- ABUSE DETERRANT COALITION
- AHRQ - AGENCY FOR HEALTHCARE RESEARCH AND QUALITY
- ANTIPSYCHOTIC MEDICATION USE DATA REPORT
- AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY - GERIATRICS HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
- APIC - ASSOCIATION FOR PROFESSIONALS IN INFECTION CONTROL AND EPIDEMIOLOGY
- CDC - CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION
- CDC VITAL SIGNS
- CMS - CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES
- FDA - FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
- LPN/LVN RESOURCES
- MEDICAL ASSISTANT STUDENT RESOURCE GUIDE
- NATIONAL NURSING HOME QUALITY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN
- NURSE CAREER AND NURSING STUDENT RESOURCES
- NURSE.ORG
- NURSING HOME QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PAIN ASSESSMENT TOOLKITS
- NURSE PRACTITIONER RESOURCES
- PARTNER RESOURCES
- QAPI
- READ ALL ABOUT IT!
- TMF QUALITY INNOVATION NETWORK
- TUNE INTO SAFE HEALTHCARE
We’re a coalition with deep expertise in developing and deploying effective solutions for safer abuse deterrent medications.
United States Government Accountability Office
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) mission is to produce evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable, and to work within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and with other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used. AHRQ priorities are described.
The American Geriatrics Society
Partnership for Health in Aging
A Coalition of Organizations Representing Healthcare Professions Caring for Older Adults
Mission
To prepare America’s formal and informal caregiving workforce to provide quality care for America’s aging population, and to ensure the financial feasibility of providing that care.
CME from CDC: What You Need to Know About Infection Control
Each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria resistant to antibiotics and at least 23,000 people die as a direct result of these infections. It’s critical that all healthcare workers understand proper infection control procedures and use them every day.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Medscape are launching a series of six CME/CE activities addressing the key issues surrounding infection prevention in healthcare facilities.
The series includes:
- Risk Recognition in Healthcare Settings (Available Now)
- May: Environmental Services and Infection Prevention
- June: Recognizing Infection Risks in Medical Equipment
- July: Infection Transmission Risks Associated with Nonsterile Glove Use
- August: Infection Prevention: A Hierarchy of Controls Approach
- September: Injection Safety: A System Approach
These CME-/CE- certified activities are available at: http://www.medscape.org/viewcollection/34044?src=acdmpart_cdc_34044. You must be a registered Medscape member to access these CME/CE activities, and registration is free. The first activity, Risk Recognition in Healthcare Settings is available now. A new activity will be added each month.
Infection Prevention Tools
CDC Feature: Untreatable: Today’s drug resistance health threatshttp://www.cdc.gov/features/antibioticresistancethreats/
CDC Press Release: Untreatable: Report by CDC details today’s drug-resistant health threats Landmark report ranks superbugs, outlines four core actions to halt resistance
Digital Press Kit: Untreatable: Today’s Drug-Resistant Health Threats
CDC Antibiotic/Antimicrobial Resistance Websitehttp://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/index.html
Interagency Task Force on Antimicrobial Resistance
CDC Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work
CDC Get Smart for Healthcare
2013 Threat Report
CDC unveils new website to boost long-term care infection control efforts
Generalized Ebola Informationhttp://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/hcp/monitoring-and-movement-of-persons-with-exposure.html
Guidelines for monitoring Employees returning from high risk African areas
Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homeshttp://www.cdc.gov/hai/
CDC Healthcare-associated Infections (HAI)
CMS is releasing a newly revised Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (SNF ABN) along with newly developed, concise and separate instructions for form completion. The revised SNF ABN has the requirements from the Denial Letters and looks similar to the ABN with 3 different options for Original FFS Medicare beneficiaries to choose from. We will be discontinuing the 5 SNF Denial Letters and the Notice of Exclusion from Medicare Benefits – Skilled Nursing Facility (NEMB-SNF). Since the NEMB-SNF was used as a voluntary notice for care that is never covered by Medicare, we will continue to encourage providers to issue the revised SNF ABN in this voluntary capacity. The revised SNF ABN will be mandatory for use on April 30, 2018. During the interim, SNFs may continue to use the old version of the SNF ABN, the Denial Letters or the NEMB-SNF, however, it is recommended that the revised SNF ABN be used as soon as possible.
https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/BNI/FFS-SNF-ABN-.html
For Part A items and services: SNFs must use the newly revised SNF ABN as the liability notice
For Part B items and services: SNFs must use the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN), Form CMS-R-131. The ABN and information on this notice can be found at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/BNI/ABN.html.
BREAKING NEWS: CMS gives skilled nursing 2.4% Medicare pay raise, unveils another new resident classification system
FDA announces voluntary nationwide recall of all liquid products manufactured by PharmaTech and distributed by six companies
- [UPDATE 8/9/2016] FDA is alerting health care professionals and consumers of PharmaTech’s voluntary recall expansion to include all liquid products due to possible Burkholderia cepacia contamination. These products were manufactured in its Davie, Florida, facility, and distributed and labeled by six firms – Rugby, Major, Bayshore, Metron, Centurion, and Virtus.
Consumers, pharmacies, and health care facilities that have product which is being recalled should stop using and dispensing them immediately. Using these products in a patient whose immune system is compromised could result in infections, which may be life-threatening.
To date, FDA has received adverse event reports related to oral liquid docusate sodium and is not aware of any adverse event reports related to the additional recalled products.
FDA and CDC will provide additional information when it is available.
FDA announces voluntary nationwide recall of oral liquid docusate sodium manufactured by PharmaTech and distributed by Rugby Laboratories
[7/16/16] U.S. Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care professionals that PharmaTech LLC, Davie, Florida, is voluntarily recalling all non-expired lots of Diocto Liquid, a docusate sodium solution distributed by Rugby Laboratories, Livonia, Michigan. The agency confirmed the product has been contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia, a bacteria linked to an outbreak in five states.
PharmaTech manufactures the oral liquid docusate sodium, which is distributed nationwide by Rugby with a Rugby label in one pint (473 mL) bottles.
In addition, FDA has received several adverse event reports of B. cepacia infections in patients. Some of these reports identify liquid docusate sodium products manufactured by companies other than PharmaTech. FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continue to investigate the extent of this issue in order to identify other potentially contaminated liquid docusate sodium products.
Patient safety is our top priority. FDA joins CDC in recommending that clinicians not use any liquid docusate sodium product as a stool softener or for any other medical purpose.
FDA and CDC will provide additional information when it is available.
FDA encourages health care professionals and patients to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of oral liquid docusate sodium products to FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program:
- Complete and submit the report online at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm; or
- Download and complete the form, then submit it via fax at 1-800-FDA-0178.
Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and licensed vocational nurses (LVNs) provide basic medical care to the sick, injured, and disabled under the supervision of registered nurses (RNs) and doctors. The LPN/LVN profession only requires you to obtain a diploma, certificate, or associate degree from an accredited nursing program; these typically take one or two years. The term ‘LPN’ is most frequently used to describe these professionals, though some states prefer to call them LVNs.
Reviews.com – The Best Scholarship Search Platforms of 2017
Nursing Scholarship Health Care Leaders
Registered Nursing.org RN to MSN Guide
Healthcare administration degree guidebooks to better help job seekers, professionals, and students understand the changing landscapes of healthcare administration both at school and work. This guidebook can be viewed here: http://www.publichealthdegrees.org/program/masters/mha
Accredited Online Schools and Colleges Online Nursing Programs from Top Schools
Public Health Online Health Administration Degree Programs
Medical and Billing Coding (Student guide, icd-10, scholarship)
Managing Nurse Fatigue – A Commitment to Quality Care
Rutgers Online – Pursue What’s Next: RN to Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Bradley University Online Master of Science in Nursing Program
Contacting a state board of nursing – How to find them
College Guidebook: Tips and tricks to success
Guide to Online Universities & Colleges
Online College Financial Aid Opportunities
Student Success: A College Survival Guide
The Online MBA in Healthcare Management
How to Get Hired: A Grads Guide to a Career
College Universities: Your Education Starts Here
Colorado Technical University Masters of Nursing
Maryville College – Nursing in the United States
Georgetown University School of Nursing and Health Studies
2018 Most Affordable Online Colleges
Best Value Schools Masters in Nursing Online
Top Accredited Online Colleges
George Washington University School of Nursing and Health Studies
What Can I Do With My MSN Degree?
University of Louisiana Lafayette RN to BSN
Nurse Practitioner Schools
Guide to NP Certification
NP School Interview Guide
Nurse Practitioner FAQ
Nurse Practitioner Residencies & Fellowships by Specialty
NP Continuing Education: General CME, plus CE by Specialty
Nurse Practitioner Requirements
Guide to Evidence-Based Nursing Practice for NP’s
How to Write the Perfect NP Personal Statement
21 Trends for NP’s in 2016
11 Scholarships for Nurse Practitioners
Targeting Older Populations to Improve Influenza Outcomes.
Developed in collaboration with The Gerontological Society of America (The GSA), we share their dedication to enabling healthcare professionals deliver strong recommendations for vaccination. The free online program combines accredited online CME with a patient counseling tool to help healthcare practitioners apply learning to practice.
The CME & counseling tool reinforce the best practice of providing patients with a presumptive recommendation. The online patient counseling tool, which can be used with patients of all ages, provides easy responses to use in practice when vaccine hesitancy is expressed. It is our hope that by using the tool in practice with a few patients, clinicians will easily apply the learning to memory and, as a result, increase flu vaccine rates.
You can access the free learning activity at www.mdBriefCase.net/US/TOPPiT.
Join TMF Quality Innovative Network for Valuable Resources
Vaccine Safety Resources for Healthcare Providers
Provider’s Role: Importance of Vaccine Administration and Vaccine Storage & Handling
Safety Information about Specific Vaccines
| National Council on Aging: Falls Prevention Awareness Day
Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs |
Common Vaccine Safety Concerns
| The updated “Hand in Hand: A Training Series for Nursing Homes” is now available on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Integrated Surveyor Training website. This training focuses on person-centered care for residents with dementia and resident-abuse prevention. Click on the following links to access the self-paced online training or downloadable materials for an instructor-led course.
CMS Hand in Hand: A Training Series for Nursing Homes Online CMS Hand in Hand: A Training Series for Nursing Homes to Download |