We at Basic American Comfort would like to bring to you the most interesting news in long-term care this week.

Obama’s Push for Health Care Cuts Faces Daunting Odds

By Robert Pear. New York Times. May 12, 2009

At an unprecedented meeting of leaders of six health care industry groups  at the White House yesterday, participants agreed to reduce costs by $2 trillion over the next the years, reducing both “overuse and underuse of health care.” While the consensus-building approach is encouraging, industry groups are not of one mind when it comes to reform.

Offering an historical perspective, Drew e. Altman, president of the Kaiser Family foundation said, “Neither managed care, nor wage and price controls, nor regulation, nor voluntary action nor market competition has had a lasting impact on our nation’s health care costs. Reformers should not overpromise.”

Viewpoint: To solve nursing shortage, change attitudes about nurses

Op-Ed by Sandy Summers. Baltimore Sun. May 12, 2009

Today is International Nurses Day, a day to celebrate the work and accomplishments of the 3 million registered nurses who are ‘professionals with critical-thinking skills honed by years of college-level education.’ Every day they save lives and improve outcomes, assessing patients’ conditions, coordinating care teams, using cutting-edge technology to protect their patients, and teaching patients how to manage their conditions.

Media portrayals tend to demean the profession, discouraging practicing nurses and those potentially entering the field. In celebration of International Nurses Day, the image of the nursing profession needs to be raised in the eyes of the world.  

 SEIU may be linked to ultimatum on withholding stimulus funds

California officials say the union may have influenced a federal requirement that a pay cut be reversed for home healthcare workers.

By Evan Halper. Los Angeles Times. May 12, 2009

 Potential Strikes At Eight Unionized Nursing Homes Next Week

Workers set deadline

By Christopher Keating. Hartford Courant. May 12, 2009

More than 800 nursing-home workers for District 1199 of the New England Healthcare Employees Union have scheduled a strike deadline for 6 a.m. on May 20. The state’s nursing homes are facing potential cuts of $460 million over the next two fiscal years. “The strike notices are just one more sign that Connecticut’s nursing-home system is under stress,’ said Matthew Barrett, executive director of the nursing home association. “It’s clear evidence that the lack of funding for nursing homes is causing trauma and disruption. … It’s not a surprise that the nursing homes are unable to meet the requests for wage and benefit increases.”

Chronic Pain Guidelines Suggest Opioids

By Roni Caryn Rabin. New York Times. May 11, 2009

New pain guidelines issued by the American Geriatrics Society say that for adults over 75 who suffer from persistent pain, opioids may be safer than high doses of Nsaids.

Hospitals begin to move into supermarkets

By Milt Freudenheim. New York Times. May 11, 2009

Hospitals are finding that running clinics in accessible locations, such as drug stores and supermarkets, relieve pressure on emergency rooms and help establish relationships with customers who may need more extensive care in the future. Both the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic have opened such operations.

Swine flu outbreak getting longer-term look by the CDC

By Elizabeth Weise. USA Today. May 12, 2009

The CDC is turning its attention towards the progress of H1N1 flu during the Southern Hemisphere’s winter flu season and it’s possibly evolving virulence before it returns to the Northern Hemisphere for next winter’s flu season.