Angie's Blog

HealthCap® USA

Angie Szumlinski, NHA, RN-BC, RAC-CT and BS

Director of Risk Management

Angie SzumlinskiMs. Szumlinski is a nationally-recognized leader in long-term care with experience as an Owner/Provider, Administrator, Director of Nursing, Corporate Quality Assurance Coordinator and independent consultant. Ms. Szumlinski conducts risk management visits at facilities across the country, touching every acuity level within the post-acute care spectrum. Ms. Szumlinski served as an Associated Board Member for NCAL, is a member of the AHCA/NCAL Quality Committee, NCAL Risk Management Committee, HCAM Legal/Clinical Committee and is a Senior Examiner/Team Leader for the AHCA/NCAL Quality Award Program. Ms. Szumlinski is a Nurse Planner for Evolucent’s ANCC accredited education program.

House Bill Would Allow Groups to Use Telemedicine for Long-Term Care

Angie Szumlinski Health, News

The Reducing Unnecessary Senior Hospitalizations Act of 2018, or the RUSH Act would allow medical groups to use telemedicine to treat patients in long-term care facilities rather than transporting them to the hospital. At present, Medicare is unable to reimburse skilled nursing facilities for the cost of telehealth providers. The RUSH Act would address this problem by allowing Medicare to make arrangements …

Poorly Performing Nursing Home Face Limited Fines

Angie Szumlinski Compliance, News

A study by the Center for Medicare Advocacy finds that facilities that are identified as among the most poorly performing facilities in the country provide extremely poor care and may fail to have sufficient numbers of RNs, but they face limited, if any, fines.  Going forward, nursing facilities are likely to have even lower fines. http://www.medicareadvocacy.org/special-focus-facilities-poor-care-for-residents-limited-enforcement-consequences-for-facilities/

Collaboration on Skilled Nursing Transitions Reduces 30-Day Readmissions

Angie Szumlinski Health, News

Researchers find that patients who received care under a program that includes a collaborative initiative between nurse practitioners (NPs), doctors, and other medical staff were 29% less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. Collaboration on Skilled Nursing Transitions Reduces 30-Day Readmissions

Advance Directive Mix-Ups at End of Life

Angie Szumlinski Health, News

“Don’t resuscitate this patient; he has a living will,” the nurse told Dr. Monica Williams-Murphy, handing her a document. Williams-Murphy looked at the sheet bearing the signature of the unconscious 78-year-old man, who’d been rushed from a nursing home to the emergency room. “Do everything possible,” it read, with a check approving cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Misunderstandings involving documents meant to guide …

Collaborative initiative reduces 30-day hospital readmissions

Angie Szumlinski Health, News

An article from healio.com reports on the study of The Enhanced Care Program, a collaborative initiative between physicians, nurse practitioners and other medical staff to help patients discharged from an acute care facility transition to a skilled nursing facility. Read about the program and the study’s findings here.

Long-Term Care Facilities Invited to Join Antibiotic Stewardship Program

Angie Szumlinski Announcements, Health

Get the resources and training that your facility needs to run an effective antibiotic stewardship program by joining a 12-month national project. Beginning in December 2018, the AHRQ Safety Program for Improving Antibiotic Use provides participating long-term care facilities with antibiotic use guidelines, expert coaching, online education, improvement tools, patient education materials, and more to help you prevent harms associated with antibiotics, such …

Congratulations to HealthCap® Members who were awarded the 2018 Silver National Quality Award!

Angie Szumlinski Announcements

We are proud to recognize the 2018 Silver Award recipients who are HealthCap® members. The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) bestowed this honor on 166 skilled nursing care centers and assisted living communities. We applaud the 15 HealthCap® members who achieved this distinction! Applicants must have earned a Bronze Award to be eligible for …

Policy Memorandum for the Requirement to Reduce Legionella Risk in Healthcare Facility Water Systems Available for Download

Angie Szumlinski Compliance, Health

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the bacterium Legionella can cause a serious type of pneumonia called LD in persons at risk. Those at risk include persons who are at least 50 years old, smokers, or those with underlying medical conditions such as chronic lung disease or immunosuppression. Outbreaks have been linked to poorly maintained water systems …

Heat-related health dangers for older adults

Angie Szumlinski Health

As we age, our ability to adequately respond to summer heat can become a serious problem. Older people are at significant increased risk of heat-related illnesses, known collectively as hyperthermia, during the summer months. Hyperthermia can include heat stroke, heat edema (swelling in your ankles and feet when you get hot), heat syncope (sudden dizziness after exercising in the heat), …