Medicare Physicians Get Another Temporary Pay Cut Reprieve

While Medicare physicians could still be facing a 21.2 percent pay cut, they aren't facing it right now.

According to an article in McKnight's Long-Term Care News, the government has ordered that claims submitted on or after April 1 be held for an additional 10 days, until Congress returns from recess.

The pending physician pay cut was not covered in the recently passed healthcare reform law. However, there is legislation under debate in Congress that would have further delayed the pay cut - problem is, lawmakers adjourned for April recess before it could be passed.

This is the second time that Congress has delayed the physician pay cut.

The Embrace Magazine Site is Live!

The Web site designed to accompany Embrace, ProMed's brand-new magazine, is up and running! We hope you'll bookmark http://www.embracethemagazine.com/ and stop by often to see what's new.

On the site, we offer you a glimpse of all the exciting content packing Embrace's pages. Here are just a few of the articles at which you can sneak a peek:

• The ProMed Story
• Kathy Kelly: Championing a Compassionate Community
• Fighting the Flu at Your Facility
• Latex Gloves vs. Nitrile Gloves
  

If you like what you see, simply click on the Subscribe link! Subscriptions are free, and a copy of the debut issue of Embrace will soon be on its way to your facility.

Already have a copy of Embrace? We'd love to know what you think! Please send your thoughts and feedback to embrace@promedsupply.com or share them with your ProMed territory manager.

RUG-IV Now on the Back Burner Until 2011

The new healthcare reform package will push back the RUG-IV classification system's implementation until October 1, 2011.

RUG-IV, or Resource Utilization Group, Version Four, is a revised case-mix classification model. Medicare uses the case-mix classification system to assign nursing home residents to categories based on their medical conditions and the resources that are needed to care for them. Each category is tied to a specific Medicare payment rate.

A few of the changes that will be included in RUG-IV include:

• An increased number of RUG categories (from 53 to 66)
• The Special Care category will be split into Special Care High and Special Care Low
• The Impaired Cognition and Behavior categories will be combined to form one category: Behavioral Symptoms and Cognitive Performance
• Revisions to calculations of therapy minutes

To learn more about the changes that will come with RUG-IV, click here.

Healthcare reform will also retain the Medicare market basket, delay a "productivity adjustment" to provider reimbursements and extend the Medicare Part B therapy caps exceptions process through December 31 of 2010. It also establishes payment bundling pilot programs, requires disclosure of nursing home ownership, increases civil monetary penalties against nursing homes, establishes an independent Medicare payment advisory board and implements the CLASS (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports) Act.

Check Out Our LSN Pictures!

We have lots of great pictures from our booth at LSN! They're posted on our Facebook site. To view the pics, click here.

C. Diff Poised to Dethrone MRSA as Top Superbug

Just when the healthcare community had found a way to battle the top superbug - MRSA - C. diff is rising up to try and claim MRSA's throne.

According to new research from Duke University, C. diff is surpassing MRSA's infection rates in community hospitals. They also found that MRSA rates have actually been on the decline since 2005.

C. diff can cause diarrhea and, in some cases, colon inflammation that can be life-threatening. It is usually treated with antibiotics, but relapses are common and can occur despite treatment. A small percentage of patients with C. diff may die.

The researchers noted that many facilities have developed prevention methods around the goal of preventing the spread of MRSA. The goal should now be to develop prevention methods aimed at C. diff while simultaneously maintaining the success facilities have had with MRSA.

To learn more, click here.

You might also want to talk to your ProMed territory manager about CaviWipes, which are proven to kill C. diff (vegetative cells only) within two minutes.

How Full Is Your Glass? Optimism Can Boost Your Immunity!

Here's another reason to see the glass as half full - researchers have found that optimism can also strengthen your immune system, according to an article on MSNBC.com.

The authors of the study tracked changes in optimism and immune response among first-year law students. They discovered that when the students were more optimistic, they showed stronger cell-mediated immunity. Likewise, when their optimism dropped, so did their immunity.

The study's results could have implications for how mental health professionals handle counseling and treatment. Instead of focusing on reducing negative emotions and stress, for example, it could be beneficial to emphasize the positive.

To view the MSNBC.com article and learn more, click here.

Captain Compliance Has Flown Into LSN!

Captain Compliance, savior from the dreaded F-tag violation, has arrived at LSN! Stop by and take a picture with a superhero!