Courtesy of the good folks at National Public Radio, here's a link to an excellent compendium of information on the nearly 16,000 nursing homes in the country - specifically focused on the level of independence of the residents at each home. This can serve as an invaluable tool when you have to start investigating the right nursing home for our loved ones.
A government study released today states that roughly 15,000 Medicare patients die each month due in part to the care they receive at hospitals. The study focuses on understanding adverse events in hospitals, or more specifically, any medical care that causes harm to a patient.
The study included 780 Medicare patients who were discharged from a hospital in October 2008. Those patients suffered from problems such as bed sores, infections and excessive bleeding from blood-thinning drugs. Of the 780 patients in the study, 12 died as a result of hospital care, five of which were related to blood-thinning medication. Additionally, two other medication-related deaths involved inadequate insulin management resulting in hypoglycemic coma and respiratory failure resulting from over-sedation.
This is simply devastating and completely unacceptable for the roughly 47 million Americans enrolled in Medicare across the country.
In two short months, we will face a new congress - who's stated primary goal is to remove the historic healthcare bill and expose numerous patients across the country to a lack of access to medical care. Conspicuously absent from most press releases or even the debate is the devastating personal and economic impact of medicare fraud. Here is a fascinating and disturbing study on its scope.
The NHCAA is a non-profit organization founded by the insurance industry in partnership with the US government. The article cites Senator Henry Waxman's concerns over the impact of this abuse on the safety of both our economy and frail patients:
“Health care fraud does more than cost money. It corrodes the quality of care, and weakens the Medicare and Medicaid programs.”
Submitting patients to unnecessary and sometimes dangerous procedures, diverting prescription drugs for gain and misuse, allowing unlicensed health care providers to have access to patients, and stealing patient identities all undermine the quality of our nation’s health care system. Fighting health care fraud isn’t just about recovering money lost to fraud; it’s about protecting patients from fraud’s devastating effects. The plague of health care fraud directly impacts health care quality.
Bed sores (also called pressure ulcers and decubitus ulcers) can develop into severe wounds that can be fatal. Wounds can at times be so large that bones become exposed inviting infection. It is not uncommon for a family member not to see the bed sore until it is serious.
While most people have heard the term bed sore before, very few have actual experience with them. They are fortunate. One person recently told me they thought a bed sore was akin to a bad rash, until she first saw one on her mom and almost passed out.
A bed sore forms when a person is not moved. Areas with constant pressure on the underlying tissue such as the tail bone (also called the sacral area), elbows, heels and head, and areas where there is a brace, prevent blood flow that can kill tissue. This causes a bed sore.
Bed sores are categorized by Stages. Basically they are 5 stages of bed sores or pressure ulcers:
Stage I - No skin breakage. May look like a red rash.
Stage II - Superficial skin breakage.
Stage III - Open skin wound. Can see blood but no muscle or bone.
Stage IV - Open skin wound. Can see muscle or bone.
Unstageable - Because of dead tissue covering the wound, these wounds cannot be staged. Generally presumed to be a stage IV.
For more detailed descriptions, you can go to the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel's website.
The good news about bed sores is that they are both preventable and treatable. With good prevention measures and early intervention bed sores can be avoided or can heal. Even people who suffer from large bed sores may heal with the right care. Treatments vary for the different stages, so its important to understand the different stages when taking part in a care conference or talking to a doctor. Armed with the proper facts, a person can become a better advocate for a loved one.
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