HHS Announces Million Hearts Hypertension Control Challenge

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced a program to honor clinicians and healthcare teams that help patients control high blood pressure and prevent heart attacks and strokes.

According to a press release, the Million Hearts Hypertension Control Challenge recognizes "exemplary public and private practices and providers that achieve sustained hypertension control rates of 70 percent or above." The challenge aims to support the Million Hearts initiative in its goal of preventing 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017.

Roughly 70 million U.S. adults have high blood pressure, but only half the members of that group have it under control. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, both of which are leading causes of death in the U.S.

To enter the challenge, applicants must provide information about their practice, share verifiable high blood pressure control data and describe how health information technology (such as electronic health records, team-based care, etc.) contributes to their success. The deadline for entering the challenge is October 31, 2015.

To learn more, click here.

CMS: 2016 Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Prices Should Remain Stable

CMS projects that the average monthly premium for a basic Medicare Part D prescription drug plan will remain stable in 2016 at an estimated $32.50 per month. This projection is based on bids submitted by drug and health plans for basic drug coverage and calculated by the independent CMS Office of the Actuary.

Additionally, Medicare Part D enrollees will continue to savings on out-of-pocket costs as the Affordable Care Act closes the Part D so-called "donut hole" over time. Since the ACA was enacted, seniors and people with disabilities have saved an average of $1,598 per beneficiary on prescription drugs.

The Part D open enrollment period begins October 15 and ends December 7.

To learn more, click here.

"Two-Midnight" Rule Enforcement Delay Extended

CMS has extended the partial enforcement delay of the controversial "two-midnight" rule, which was originally set to expire on September 30, to December 31.

The Medicare rule requires patients be hospitalized for two midnights before they are deemed eligible for inpatient care. This can allow beneficiaries to qualify for skilled nursing coverage.

This means that Recovery Audit Contractors will not conduct post-payment reviews for claims that have admission dates between October 1 and December 31. Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) will conduct reviews to determine whether inpatient status is appropriate during that time period.

As of January 1, initial status reviews will be handled by QIOs, with Recovery Audit Contractors conducting follow-up reviews when the QIOs refers them.

To learn more, click here.

Do You Know the Six Types of Urinary Incontinence?

Urinary incontinence is an involuntary loss or leakage of urine. The type of incontinence a resident is experiencing can greatly impact the way that your facility addresses it. Keep in mind that a resident might suffer from several different types of incontinence at the same time.

There are six types of urinary incontinence: 

Functional incontinence is a loss of urine that occurs in residents who cannot remain continent because of external factors, such as the inability to get to the toilet in time. These residents have sufficiently intact urinary tract function.

Mixed incontinence is a combination of stress incontinence and urge incontinence.

Overflow incontinence occurs when the bladder has reached its maximum capacity and becomes distended. This type of incontinence is associated with the leakage of small amounts of urine.

Stress incontinence causes small amounts of urine leakage when intra-abdominal pressure on the bladder is increased (such as with sneezing, coughing, lifting, standing from a sitting position, climbing stairs, etc.). Stress incontinence is associated with malfunction of the urethral sphincter.

Transient incontinence refers to temporary episodes of incontinence that are reversible once the cause is identified and treated.

Urge incontinence, also referred to as overactive bladder, is caused by excessive contraction of the detrusor muscle in the bladder, which results in the strong urge to urinate even when the bladder is not full. 

Report: Antipsychotic Use Down 21.7 Percent

According to a new report, antipsychotic use has gone down 21.7 percent among long-stay nursing home residents over the past four years.

The findings were released as part of the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes' trend report. According to the report, the Partnership has "a mission to deliver health care that is person-centered, comprehensive and interdisciplinary with a specific focus on protecting residents from being prescribed antipsychotic medications unless there is a valid, clinical indication and a systemic process to evaluate each individual's need."

To learn more, click here.

SDS File Update: August 2015

On July 7, we notified you that we are working diligently to provide you with updated SDS files from our manufacturer partners in accordance with OSHA’s Revised Communication Standard. Since that time, we have added SDS documents from the following manufacturers:

• 3M
• Angelini
• Bard
• BioFreeze
• Calmoseptine
• CareFusion
• Chase Products
• Citrus II
• Coloplast
• Control III
• DermaRite
• DeRoyal
• Dukal
• International Direct (Embrace and Compliance)
• iSens (CareSens)
• Metrex
• Rx Destroyer
• Unilever (Suave and Dove)

We will continue to update you on a monthly basis regarding the SDS files that we have received from manufacturers and added to promedsupply.com so that you can continue to download them for your facility’s files. If you are in immediate need of a specific SDS file, please contact our Customer Care team at 800.648.5190.

To view and download the updated SDS files, please take the following steps:

1. Go to promedsupply.com
2. Log on to the site. (If you do not have existing login credentials, please call our Customer Care team at (800) 648-5190 to obtain them.)
3. On the right-hand side of the page, under the Search box, click on the blue “Download SDS forms” link. This will bring you to the SDS landing page. 
4. On the SDS landing page, SDS files are organized by ProMed item number. To locate the file you need, you can either scroll through the list of files or use the Search box at the top of the list to quickly locate a specific product.
5. Click on the file name to open the file. The files are in PDF format. Once they are opened, they can be printed or saved to your computer. 
6. For added convenience, SDS files are also posted under the “Specifications/SDS” tab on individual product pages.  

Study: Spicy Foods Might Help You Live Longer

There's good news for people who delight in singeing their taste buds. New research shows that fiery foods such as chili peppers might actually help people live longer.

During the study, researchers analyzed the spicy food consumption of nearly half a million people between the ages of 30 and 70, excluding people who had cancer, heart disease or stroke. They then reviewed the records of 20,224 people who died during a seven-year follow-up period and discovered that the subjects who ate spicy foods six to seven times a week had a 14 percent lower risk of premature death for all causes than people who ate spicy foods less than once a week (the most common sources of spicy foods were fresh and dried chili peppers). Additionally, people who ate spicy food frequently also showed a lower risk of death from cancer as well as ischemic heart and respiratory system diseases.

So what causes this unexpected health benefit? The researchers think that it's capsaicin, a bioactive ingredient in chili peppers that has been tied to health perks such as increased fat burning.

Before you rush out to order extra-spicy kung pao chicken, however, keep in mind that spicy foods can also be irritants for people with incontinence or overactive bladders. They can also aggravate colds or sinus infections.

To learn more, click here.

Healthcare Facility Info Now Available on Yelp

Now you can find out if the taco place down the street is any good and check out the wait time at your local ER all on the same website. Yelp has partnered with ProPublica to give consumers quick access to information on healthcare facilities, according to a Washington Post article.

ProPublica is providing Yelp with data gathered from 4,600 hospitals, 15,000 nursing homes and 6,300 dialysis clinics, such as hospital emergency room average wait times, fines paid by nursing homes and how often people receiving dialysis treatment are readmitted to a hospital because of treatment-related infections or other problems. In return for providing this data, ProPublica will be given access the healthcare reviews posted by Yelpers for use in research for news stories, though they will not receive personal reviewer information other than what is already posted on the site.

Which much of the ProPublica data is already available on Medicare's Hospital Compare website, Yelp maintains that is presenting it in a more user-friendly format.

Currently, healthcare facilities only make up 6 percent of the businesses reviewed on Yelp. Yelp's executives hope that with the additional data posted, this number will increase.

To learn more, click here.

10 Tips for Fighting Fungal Infections

Fungal infections, such as athlete’s foot, ringworm and jock itch, can be spread very easily from person to person, making them a challenge for long-term care and other healthcare settings. Below, we’ve assembled 10 strategies to help you fight back against fungal infections and the itching, cracking and other bothersome side effects they bring.

1. Advise residents to not share towels, combs or other personal items. 
2. Keep common areas clean. 
3. Encourage residents to wash their hands frequently. 
4. Apply an antifungal power or cream to residents after bathing, paying close attention to folds of skin where moisture might collect. 
5. To avoid contracting athlete’s foot, wash residents’ feet daily, dry them well and put on clean socks.
6. Encourage residents to remove their shoes while relaxing to expose their feet to air. 
7. Ask residents to wear waterproof sandals or “shower shoes” in communal bathing areas. 
8. Keep residents’ groin areas clean and dry, especially in warmer weather.
9. If residents are sweaty following an activity or outing, help them change into dry, clean clothes and underwear. 
10. Talk to residents and their family members about avoiding tight clothing and fabrics that do not “breathe.”

Professional Medical stocks a number of antifungal products that can help keep your residents comfortable and protected. To learn more, contact your ProMed territory manager, give us a call at (800) 648-5190 or visit us online at promedsupply.com.

Labor Day Closure Notice

Professional Medical will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2015 in honor of Labor Day. All Monday deliveries will be made on Tuesday, September 8.

Customers who typically order on Monday for Tuesday delivery will need to place their orders by Friday, September 4.

Please call our Customer Care department at 800.648.5190 if you have any questions or concerns.

Study: Many Older Americans Poorly Controlling Diabetes

According to a new study out of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, only one in three older Americans with diabetes have the disease under good control. Failing to properly manage diabetes can lead to long-term health problems ranging from kidney disease to blindness.

The researchers looked at three different measures to good diabetes control: hemoglobin A1C, blood pressure and LDL cholesterol. Of the individuals studies, 72 percent met the hemoglobin A1C level, 73 percent met blood pressure goals and 63 percent had good cholesterol levels. Only 35 percent of the individuals met all three targets.

The study also showed racial disparities, mostly in women. The researchers noted that black women were much less likely to have acceptable blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels than white women.

The researchers said their findings will be used to determine how clinical targets can better be met and how they should be addressed from a public health perspective.

To learn more, click here.