I was talking to my friend the other day about a work issue she had and she asked what I thought the next step should be.  I asked if she’d spoken with her boss to which she replied, “Which one?” “The one you actually answer directly to,” was my response.  This raises an interesting question: How Many Bosses Can You Really Have? I have seen many companies with chain-of-command issues.  Their structure made...

Care Plan Meetings, also called Care Conferences or IDT Meetings with the Resident and/or Family are an important part of your resident’s stay at the facility.  They are necessary to ensure that no communication has been lost and that we are answering all questions and addressing all concerns raised by the resident and/or family.  Also, getting resident and family input into the plan of care is extremely important in order to optimize...

No matter how good of a job you do personally, you’re only as good as your worst empolyee.  So, if your CNA is in a hurry and doesn’t respond to a resident’s questions in a respectful manner, or if a call light stays on for 20 minutes and your charge nurse is at the nurses station while the CNAs are busy in other rooms, or even if a dietary staff member doesn’t take the time to see if they have some tomato soup for...

“That’s not my job.” or “That’s not my resident.” Sound familiar?  Sure it does.  I have heard these two phrases in just about every facility at one point or another.  I actually do not allow them to be used in any nursing home that I am managing.  Why?  Because it IS our job and they’re ALL our residents!  It’s about attitude.  If a staff member comes in and has the attitude that...

Many Nursing Home Administrators and Business Office Managers do not fully understand the concept of Medicare Reimbursable Bad Debt or realize the potential dollars they may be forfeiting.  I am going to try to break it down so that you can stop losing money and capitalize on an opportunity sitting right in front of you. Let’s set up a typical NH scenario: Resident Jane Doe fell at home and broke her hip.  She was admitted into the...

Do you know what one of the most often used arguments in lawsuits against nursing homes is?  “The facility allowed the patient to develop avoidable bedsores…”  As Nursing Home Professionals, it is our job to ensure that our residents do not develop any bedsores / pressure areas in our facility.  But, it happens in every nursing home out there at one point or another. I can’t tell you how many facilities I’ve...

Do you have residents yelling their heads off? Wandering excessively into the wrong rooms? Elopements? Resisting care? Exhibiting sexually inappropriate behaviors?  Or, maybe even a new resident-to-resident altercation each day?  Then, I hate to break it to you, but maybe your behavior management program needs a little overhaul .  Here are a few questions to ask yourself to  help evaluate your program. (1) Who’s tracking your...

I have seen facilities with several different methods for handling employee Christmas gifts. *Some facilities bought their employees absolutely nothing. *Some facilities gave their employees t-shirts or jackets with the facility’s logo stitched on. *Some facilities bought their employees hams or turkeys.  (I actually liked this one). *Some facilities would have all the employees buy a gift and do a swap at the Christmas party. I...