Utah Libraries » Government Publications in the News http://utahlibraries.org Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:17:11 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 New Service for Choosing a Nursing Home http://utahlibraries.org/2008/12/new-service-for-choosing-a-nursing-home/ http://utahlibraries.org/2008/12/new-service-for-choosing-a-nursing-home/#comments Mon, 29 Dec 2008 20:00:50 +0000 Ray Matthews http://utahlibraries.org/?p=304 Continue reading →]]> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has begun a five-star quality rating system for each of the nation’s 15,800 nursing homes that participate in Medicare or Medicaid. It’s the first-ever U.S. federal government website to help  with the difficult and emotional task of choosing a nursing home.

Nursing Home Compare : Find and Compare Nursing Homes (web site):

http://www.medicare.gov/nhcompare

To search the system simply enter a Zip Code to get star ratings of nursing homes in that area.

Facilities are assigned star ratings from a low of one star to a high of five stars based on health inspection surveys, staffing information, and quality of care measures. The site will be updated monthly and indicates whether the facility is for-profit or not-for-profit.

In this first round of quality ratings, about 12% of the nation’s nursing homes received a full five-star rating while 22 % scored at the low end with one star. Many of Utah’s nursing homes score below or much below average in the new quality ratings system. Of the 93 Utah nursing homes reviewed by the government, 22 ranked below average (two stars) and 17 have an overall quality rating of one star, the lowest score possible.

Utah nursing home provider lists (without ratings) specific to counties, cities, or zip codes can be retrieved using:

Utah Cares (website): https://utahcares.utah.gov/

If you would like information regarding other Certified or Licensed provider types not listed in the above resources please contact the Utah Health Facility Licensing, Certification and Resident Assessment Bureau at (801) 538-6158 or toll free at 1-800-662-4157.

Some helpful government publications designed to help you choose a nursing home include:

Nursing Homes : Making the Right Choice National Institute on Aging. (2007). Nursing Homes: Making the Right Choice. (also available as a PDF, 6 p., and in Spanish.

Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Guide to Choosing a Nursing Home (PDF, 68 p. Also available in Spanish.

National Center for Assisted Living, American Health Care Association. (2003). Planning Ahead: A Consumer’s Guide to Nursing Facilities.

For additional helpful government resources and publications please visit the
MedlinePlus topic: Nursing Homes :
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/nursinghomes.html

Checklists for making a nursing home selection, along with Utah-specific facility brochures and other background information, are available at the Utah Health Care Association’s Web site, http://www.uthca.org/Programs/.

]]> http://utahlibraries.org/2008/12/new-service-for-choosing-a-nursing-home/feed/ 0 Shale Oil Estimates Less Promising http://utahlibraries.org/2008/12/shale-oil-estimates-less-promising/ http://utahlibraries.org/2008/12/shale-oil-estimates-less-promising/#comments Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:51:59 +0000 Ray Matthews http://utahlibraries.org/?p=229 Continue reading →]]> A new study from the Utah Geological Survey indicates that that the Uintah Basin’s potential oil-shale resource would amount to about 77 billion barrels of shale oil or less than a quarter of the 321 million barrels of oil-shale resources that had first been estimated in 1964. The numbers that had been quoted in the past were based on extrapolations that had been estimated for areas of the Uintah Basin for which there was no scientifically recorded data. The study was initiated due to concerns over diminishing conventional oil reserves. The assessment answered the questions of where and how much oil shale exists in the Uintah Basin and includes detailed basin wide resource maps.


Title: Basin-wide Evaluation of the Uppermost Green River Formations Oil-Shale Resource, Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado. Special Study 128
Publisher: Utah Geological Survey
Creator: Vanden Berg, Michael D.
Date issued: 2008-12
Extent: 23 p., 8 plates [maps]
Utah Government Publication Online: Digital Library link
Agency website:UGS press release
In the News: “Oil-shale estimates for Utah dip,” Deseret News, Dec. 17, 2008
In the News: “Utah downgrades its oil-shale estimates,” Salt Lake Tribune, Dec. 17, 2008

The Annual Energy Outlook presents a midterm projection and analysis of US energy supply, demand, and prices through 2030. The analysis projects virtually no growth in U.S. petroleum use through the year 2030, due to increased use of ethanol and biodiesel and a push toward greater automobile fuel efficiency, including the growing popularity of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles. The full publication, to be released in early 2009, will include complete documentation and additional cases examining energy markets.


Title: Annual Energy Outlook 2009 Early Release
Publisher: United States. Energy Information Administration
Date issued: 2008-12
Agency website: Energy Information Administration
In the News: “Oil-shale estimates for Utah dip,”Deseret News, Dec. 17, 2008. ]]> http://utahlibraries.org/2008/12/shale-oil-estimates-less-promising/feed/ 0