Becker's Hospital Review

53 FINANCE CMO / CARE DELIVERY Maine hospital's Medicare contract at risk over medical error By Mackenzie Bean C MS has identified deficiencies at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston that could cause the hospital to lose Medicare funding, according to the Sun Journal. Federal inspectors first visited the hospital in January and dis- covered several deficiencies related to a nursing error that le a patient paralyzed in October 2018. CMS revisited the facility in March and April and found additional problems, including failure to ensure accurate medical records. e agency originally gave CMMC until May 4 to correct these issues, but extended this deadline to June 30. Hospital leaders said they are working closely with CMS to address these issues. "We take every patient complaint — and all feedback — very seriously. While some complaints were found to be unsub- stantiated, CMS identified areas for improvement," CMMC said in a statement to the Sun Journal. "We expect the sur- veyors will be back [in June] to validate that CMMC has im- plemented those improvements, and we fully expect CMS to confirm our compliance." n 8 self-care tips nurses wish they knew sooner By Mackenzie Bean N urses shared valuable self-care tips they wish they'd followed sooner in their careers in a May 8 post on the online discussion board Reddit. Eight self-care tips nurses shared: 1. "Keep a consistent sleep schedule. If you work nights, you'll be less tired if you wake up and go to bed at the same times every day." – Telteem RN 2. "I finally realized if I have time to either chart or eat lunch, I should eat lunch. The charting goes so much quicker when the brain has some calories to work with." - Poptartsmom 3. "Be smart with caffeine. It works differently for every- one, so know and understand how it is affecting you. I know some nurses that consume 500 milligrams [or more] of caffeine in a shift and then complain about headaches, poor sleep, anxiety, etc. Everyone is different, so my ad- vice is to look at your caffeine intake and make sure it's a net positive in your life." -16semesters, NP 4. "I wish I'd known to switch out between at least two dif- ferent pairs of shoes. At the first sign of that plantar pain, go and get fitted for inserts. And definitely compression socks! Preferably a wool blend, to help with sweat-wicking." - hotspots_thanks 5. "Don't be scared to call off sick. If you're [sic] place of work is punitive about sick calls, re-evaluate your current employment. My current employer is so liberal about sick days, we are encouraged to use our California Paid Sick Leave (40 hours a year) for 'mental health' days." - No- passgaszone, BSN, RN 6. "Get a good pair of waterproof shoes. Being able to just wipe off whatever splatters on my shoes without it seeping in is amazing." - THISisTheBadPlace9 7. "It's okay to feel pissed off and burned out and sad and frustrated, but be in touch with your emotions and talk to someone if you need to! … Most jobs have [employee assistance program] counseling for free, and I can't stress utilizing that enough if you're struggling." - Glowinwa- 5centshine, RN 8. "Don't let anyone stop your growth. If you see an op- portunity to grow, take it no matter what anyone says." - MG_warriorRN n Measles cases hit highest level since 2000 By Mackenzie Bean T he CDC reported 839 measles cases as of May 10, which marks the highest annual total since U.S. health officials declared the disease eradi- cated in 2000. This figure surpasses the previous record of 667 cases set in 2014. The nation's growing case count is also nearing the 963 cases reported in 1994 — the highest annual total seen in the last 25 years, reported CNN. As of May, measles infections have occurred in 23 states this year. Most are linked to outbreaks in New York and Washington state, which started after interna- tional travelers brought the virus back from countries like Israel, where major outbreaks are occurring. "The longer these outbreaks continue, the greater the chance measles will again get a sustained foot- hold in the United States," the CDC said in an April 24 statement. n

• Cover