Date of Award

1995

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Health Care

First Advisor

Betty LeMasters

Second Advisor

Pat Aikers

Third Advisor

Alphonse Beauboeuf

Abstract

This culminating project will focus on the changes that have occurred in the medical world and how those changes have, and will continue to impact the elderly, specifically in the long term care setting .

Over the years the main consideration of health care has changed from direct patient impact to direct dollar impact . With these changes has come the ethical dilemma of providing care for the elderly in a dignified and individualized manner while maintaining a positive cash flow . No longer will society accept mediocre care for the elderly, gone are the days of few and poorly defined regulations that mandate nursing homes .

State and federal regulations mandate how long term care facilities are managed. Indeed, the nursing home industry is one of the most heavily regulated, second only to nuclear waste.

Nursing homes have long been viewed by society as a place elderly patients go to die. A place where there is no dignity, no life, no choices.

The purpose of this manual is to assist a long term care facility in the accurate completion of the admission process, correct placement of the patient, identification rehabilitative needs and observance of patient rights while adhering to the mandated state and federal regulations in the most cost effective manner .

As with many of the changes emanating from Washington, recently proposed legislation will dramatically change the delivery of health care in the United States . Coupled with the changes already in effect , health care facilities, particularly long term care facilities, are scrambling to stay competitive .

The role of the long term care facility continues to change as hospitals release patients more quickly, and nursing homes see sicker, frailer patients at their door. The nursing home must balance identifying the needs of their patients while adhering to the regulations and observing patients rights, all the while on a very small reimbursement rate .

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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