PALTmed Colorado (CMDA) 31st Annual Conference April 24, 2026
More information available here.
Registration Page
Pikes Peak Ethics Committee Meeting
- First Friday of every month at noon.
- Please consider bringing a case to the meeting. It’s a great opportunity to discuss difficult cases with your peers in LTC, share experiences, and learn from each other.
- Email me if you would like to be added to our email list to receive the agenda and reminders about the meeting.
- https://zoom.us/j/97461641616?pwd=YPpJU1ZHMG3bTChSVxAcD9gb39qVaY.1
Advance care planning for patients and families | Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
COVID/ Influenza / RSV
Recombinant zoster vaccine is associated with a reduced risk of dementia
Recombinant zoster vaccine is associated with a reduced risk of dementia | Nature Communications
Vaccination with two doses of RZV was associated with a 51% lower risk of dementia (aHR: 0.49 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.46–0.51]); aHRs were comparable across age, and racial and ethnic groups, but the risk reduction was stronger in females compared to males.
Osteoporosis
Recognize when a patient has osteoporosis and get that diagnosis into the medical diagnosis list. This provides the recognition of increased fracture risk which is relevant in cases of fall related fractures. This can include recognizing the diagnosis of osteopenia on many types of X-rays and CT scans.
- M85.80 – Osteopenia, unspecified site
- M85.88 – Osteopenia of other specified site
- M81.0 – Age-related osteoporosis without current pathological fracture
- M81.8 – Other osteoporosis without current pathological fracture
- M80.08XA – Age-related osteoporosis with current pathological fracture, vertebra, initial encounter
- M80.00XA – Age-related osteoporosis with current pathological fracture, unspecified site
Dementia Care
Nursing Homes Falsely Diagnose Patients as Schizophrenic to Sedate Them, Report Says
“Notably, OIG found that nursing homes’ reporting of schizophrenia diagnoses increased following the introduction of the quality measure,” the authors wrote.
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The report was based on 40 survey reports focused on dementia care or schizophrenia that CMS conducted from 2018 through 2021. “These types of surveys specifically address the use of antipsychotics, including the accuracy of schizophrenia diagnoses for residents given antipsychotics,”
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The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), which represents nursing homes, criticized the study’s methodology. “These OIG reports are based on a very small subset of specifically selected nursing homes and are not indicative of national trends,” Holly Harmon, AHCA/NCAL’s senior vice president of quality, regulatory, and clinical services, said in an email. “We support the appropriate use of medications to meet individual resident needs, with the right medications at the right times.”