United States to Require Flu Shots for Nursing Home Patients

       United States nursing homes must vaccinate all their patients against the flu and pneumonia starting this fall or risk being expelled from Medicare and Medicaid programs under a new plan made public recently.
       The proposal, which had not yet been finalized at press time, would ensure that the most vulnerable elderly receive their flu shots but could raise questions about how many doses will remain as Americans head into the 2005–2006 flu season with only 2 US-approved vaccine makers.
       Influenza kills about 36,000 Americans and hospitalizes 200,000 each year. People 65 and older are among the most vulnerable to the flu, especially those in the close quarters of nursing homes where germs can spread more easily.
       “Vaccines against these diseases are effective in preventing hospitalizations and death,” says Mark McClellan, head of the agency that runs the US insurance programs for the elderly, disabled, or poor. “However, many at-risk people are not getting the vaccines they need.”
       There are between 1.6 million and 2 million residents in approximately 18,000 nursing homes, according to various US government estimates.
       In order to keep receiving Medicare and Medicaid payments, nursing homes would have to vaccinate each patient unless he or she or his or her family refused “for medical reasons,” according to the proposal.
       If the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declares another shortage, states could have the option not to cite the violation.
       Last year, officials said elderly patients should have first access to flu shots after 1 of 2 US flu vaccine makers, Chiron Corp. (Emeryville, Calif), lost its license and could not deliver 48 million doses, which were half the anticipated supply. Despite initial confusion and long lines, the season ended with a surplus of unused vaccines.
       Medicare officials said they developed the nursing home rule after communicating with the CDC and 2 industry groups—the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and the American Health Care Association (AHCA).
To help encourage more vaccinations, Medicare officials said they will pay $18 for each vaccination on top of the cost of the actual dose, up from $8. Medicaid reimbursements vary state to state.
       Medicare’s statement, posted online August 12, also said the homes should give flu shots to their workers. The final rule is expected to be implemented soon after September 1, 2005.
       Source: Reuters

Premier Adds Nurse Assist to Fall Prevention Contract Portfolio

       Premier, Inc. (San Diego, Calif) has awarded Nurse Assist, Inc. (Fort Worth, Tex) a new contract in its fall prevention portfolio beginning August 1, 2005.
       Nurse Assist is a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-registered medical device manufacturer of products that help improve the quality of life and quality of care for patients and residents in healthcare facilities. For 10 years, Nurse Assist has helped hospitals, nursing homes, and long-term care facilities reduce the number of patient/resident falls and injuries with restraint-free monitoring solutions for fall management including the RN+ FALLWatch^™ Wireless System and a large selection of sensor pads.
       Visit http://www.nurseassist.com or call 800-649-6800 for more information.

Assisted Living and In-Home Care Increase as Nursing Home Beds Decline

       Even with the US population rapidly aging, a smaller proportion of elderly and disabled people live in nursing homes today compared to 1990. Instead, far more depend on assisted living residences or receive care in their homes, according to a study published in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Applied Gerontology.
       Residential care and assisted living facilities are designed to meet the needs of older people and people with disabilities who need some assistance with activities of daily living, meals, and other support services. According to study findings, the capacity for this type of care nearly doubled in the 12 years from 1990 to 2002 to more than 1 million beds nationwide. When the growth of the population is taken into account, the number of such beds grew from 20.9 to 35.6 per 10,000 people. In contrast, while the majority of people who need long-term care still live in nursing homes, the proportion of nursing home beds declined from 66.7 to 61.4 per 10,000 people.
       “These changing trends in the supply of long-term care can be expected to continue because the demand for home and community based services is growing,” says Charlene Harrington, RN, PhD, lead author of the study and Professor of social and behavioral sciences in the UCSF School of Nursing at the University of California, San Francisco.
       The trends reflect changes in long-term care policy, says Harrington. State Medicaid programs have expanded home- and community-based services, and many states pay for personal care (ie, assistance with bathing, dressing, eating, and other activities) in residential care and assisted living facilities. Medicaid home and community based service programs are popular with many individuals who want to live at home to avoid nursing home care.
       Source: UCSF News Services