Wednesday July 11, 2012
Suicide is tragic. It cuts a life short, and it devastates the
family, friends and loved ones left behind. Those who survive a
suicide attempt might end up with severe disability or other
injuries. The children of people who die by suicide are more likely
to later die by suicide themselves. With such extreme consequences,
why would anyone make the dire decision to choose death over
life?
That's a question scientists have been struggling to answer for
decades. "When you're in a suicidal state, you're kind of closing
down your options. You see it as the only solution. You're not
really able to entertain other ideas," says Dr. Jane Pearson, who
heads a suicide research consortium at NIH. "What's the science
behind that? What's happening in the brain that leads people to
think so dysfunctionally?"
Recognizing those at risk is essential. Suicide is the
10th leading cause of death nationwide, and it's the 3rd leading
cause of death among adolescents. Nearly 37,000 Americans died by
suicide in 2009, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. More than half of those deaths were from
firearms.
People of all genders, ages and ethnicities are at risk for
suicide. Women are more likely than men to attempt suicide, but men
are more likely to die by suicide. That's because men often choose
deadlier methods, such as firearms or suffocation.
"The highest risk groups are older men," says Pearson.
"In fact, white men who are 85 and older have a rate of suicide
that's 4 times the national average."
To read the entire NIH report in this
attachment.
Tuesday July 24, 2012
This study used a random sample of records from a previous
Office of Inspector General (OIG) study of elderly nursing facility
residents with Medicare claims for atypical antipsychotic drugs
between January and June 2007. They reviewed the records for
evidence of compliance with Federal requirements for resident
assessments and documentation of decision-making. They also
reviewed the records for evidence of compliance with Federal
requirements for care plan development and implementation.
Nearly all records reviewed (99 percent) failed to meet one or
more Federal requirements for resident assessments and/or care
plans. The resident assessment and care plan process involves four
steps. One-third of records reviewed did not contain evidence of
compliance with Federal requirements regarding resident
assessments, the first step. Further, for 4 percent of records,
nursing facility staff did not document consideration of the
Resident Assessment Protocol for psychotropic drug use as required,
the second step. Ninety-nine percent of records did not contain
evidence of compliance with Federal requirements for care plan
development, the third step. Finally, 18 percent of records
reviewed did not contain evidence to indicate that planned
interventions for antipsychotic drug use-the fourth step-actually
occurred.
Please read the following attachments for more details and
CMS response to the report.
OIG Report Care Plans for Residents Receiving Atypical
Anitpsychotic Drugs