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Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Survey Compliance:
Stay One Step Ahead Of Surveyors In 2004
Hints: Implement your POCs carefully, target nutrition.Look out: The government has nursin... Read more
Survey Management:
Watch Out For These 5 Nursing Home Targets
Stay off the government's radar screen by paying attention to these five areas targeted by... Read more
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Informal Dispute Resolution: Self-Assessment Tool
 Are you considering informal dispute resolution? Ask yourself the following question... Read more
Special Fire Safety Focus:
How Fireproof Is Your Facility? Surveyors Will Be Turning Up The Heat
Cover key safety and regulatory vulnerabilities in 10 steps.The recent deadly fire in a Na... Read more
What Do You Think?
Do surveyors have a basis for citing or challenging a facility that goes "smoke-free" for ... Read more
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Do You Know How To Contain A Fire? Quick Response Is Key
The NFPA says to follow these steps.There's not a minute to waste when a fire breaks out i... Read more
Resident Safety:
Think Through Placement Of Alcohol-Based Hand Cleanser Dispensers
Balance fire and other safety issues with infection control.When it comes to alcohol-based... Read more
Resident Nutrition:
Need Some Extra Helping Hands At Mealtimes? The Feeding Assistant Reg Is Now In Effect
Here's what you need to know to proceed.Feeding assistants may be just the ticket to impro... Read more
Staffing Trends:
6 Ways Feeding Assistants Can Benefit Residents and Your Facility
Feeding assistants can be a boon to a nursing facility's nutritional care and quality of l... Read more
LAST MONTH'S What Do You Think?:
To Report Or Not To Report Allegations Of Abuse
Here is our experts' answer to last month's question: Should a facility report every alleg... Read more
News Briefs:
Survey & Clinical News To Use
Long-term care providers will soon have a new option to battle functional losses in the la... Read more
Reader Question:
Play It Safe With Discarded Fentanyl Patches
Question: We've read media accounts of nurses and other health care staff stealing fentany... Read more
Please see our October issue - a combination of October and November 2003
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false ... Read more
Survey Management:
Teach CNAs These Inside Secrets To Fending Off F Tags During The Survey
Here's what they need to know to win the day.Surveys can be traumatic for CNAs ... but if ... Read more
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Survey Resources:How Do You Spell Survey Success? S-O-M For State Operations Manual
The State Operations Manual should definitely be on your shelf, but never stay there for l... Read more
Resident Abuse:
This Abuse Investigation Policy Will Keep Everyone Out Of Harm's Way
 It's better to be safe than sorry.The next time your facility receives an allegation... Read more
What Do You Think?
 Should a facility report every allegation of abuse to the state survey agency - and ... Read more
Best Practices:
Use CPGs To Improve Care And Survey-Proof Your Facility
 Avoid these 5 common mistakes.They say the best defense is a good offense, and in lo... Read more
Survey Management:
Thinking On Your Feet Can Keep You From Slipping Into A Survey Disaster.
This NF's quick response left it deficiency free at the end of the day.The way your facili... Read more
Best Practices:
Select The Best CPGs For Your Facility
These tips will put you on the right track.You don't want to fix what isn't broken, right?... Read more
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Guidelines Galore: Check Out These Evidence-Based Protocols
Nursing facilities looking to implement best practices have a number of evidence-based cli... Read more
Wound Management:
Turn Around Those Poorly Healing Wounds
Wow surveyors with these dietary best practices.Wounds do not heal by medical and nursing ... Read more
RAI Manual Update Contains Good News And Bad
Here are the highlights.CMS giveth and taketh away in the August 2003 update to the Reside... Read more
Follow These AMDA Guidelines To Prevent Pressure Ulcers
Maintain personal hygiene. Try to assure adequate nutrition and hydration. Evaluate and ma... Read more
News Briefs:
Survey & Clinical News To Use
CMS may be taking more time to get the MDS 3.0 right. CMS official Mary Pratt has confirme... Read more
Reader Questions
Develop A HIPAA- and OBRA-Compliant Internal Complaints Policy Question: What must be incl... Read more
Banish Avoidable Pressure Ulcers With This 'One Size Fits All' Prevention Program
Variation is the enemy of quality, according to quality assurance forefather Edward Deming... Read more
Case study
Find Out the Secret To This Nursing Home Company's Successful Skin Care ProgramA decision-... Read more
SKIN CARE MANAGEMENT FORM
Facility _____________________   Patient name _______________  Date________... Read more
Eliminate Unfair Deficiencies With IDR - Here's what you need to know to prevail
 Winning informal dispute resolution (IDR) often has to do with how you play the game... Read more
Wound Care Payment Tip
Is a resident's wound not responding to conventional therapy? Medicare will cover electric... Read more
5 Ways To Turn Your Ombudsman Into An Ally
Prevent ombudsman concerns from turning into complaint surveys.When it comes to survey out... Read more
Use Nutrition To Correct What Ails Your Residents And Your Survey Record
6 tough clinical issues that your dietary program might just solve. How can your facility ... Read more
News Briefs:
Survey & Clinical News To Use
 Don't expect the survey and enforcement system to lighten up any time soon. The Gene... Read more
Reader Question:
Beware Survey, Other Pitfalls of Not Following Your Own Policies
Question: Is it true that surveyors can cite a facility for not following its own policy w... Read more
Beware These Top Immediate Jeopardy Triggers
Here's how to keep residents and your facility out of harm's way An immediate jeopard... Read more
Catch IJ Citations Before They Make The CMS 2567
They say prevention is the best medicine so do everything you can to catch an immediate j... Read more
SURVEY & CLINICAL DILEMMAS
How should facilities handle situations where safety issues conflict with residents rights... Read more
Put Your Continence Program On The Fast Track To Success
If managing urinary incontinence seems like a constant battle in your facility, it might b... Read more
DRUG ALERT:
Check Out The Skin Patch For Overactive Bladder
 Good news for people with overactive bladders: The Food & Drug Administration re... Read more
CLINICAL GEM:
Track Residents Toileting Schedules
Place cardboard "alarm clocks" labeled odd or even on the doors of residents who require t... Read more
Look Beyond The Survey On Drug Regimen Review
Dont let minimal F tag requirements for drug reviews lull your facility into a malpractice... Read more
Ignore These Pharmacists Reminders At Residents Peril
Examples of important reminders from consultant pharmacists that physicians ignore at thei... Read more
Beat DAVE To The Punch:
Target These MDS Inconsistencies Now
To prevent survey woes in the future, facilities will have to at least match what DAVE kno... Read more
Tap This Often Overlooked Resource To Optimize Resident And Survey Outcomes
When managing resident outcomes, it pays to know when its time to move to Plan B Medicare... Read more
Survey & Clinical News To Use
Expect surveyors to crack down on how they observe the medication pass In a recent clarifi... Read more
Comprehensive Urinary Continence Checklist
See the pdf for your copy of this checklist.  It is the last two pages of the pdf.... Read more
Reader Questions
Know What Surveyors Expect to See in a Skin Program Question: What kind of pressure ulcer ... Read more
SURVEY MANAGEMENT:
Start The Survey On The Right Foot Mistake Pain For Dementia-Related
How to manage the entrance conference and tour. All's well that ends well but it's impor... Read more
HAVE THESE DOCUMENTS READY FOR SURVEYORS
A copy of the actual working schedule for RN/LPNs for the survey period Facility polici... Read more
PAIN MANAGEMENT:
Dont Mistake Pain For Dementia-Related Behavioral Symptoms
This assessment approach can prevent unnecessary antipsychotic drug use. Sometimes you al... Read more
5 Secrets To Lowering Your Pain Quality Measures
High pain quality measure scores can hurt your facility with prospective consumers and su... Read more
SURVEY MANAGEMENT:
Stave Off Privacy And Dignity Tags With These Simple Tactics
When it comes to privacy and dignity F tags, it's the little things that get a facility ... Read more
BEST PRACTICES:
Lower Your Prevalence Of Fall-Related Fractures
Experts explain how to develop an osteoporosis care plan. Osteoporosis poses a double wha... Read more
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Should a facility treat a bedridden elderly patient for osteoporosis who is at risk of the... Read more
CLINICAL MANAGEMENT:
Work Around These Obstacles To Prevent Dehydration
The bad news: Not only is dehydration potentially life-threatening, but surveyors view i... Read more
ARE YOUR RESIDENTS DRINKING ENOUGH FLUIDS?
Here are 15 cool ways to ensure they do. An ounce of prevention goes a long way in preven... Read more
Resident Assessment:
Have Trouble Detecting Early Signs Of Dehydration?
 These inside clinical tips will help.To detect early dehydration in nursing home res... Read more
Management Strategies:
NADONA Forum Tackles DON And Staffing Shortage
Panel members provide insightful ideas on how to cope.   High DON turnover and the on... Read more
News Briefs:
Survey & Clinical News To Use
It isnt everything you might want to know about DAVE. But a June 20 Web cast hosted by the... Read more
READER QUESTION:
Know What You Need to Count as a Fall on MDS
Q:  If a resident becomes unstable during a transfer from the bed to chair so we have... Read more
READER QUESTION:
Get a Handle on What Surveyors Can Cite on Revisits
Q: Can surveyors cite old deficiencies that they did not cite at the time of the original ... Read more
READER QUESTION:
CMS Explains Residents Right to Choose Physicians
Q: We want to know where a SNF can draw the line in terms of a residents request to have a... Read more
READER QUESTION:
Figure Out if HIPAA or OBRA Apply to Record Requests
Q: How long does a facility have to provide a resident or his representative access to med... Read more
Psychosocial Services:
GET YOUR PSYCHOSOCIAL CARE ON TRACK WITH THIS 11-POINT PLAN
Nursing homes are back in the hot seat in the wakeofan HHS Office of Inspector Gene... Read more
Survey Preparation:
READ BETWEEN THE LINES OF OIG REPORT TO PROTECT YOUR SNF
They say numbers don't lie, but sometimes you need to look more closely at what they d... Read more
Survey Management:
DOES YOUR DISCHARGE PLANNING ENSURE A SAFE TRANSITION?
Nursing home providers who think their job ends when the resident goes out the door ma... Read more
IS YOUR FACILITY MEETING REQUIREMENTS UNDER F204?
F204483.12(a)(7) (transfer and discharge) requires facilities to:- Involve the res... Read more
DOES IT REALLY PAY TO BE PROACTIVE WITH SURVEY AUTHORITIES?:
You Bet, If You Follow These Rules
To achieve the fairest survey outcomes, nursing facility providers have to be proactive... Read more
Survey & Clinical News
Medicare Web site contains wealth of resources to help with quality measures. Check out... Read more
Survey Trends:
HIGHLIGHTS OF OIG REPORT ON PSYCHOSOCIAL SERVICES
What the OIG Found: In its report, "Psychosocial Services In Skilled Nursing Faciliti... Read more
Careplanning:
CARE PLAN FORMAT FOR DEPRESSION
  Above survey consultant Deborah Ohl in Cincinnati, OH, shares some gui... Read more
?? READER QUESTIONS ??:
Watch Out For Care Plan Deadlines After Significant Change In Status
Q: When should we have the care plan completed following a significant change in status... Read more
?? Reader Question ??:
Resident Refuses Release Of Medical Records When Discharged For Nonpayment
Resident Refuses Release Of Medical Records When Discharged For Nonpayment Q: What do ... Read more
Survey Management:
PREEMPT TOP F TAGS WITH PATIENT SAFETY ROUNDS
If a surveyor asked you how safe residents are from accidents and clinical shortfalls,... Read more
Survey Management:
GUARD AGAINST THESE POTENTIAL SURVEY SCENARIOS UNDER HIPAA
Here's one of those million-dollar questions: Can surveyors cite your facility for HIP... Read more
Restorative Care:
THIS FORM OF ADL OVERCODING WILL DRIVE UP YOUR QI/QM SCORES
Some facilities unintentionally overcode activities of daily living on the MDS when nur... Read more
Resident Privacy:
HOW TO NEGOTIATE CONFLICTS BETWEEN OBRA AND HIPAA
On April 14, HIPAA officially joined OBRA in the long-term care arena and facilities ... Read more
Survey Trends:
OIG REPORT MAY SPELL SURVEY RELIEF FOR FACILITIES
It's official: The survey system shows an unacceptable " wide variation" among sta... Read more
Survey Trends:
AHCA CITES SPECIFIC REASONS FOR SURVEY INCONSISTENCIES
The American Health Care Association has identified for the Centers for Medicare & M... Read more
Fire Safety:
TAKE FIRE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WITH ALCOHOL HAND RUBS
Those alcohol hand gels are a great infection control tool, but they might also prove t... Read more
SURVEY & CLINICAL NEWS
CMS posts draft version of MDS 3.0. Check out the draft version of the MDS 3.0 on the Ce... Read more
Quality of Care:
PERFORM THESE SAFETY CHECKS FROM YOUR DESK
You can actually perform some vital patient safety checks without ever leaving your co... Read more
READER QUESTION:
Survey civil monetary penalties
Q: How long should a per diem civil monetary penalty be allowed to run in the following ... Read more
Litigation Trends:
TAKE HEED OF THESE NURSING HOME PROSECUTION TRENDS
No doubt you have wondered how to ensure federal prosecutors don't target your facility... Read more
State Legal Trends:
UNFASTENED LAP RESTRAINT COULD MEAN A CRIMINAL CASE
How common place are state criminal prosecutions of nursing home administrators, DONs an... Read more
Survey Management:
LESSONS LEARNED FROM FEDERAL PROSECUTIONS
Pay attention to the survey protocols. Each of the False Claims Act prosecutions invol... Read more
State Legal Trends:
CASE STUDY: CONNECTICUT CRIMINAL CASE TELLS A CAUTIONARY TALE
If you think a resident has to suffer grievous harm for a nurse or administrator to end... Read more
Survey Management:
DONT LET MDS MISTAKES DRIVE QUALITY SCORES OUT OF BOUNDS
No nursing facility would purposely report its quality outcomes as being more negative ... Read more
Family Relations:
8 WAYS TO ENLIST FAMILIES IN MUTUAL QUEST FOR QUALITY CARE
Residents' families can be a facility's best friends or their worst nightmare if they ga... Read more
Minimum Data Set:
KNOW WHEN TO GO TO BATTLE FOR YOUR MDS
Surveyors are waving an MDS in your face, claiming it doesn't paint an accurate picture... Read more
Minimum Data Set:
DRAFT MDS 3.0 SET TO DEBUT
Your wait for the new draft minimum data set is almost over. The Centers for Medicare &a... Read more
Survey and Compliance News To Use
Arbitration agreements may be legal but how you obtain or enforce them can create surve... Read more
JOIN THE ELI LONG-TERM CARE DISCUSSION GROUP
Elis new long-term care discussion group allows you to exchange ideas and new approaches ... Read more
Reader Question
Question: If the resident is assessed by nursing or social work staff as being impaired ... Read more
Available Years:  2003  2002