcer, arterial ulcer, surgical wound, or burn wound. If not adequately treated, chronic wounds can be progressive resulting in further health complications. The good news is that our specialized form of treatment has a 90-99% efficacy rate. According to Medicare, our procedure is 400% more effective than the next best form of treatment. It’s not uncommon for us to see wounds that have been open for 4-6 years heal within 7 weeks. Our physicians and nurse practitioners bring treatment to the patient once a week until the desired outcome has been achieved. That’s the Woundhouse effect.  

Continuing with the cardiovascular track at American Association of Nurse Practitioners fall conference, excellent review of PAH and current therapies. Key Takeaways: ✅️ This disease is considered rare, but may not be as rare as we think ✅️ Recent changes in diagnostic criteria mPAP >20, PAWP <15, and PVR >2 ✅️ Average delay of 2.8 years for diagnosis, if you have a young female with unexplained dyspnea/fatigue (especially DOE) consider echocardiogram ✅️ Need hemodynamic data to clench the diagnosis ✅️ New paradigm in treatment is shifting from pulmonary vasodilation to pulmonary vascular remodeling ✅️ Treatment can be expensive, set patients up for success with combination therapy usage

As a palliative care physician, I'm encouraged by the American Heart Association's recognition of palliative care's crucial role in improving the quality of life for heart disease patients. This acknowledgment marks a significant step towards more holistic patient care. The AHA's emphasis on combining palliative care with effective medication management, shared decision-making, and symptom management aligns perfectly with our field's core principles. It's heartening to see other specialties recognizing the value of our approach. To truly make a difference, we need: 1. Comprehensive interdisciplinary palliative care teams 2. Improved collaboration across specialties 3. Earlier integration of palliative care in heart disease treatment plans Dr. Andrew Esch's statement resonates deeply with me. Our communication skills are indeed a cornerstone of palliative care. By fostering better collaboration with cardiologists and primary care physicians, we can ensure optimal outcomes for our patients. As we move forward, it's crucial to: - Educate healthcare providers about the benefits of early palliative care referrals - Develop standardized protocols for integrating palliative care in cardiology - Advocate for policy changes to support broader access to palliative care services By working together, we can significantly enhance the quality of life for heart disease patients, addressing not just their physical symptoms, but also their emotional and spiritual needs. #PalliativeCare #HeartDisease #PatientCenteredCare #InterdisciplinaryCollaboration #QualityOfLife #CardiacPalliativeCare https://lnkd.in/grMvcSra

Infusion therapy is transforming chronic illness care, allowing patients to receive treatment in the comfort of their homes or in-office, and providing them with greater independence and reduced hospital risks. As healthcare providers, assessing medical stability, home environment, and adherence capacity is crucial to ensuring patients are good candidates for home infusion. For those with immune deficiencies, gastrointestinal disorders, and beyond, this approach can significantly improve quality of life while reducing healthcare costs. A clinician's role in guiding and educating patients makes all the difference.

QUESTION I am the lead of my unit's neonatal PICC team and serve on our hospital’s CLABSI reduction committee. I just completed your webinar “CLABSI-What are We Missing?” I am asking for some clarification on one particular issue which is the frequency of changing the needleless connector that is immediately attached to the hub of a central line. Am I understanding correctly that the recommended practice is to change it anywhere from 96 hours to 7 days according to the manufacturer recommendations? While this should be very straightforward, this particular topic has been a point of frustration for our unit recently as many fear breaking open the central line. ANSWER You are correct, needleless connector changes are dictated by: ▶️ Duration of 96 hours-7 days, according to the manufacturer's recommendations ▶️ Manufacturer's instructions that state to remove prior to blood draws and replace with a new connection (unlikely to apply to your patient population) ▶️ Whether or not blood is visible in the connector The goal is to maintain a closed system for as long as possible. The concerns over contamination tend to drive the need for regular connector changes. I highly recommend the use of anti-reflux needleless connectors that allow 7-day changes while also reducing occlusion caused by blood reflux into the catheter.

🩺 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐂𝐔 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦: 𝐀 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐞🏥 ICU delirium is a common yet often overlooked condition that can have serious consequences for critically ill patients. As healthcare providers, it is essential to not only be aware of the symptoms but also take proactive steps to prevent and manage it effectively. ICU delirium may manifest as confusion, agitation, or hallucinations, especially in older patients. Addressing risk factors like sleep disturbances, pain, immobility, and certain medications can significantly reduce its incidence. Regular cognitive assessments and involving families in patient care also play a pivotal role. 🔗 Learn more: www.drasifiqbal.com 📞 Contact: +91 75960 36792