Peripheral Arterial Disease is Underdiagnosed in the Elderly
When ulcers of the lower extremity develop, it is important to find out why. Many ulcers develop over boney prominences which are subjected to pressure, and are therefore labeled as pressure ulcers. However, one common etiology of lower extremity wounds is frequently...
Retooling for an Aging America: The Thud that Should Have Been a Bang
In April 2008 a report entitled Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce was released. This study was commissioned by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and put together by the Committee on the Future Health Care Workforce for Older Americans...
Nursing Home Care in Australia
I recently spoke on geriatrics, humanistic medicine, and art at The International Arts and Health Conference in Port Macquarie, Australia. Because I spent so much of my medical career in long-term care, I sought out the opportunity to visit a nursing home to speak...
Ageism, the New York Times, and Geriatric Medicine
After reading an article entitled “The Geezers’ Crusade” by columnist David Brooks in the Op-Ed pages of the New York Times last week I felt compelled to comment on it. The article begins on an encouraging note, pointing out how society’s views of human aging are...
Falls, Aging, and the Bible
Falls are a major problem in geriatric patients. As persons age, falls and their consequences become increasingly more serious. According to the American Geriatrics Society, for those over age 65 and over, 35 to 40% of community dwelling persons fall annually. As...
Skin Surveillance Under Medical Devices is a MUST
Most educational materials on pressure ulcer prevention tell you that the most common areas for pressure ulcers are under boney prominences such as the sacrum, ischium, and heels. However, an area that is frequently under-emphasized in pressure ulcer prevention...
Pressure Ulcer Regulations in the Nursing Home: Introduction to Revised F-Tag 314
Care delivered in nursing homes is highly regulated, particularly for pressure ulcers. Whatever your opinion of government regulation, laws governing nursing homes undoubtedly provide added protection for these vulnerable adults across America. This post will...
How CMS Views Pressure Ulcers in Hospitals
Since October 1, 2008 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) classified pressure ulcers as a preventable Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) that will no longer be reimbursed by current insurance guidelines. In order to understand how this works, I first...
Optimizing a Hospital System to Prevent Pressure Ulcers
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), pressure ulcers are among the most common, expensive, and avoidable hospital-acquired complications. Pressure ulcer prevention needs to be embedded within the day-to-day workflow of the healthcare...
Recertification in Geriatric Medicine Completed
This past spring I completed requirements for recertification in Geriatric Medicine. The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) requires recertification every ten years, and this is my second recertification – marking twenty years since first passing the test...