gerilyn

If you work your cards right I can get you off the naughty list

I have always suffered with low elf esteem issues but that I can't remember the reimbursable ICD-9 code.

Believe me I know, the night shift is the most under-appreciated shift everywhere

You need to tell my Doctor that his note has to say "Unable to return to work till his follow up appointment January 2, 2013."

You need to tell the Doctor his note has to read " Unable to return to work till after my follow up appointment on January 2, 2013."

I am also the ADON/MDS Co Ordinator at my facility and find it extremely difficult to get concise and accurate information regarding residents extensive services at the hospital. I end up reading pages and pages of Nurse's notes (thank God for nursing documentation) to find out when foleys were dc'd, when patients rec'd their last IV medication and IV fluids. I have to play Sherlock Holmes to figure out if there are planned follow ups pending on issues that came up while patient was in the hospital (f/u's that don't pertain to the reason they require rehab) I probe and can hopefully find out if they are going to require equipment that often is not mentioned anywhere. It can be frustrating to sift thru piles of papers to find out a person's weight (do they require bariatric equipment?) There has to be a way to streamlining pertinent information and assuring that we aren't missing reimbursement concerns before a bed is ultimately offered. I hate having to be concerned about reimbursement but we are a small not for profit rural facility in a state that is cutting the budget on nursing homes across the board and want to insure we remain able to provide the kind of service patients deserve.

I was primary caregiver for both of my parents. My Mom passed last year and my Dad the year before that. It is an awesome responsiblity and although I am a Geriatric nurse I was also their daughter. Sometimes I had to resist the urge to doing everything I could to "make them better" but ultimately I kept my promise to respect their wishes to remain at home. You will volley between being a daughter and being a nurse not to mention other family dynamics that ultimately come into play. Have your parents make their wishes known way before anyone can say they were too feeble-minded to do so and then hang in there and enjoy this very special time. I wouldn't trade a minute I spent with them. Financially it was difficult and I will be recovering from that for years but emotionally it was the bast thing I ever did. Best to you.

We are renovating our Dining Room Experience and were informed by the Dietary Dept. that a Nurse has to be physically present from the time the 1st resident comes into the room till the last resident leaves. There are always CNA's present and at least 2 Nurses go in during the meal and supervise and are readily available. I can not find a CMS regulation that states it has to be a Nurse from start to finish. If there is we will have to adjust medication administration times and Nurse's scheduled shifts. Any help finding the regulation will be appreciated.