News of fraud and abuse in our healthcare system appears frequently these days. Between scams, double billing and code jamming many dollars are illegally claimed from the system. Whether it be from Medicare, Medicaid or an insurance company, one thing is certain, the honest consumers pay for it.   Just recently the Medicare Fraud ...

  So at work this week one of my schedules had five patients on it. Four of these were in the facilities locked unit, meaning their major diagnosis was Alzheimer's or dementia. Three of the four refused to do any therapy without a lot of coaxing and encouragement. Spending the time to talk them into doing any therapy wasted so much time ...

  You might have seen this in the news, but the presidents federal Health Care Fraud and Abuse Program are hard at work uncovering scams in the system. In 2012 alone they were able to recover $4.2 billion from both companies and individuals who were trying to cheat the system. This was the highest three year total recovered since the ...

  One grief I face daily is seeing the equipment at many long term care facilities. Most of it is in some state of disrepair all the way to barely useable. Supplies of basic items such as tissues, sanitizers and pens are usually minimal.   Wheelchairs are one of the items I see daily that need repair. Worn seat covers, torn ...

  Just the other day I was talking with one of the nurses I work with, and we got into a discussion of wasted dollars in healthcare. One of the patients was upset because for three days in a row the lab nurse came to draw blood. Another patient was mad because they were being sent out to the hospital for a routine procedure that could have ...

  As I've always said, productivity standards can jeopardize our ethical obligation. Trying to maintain productivity on a consistent basis is a tough task, especially with most employers requiring 85% or better. However, faced with the threat of losing your job can easily tempt us to alter the minutes we ...

  The baby boom generation, those born between 1946 and 1964, started reaching retirement age last January. As you may know, this is the generation born following World War II as the soldiers returned home and began families. For the next 28 years an average of  8,000 boomers will turn 65 daily, and I wonder what impact will that have ...