CMS Expands Senior Medicare Patrol

Since 1997, CMS has been training seniors, caregivers and beneficiary family members to review Medicare notices and Medicaid claims for any signs of fraudulent activity as well as telling them what to do if they identify suspicious activity. Now they're offering an additional $9 million in grants to organizations in order to expand the program.

To view the list of awarded grants, click here. The largest grants were given to the states with the highest levels of fraud activity - New York, Texas, Florida and California.

To learn more about the Senior Medicare Patrol, click here.

ProMed Christmas and New Year's Closure Notice

Professional Medical will be closed on Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26 in honor of Christmas. Orders placed by noon on Friday, December 16 will be delivered by Thursday, December 22.

Orders placed after noon on Friday, December 16 will be delivered on or after Tuesday, December 27.

We will also be closed on Friday, December 30 and Monday, January 2 in honor of the new year. Orders placed by noon on Thursday, December 22 will be delivered by Thursday, December 29. Orders placed after noon on Thursday, December 22 will be delivered on or after Tuesday, January 3.

If you have any questions at all, please contact our Customer Care team at 800.648.5190.

Berwick Out as CMS Chief

The beleaguered leader of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. Donald Berwick, has resigned from his position after it became apparent that he would not be confirmed.

Berwick was appointed to his position by President Obama during a congressional recess in 2010 in an effort to avoid confirmation hearings and Republican opposition. The appointment was only allowed to last until the end of 2011 without confirmation from the Senate. Forty-two Republican senators have said they would not vote to confirm him.

Berwick will be replaced by Marilyn Tavenner, his principal deputy.

Before his appointment at CMS, Berwick was a pediatrician and Harvard professor. Tavenner is the former Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources and a past president of the Virgina Hospital Association.

To learn more, click here.

Happy Thanksgiving from ProMed

Professional Medical will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, November 24, and Friday, November 25, in honor of Thanksgiving.

If you placed an order with us after noon on November 18, it will be delivered to your facility during the week of November 28. We invite you to contact our Customer Care team at 800-648-5190 with any questions or concerns.

From our team to yours, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

The Worldly Flavors of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving might be a distinctly American holiday, but many cultures have infused their own unique flavors into the celebration. If you have residents who immigrated from other countries or who are first-generation Americans, now is a great time to ask them about their own special Thanksgiving traditions. Below, we've listed just a few ways that international flavors are incorporated into Thanksgiving celebrations.

• Africa: The turkey is typically heavily spiced and couscous might take the place of mashed potatoes. Collard greens with bacon is a popular side dish.
• China: Many Chinese families celebrate Thanksgiving by going out for dim sum and choose bao, soft dough-filled buns, over the traditional pumpkin pie. Roast duck is also a common dish on Chinese Thanksgiving tables.
• France: Roasted guinea hens are a nod to the traditional cuisine of rural France.
• Hawaii: Thanksgiving turkey is frequently cooked in an imu, an in-ground oven, or marinated in the Chinese Char Siu style with red beans, honey and soy sauce.
• Italy: The turkey stays front and center on many Italian tables, but it might be seasoned with a more traditional seasoning blend, such as juniper berries, rosemary and sage. Sausage stuffing is also popular.
• Mexico: On many tables, a suckling pig replaces the traditional turkey.
• Poland: In addition to turkey, many Polish families serve kielbasa, meatballs in mushroom gravy, pierogi and other favorites.

No matter how you choose to celebrate, we at ProMed wish you a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

New Wisconsin Law Protects Facilities from "Double Jeopardy"

Under a new law, Wisconsin nursing homes will have more time to pay penalties for citations and will be protected from receiving multiple citations on the same violation. Currently, homes can be cited twice - once by the state and once by federal authorities - for the same infraction.

The new law also gives Wisconsin greater authority to revoke nursing home licenses and sue facilities for violating federal laws.

To learn more, click here.

FDA Revokes Avastin for Advanced Breast Cancer Treatment

Avastin, a popular drug among women with advanced breast cancer, has been revoked by the FDA because there is no proof that it extends the lives of patients who take it and it presents dangerous side effects, including severe high blood pressure, massive bleeding, heart attack or failure and organ perforation.

Avastin is the world's best-selling cancer drug and is also used to treat forms of colon, lung, kidney and brain cancers. The FDA has not revoked it for treatment of those forms of cancer, just breast cancer.

CMS announced that Medicare will continue to cover the drug, but will also monitor the issue and evaluate coverage options as a result of the FDA's actions.

Avastin's manufacturer, Roche, plans to pursue a new Phase III study of Avastin in combination with the chemotherapy drug paclitaxel in previously untreated metastatic breast cancer.

To learn more, click here.

Is It a Cold or a Sinus Infection?

By this time of year, most of us have already suffered through our first colds of the season, or we're surrounded by people who are in the midst of them. But how do you know whether it's a cold or a sinus infection? Health.com lists the following as 10 signs that you might be suffering from something more than a cold:

1. You have pain and pressure in your face (the sinus cavities are located behind the forehead, nasal bones, cheeks and eyes).
2. You feel facial pain and pressure when you lean forward or move your head.
3. Your head aches.
4. Your mucus is green or yellow (this is a sign that your immune system is already fighting an infection).
5. You have a stuffy nose that lasts longer than it usually does with a cold.
6. You have bad breath (this is a byproduct of the green or yellow mucus that collects in your sinus and nose and drips down the back of your throat).
7. You cough up phlegm and your cough is usually worse at night and in the morning, a result of the sinuses draining down the back of your throat while you're lying down.
8. You're running a fever.
9. Your teeth hurt because of all the pressure building up in your head.
10. Your sense of smell or taste is off.

Sinus infections typically go away with time, but more persistent cases might require antibiotics from your doctor.
To learn more, click here.

CMS Emphasizes Need for Supervision of Smoking Residents

CMS has released a memo to all state survey agency directors that re-emphasizes the need to adequately supervise residents who smoke. The memo, titled "Alert: Smoking Safety in Long Term Care Facilities," reminds facilities of the following obligations:

Facilities must include assessment of smoking areas and provision of emergency equipment in the designated smoking areas. Facilities should also document the means by which individual residents are assessed as safe to smoke without supervision.

The memo was drafted in the wake of the agency being alerted to an incident in which a resident died after accidentally setting her clothing on fire while smoking.

To learn more, click here.

Professional Teeth Cleaning Tied to Lower Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke

People who make it a point to get in the dentist's chair at least once a year will be rewarded with more than just pearly whites, according to a new study. Researchers in Taiwan found that those who have their teeth professionally scraped and cleaned have a 24 percent lower risk of heart attack and 13 percent lower risk of stroke compared to those who never had a dental cleaning.

The reason? Professional cleanings reduce inflammation-causing bacterial growth that can lead to heart disease.

To learn more, click here.

ProMed Thanksgiving Closure Notice

Could Teardrops Replace Blood for Glucose Testing?

Does the thought of pricking your finger to test your blood sugar bring a tear to your eye? If so, you might soon be able to use that tear to get your test results.

Scientists have discovered that the levels of glucose in tears track the amounts of glucose in blood. This finding could make it possible for developers to create a hand-held meter that offers a pain-free way for the more than 350 million diabetics in the world to check their glucose levels.

To learn more, click here.

Are iPads the Future of Voting for the Elderly and Disabled?

Could this idea catch on by the 2012 presidential election? Nursing home residents in five Oregon counties voted via iPad in the state's Congressional special primary election on Tuesday.

Election officials took iPads and portable printers into nursing homes as well as community and senior centers in an effort to enable more of the state's elderly and disabled population to vote. The iPad allows users with impaired vision to increase a ballot's font size and adjust the screen color to enhance readability. The device could also read each candidate's name aloud to the voter. Voters with mobility issues could use a "sip and puff" device to control the iPad's touch screen.

Election workers were then able to print out the ballots and mail them or put them in official ballot boxes.

The program was made possible through Apple donating five iPads to the Oregon program. The state of Oregon also contributed $75,000 to develop the software.

Being at Risk for Stroke Linked to Mental Decline

Just in case being at increased risk for a stroke isn't frightening enough, new research out of the Indiana University School of Medicine is showing that people who are risk for a stroke are also more likely to suffer from mental decline. Both of the conditions are tied to high blood pressure.

The researchers found that other risk factors for developing cognitive impairment include diabetes, cigarette smoking and prior heart disease. Each decade of age also doubled the risk of cognitive impairment, similar to a stroke.

To learn more, click here.

Study: Increased Transparency Would Make it Easier for Nurses to Disclose Nursing Home Errors

A study out of the New York University College of Nursing found that nursing homes need to improve communications processes and policies in order to make it easier for nurses to disclose errors.

The researchers found that nurses' personal experience and level of education influence whether they disclose errors more than other factors, such as insitutional culture. One-third of respondents said they were less likely to report errors if they thought they might be sued or reprimanded, even with the increased attention that has recently been given to the reporting of harmful errors.

To learn more, click here.

Dementia Patients Less Likely to Return Home Post-Stroke

Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered that dementia patients who have a stroke are less likely to return to their homes post-hospitalization.

The researchers followed 9,304 people who had strokes over the course of a five-year period. Of those, 702 had been diagnosed with dementia when they experienced the strokes. Only 24 percent of that group were discharged to the home they lived in prior to their strokes.

To learn more, click here.

Toyota Building Caregiving Robots for Elderly Population

Toyota is already a trusted name when it comes to cars, and now the automotive giant is turning an eye to long-term care.

The Japanese company has introduced two nursing "robots." The Walk Assist Robot attaches to the legs of individuals who have suffered paralysis and helps them walk. It has a position sensor on the thigh area, a pressure sensor on the sole and a knee actuator that moves the brace based on data from the sensors. The second product, the Care Assists Robot, has a power-assist dolly that helps caregivers move transfer patients.

The devices aren't expected to debut until 2013 at the earliest. To learn more, click here.

Study: Obesity Makes Flu Vaccine Less Effective

Obese individuals who get the flu shot still might not be protected against the flu, according to a new study.

Researchers studied antibody response in 74 people who received the flu vaccine during 2009-10. They first measured antibody response a month after the individuals received the vaccine, and then a year later. The obese subjects in the group saw a 40 percent or greater reduction in antibodies, compared to the 25 percent reduction in subjects at a normal weight.

To learn more, click here.

Study: Elderly Hospital Patients Who Walk More Are Not More Likely to Fall

According to a new study out of the University of Texas at Galveston, elderly hospital patients who fell while hospitalized did not walk around any more than patients who did not fall. This reinforces what many geriatricians warn - that keeping seniors immobile in the hopes of keeping them from falling can backfire.

The researchers equipped 35 elderly hospital patients with small electronic devices that counted the number of steps they took. While there was no statistical difference in the amount of walking between the groups, they did see that falls were associated with delirium and/or poor cognitive function. All of the recorded falls took place at night, with six out of 10 of them related to trips to the bathroom.  

To learn more, click here.