In 2011, a nursing home in Tennessee had nearly a 30 percent restraint rate, with approximately 50 residents in some form of restraint.Three years later, they’re down to one. How did they do it? They began by assessing one resident at a time. The staff worked closely with the Director of Therapy Services to determine [...]
In May 2012, approximately 15 healthcare providers from across Nashville held their first meeting as a community devoted to reducing hospital readmissions. Three years later, they are still going strong, having just celebrated their anniversary at the University Medical Center in Lebanon, Tenn., with fifty members in attendance.The Nashville community, known as Transitioning Patients Across [...]
When she was first diagnosed and started to learn about the damage diabetes could do if it is not controlled, Tennessee resident Doris McKinley was scared. “I wasn’t sure I could make it,” said Ms. McKinley. Her healthcare professionals warned her that diabetes was the most common cause of blindness, kidney failure and amputations in [...]
More than 200 people gathered at the Jackson, Tenn., Fairgrounds on Tuesday, Sept. 29, for Southwest Tennessee Development District’s (SWTDD) Annual Board of Directors Meeting and Awards Banquet to recognize individuals and organizations who work cooperatively with SWTDD’s Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities (AAAD) and its Economic & Community Development (ECD) divisions. “The awards [...]
Roger Mynatt settled into a local Starbucks to drink coffee, get some work done and do a little soul searching. He got his latte, found a good spot to sit and fired up his laptop. The first place he went online was to Nursing Home Compare to check his facility’s star rating. As Administrator for [...]
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are 1.4 million residents living in the nation’s 15,600 nursing homes. Restraints are used on far too many, often under the misguided notion that they keep residents safe from falls. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made it a priority to reduce [...]
Unity Physician Partners and Centerstone Health Partners share the belief that a person’s mind and body are not separate. What affects one, affects the other. This philosophy led them to create a partnership focused on providing care for medically underserved patients with physical and behavioral needs. To do this they established integrated care clinics that [...]
How a Tennessee Nursing Home Reduced Antipsychotic Medication with Consistent Caregivers An elderly woman sits in a wheelchair outside her nursing home room, weeping and reaching out for each person walking past her. She rocks back and forth, trying to console herself. The nurse on duty doesn’t usually work on that floor, so he is [...]
Knowledge is infectious and that’s a good thing for a diverse group of healthcare innovators in Nashville, Tenn., known as the Transitioning Patients Across the Care Continuum (TPACC) community. The group meets monthly to share knowledge, host speakers and discuss how they can impact and improve healthcare in the Middle Tennessee area. It was in [...]
