UPDATE Weekly

The NCHCFA Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held February 10-13, 2013 at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC! Call the Sheraton at (800) 242-6556 to make your room reservation. Identify you are with “NC Health Care Facilities Association 2013” to receive the group discounted rate. Brochures outlining specific program information will be mailed in December.

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AHCA is currently accepting Poster Session proposals for the 2013 AHCA/NCAL Quality Symposium. AHCA asks for proposals from member facilities that have been successful at:

• Safely Reducing Hospital Readmissions
• Safely Reducing Off-Label Antipsychotic Drug Use
• Reducing Staff Turnover
• Improving Customer Satisfaction

Your colleagues want to know how you did it! Come and share your story by presenting a Poster Session at the upcoming AHCA/NCAL Quality Symposium in San Antonio, TX, February 11-13, 2013.

For more information and the application visit: http://www.ahcancal.org/events/qualitysymposium/Pages/default.aspx. Submission deadline: November 16th, 2012. Any questions? Contact qualityinitiative@ahca.org.

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Applicants for the 2013 National Quality Award program are strongly encouraged to submit a $75 Intent to Apply payment by the extended deadline of Thursday, November 15, 2012.

This is not mandatory; however, there are a number of benefits associated.

• The overall application fee is reduced by $200 at each award level; and
• Applicants who submit the Intent to Apply will receive regular communications from Quality Award staff with deadline reminders, “tips” on applying for the award and links to educational Webinars.

Please note that the Intent to Apply fee is non-refundable. Late payments will not be accepted
The Quality Award program is based on the criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence program, the nation’s premier performance excellence and education program. The Quality Award program encourages the application of systematic approaches to produce consistent results. Applicants will gain a true picture of their organizations’ strength and receive customized feedback to improve performance.

Click here to access the 2013 application packets on the AHCA Quality Award Web site.

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Based on years of research, this practical guide illustrates the far-reaching benefits of empowered work teams in long-term care organizations and explains in everyday terms how to implement the concept. The authors present a fully-validated model for introducing the empowered work team concept to direct care staff, gaining support from the administration, and supervising the teamwork process over time. Hands-on tools include assessment forms, staff training materials, and step-by-step implementation guidelines. Guidance and troubleshooting tips are provided in the resource’s final chapter. Facility and program administrators, directors of nursing, staff supervisors, and team leaders will find this guidebook an invaluable tool for nurturing a more effective and motivated staff and, as a result, an improved care environment.

Product #8250

AHCA MEMBERS $34.95

To order visit http://www.AHCApublications.org, or call (800) 321-0343.

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Important information for residents and families, this brochure outlines what physical restraints are, when they should be used, rules and regulations concerning restraints, and making decisions about using them. Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order brochures for your facility.

NCHCFA Member: $30.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping

Non-Members: $60.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping

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Parkinson’s didn’t stop his space walk.

http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2012/11/14/parkinsons-didnt-stop-his-space-walk/?hpt=he_c2

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Your right lung takes in more air than your left one does because your left lung is a bit smaller than your right, making room for your heart.

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