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Long-Term Care Survey Alert
Long-Term Care Survey Alert
Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 12
Quality of Life:
Help Residents Who Require Enteral Nutrition Meet These Needs
If a resident feels self-conscious, you can do this, suggests activity expert. Nurse att...
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Clarification:
CMS Pulls Back Revised F322 (Tube Feeding) Survey Guidance
Here's why -- and where to look for the reissued guidance. On Oct. 21, CMS posted a ...
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Tool:
The RAI User's Manual's Care Area Assessment Resource for Feeding Tubes Includes Psychosocial Issues
CMS's RAI Version 3.0 Manual Appendix C: CAA Resources 13. Feeding Tube(s) October 2011 A...
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Quality of Care:
Medical Expert Shares Views on Lab Testing in Nursing Facilities
Know when to do a digitalis level as soon as possible. Repeating certain lab tests is rea...
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Documentation:
Heed This HEAT Training Advice for Documenting Diagnostic Testing
OIG chief medical officer provides 2 tips. Heads up: Providing "clear information showing...
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Reader Feedback:
Find Out How This SNF Is Handling Staff Flu Vaccinations
Also find out what CMS rep has to say on this issue. In response to the article on influe...
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Coding Quizzer:
Code This RAI Manual Example for Flu Vaccination
How would you code the following at O0250 (Influenza Vaccine)? For the coding questions a...
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MDS, Compliance & Clinical News to Use
During CMS' Nov. 3 national provider call on the MDS 3.0, the agency's John Kane clarifie...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 11
Compliance:
Give This Care and Compliance Problem the Boot
Provide this 'gentle reminder' in the chart for physicians, expert suggests. Do your resid...
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Survey Management:
Got Gardens? Here's What CMS Could Ask You to Provide
Consider these safety tips from an agricultural pro. In a September survey & cert memo...
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Resource:
Check Out This Handy Food Safety Chart From the F371 Survey Guidance
Editor's note: If you're wondering what "PHF/TCS" stands for in the chart above, the F371...
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Infection Control:
Ready for a Quick Flu Vaccination Update?
Be aware of these vaccine options. Infection control expert James Marx, MS, RN, CIC, prov...
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Coding Quizzer:
K0700A (Proportion of Total Calories the Resident Received through Parental or Tube Feedings in the Last 7 Days)
How would you code the following example from the RAI User's Manual? "Mr. H has had a fee...
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What Do You Think?
Question: What are some recommended ways to treat a biofilm that you can see on a wound? ...
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Survey, Clinical & Research News to Use
In a recent survey & cert memo, CMS says it "made changes to surveyor guidance for fe...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 10
Nutrition:
Shore Up Vitamin and Mineral Supplementation Practices
Check out this medication safety tip. Certain vitamin and mineral supplements can help re...
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HIPAA Compliance:
Help Staff Sidestep This Psychosocial Privacy Mistake
Doing this can cause residents harm, warns expert. Nursing facility staff members "need t...
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Clinical Tip:
Head Off These Problems With Intended Weight Loss
Consider this approach. "You have to be careful with prescribing weight-loss diets for ol...
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Patient Safety:
These 3 OTC Supplements Can Be Dangerous
One of them can cause renal damage, says medical expert. High doses of vitamin A can caus...
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Compliance:
Be Aware of This Elder Justice Act Exclusion Provision
Find out what CMS & the OIG are up to, according to a revised survey & cert memo....
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Tool:
Reporting Suspected Crimes -- Here's What CMS Says to Do
Revised survey memo addresses reporting requirements related to residents with dementia. ...
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MDS 3.0 Coding Quizzer:
How Would You Code This RAI Manual Example at K0300 (Weight Loss)?
"Mrs. J has been on a physician ordered calorie-restricted diet for the past year. She and...
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MDS, Survey, Medication Safety & Compliance News
Make sure you're on top of the Oct. 1 RAI manual revisions. "Several chapters and appendi...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 9
Survey Management:
Don't Let Complaints Back Your Facility Into an F-Tag Corner
Failing to meet these requirements may compound your survey woes. Beware: Attorney Joseph...
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Resident Safety:
Are Your Residents Taking Any of These Drug Combos?
Expert warns about drug-drug interactions that can cause negative outcomes. Suppose a pat...
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Risk Management:
What Do You Think?
Question: Should a nursing facility contact its insurer if it receives a complaint survey...
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Survey Trends:
Find Out Who Makes Most of the Complaints to the State About Nursing Facilities
Recent GAO report provides the stats for 2009. Family members and residents provided over...
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Compliance:
Get the Inside Scoop on the Duty to Report 'Reasonable Suspicion of a Crime'
Consider these compliance tactics. As reported in the last LTC Survey & Compliance Al...
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MDS, Research & Compliance News
Did you catch the July 13 RAI manual update? On its MDS 3.0 website, CMS notes that it ha...
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Reporting To Law Enforcement Of Crimes Occurring In Federally Funded Long-term Care Facilities
Excerpts - Section 6703 - Elder Justice Act - Reporting Reasonable Suspicion of ...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 8
Resident Safety:
Escape This Facility's Fate: Stop Resident-to- Resident Sex Abuse Before It's Too Late
3 strategies help you cover the bases. If your facility doesn't take the right steps to p...
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Survey Trends:
GAO Wants CMS to Home In On Complaint Investigations
Find out the number of complaints survey agencies received and the % that resulted in F t...
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GAO Report Provides a Rundown of Different Types of Complaints
Quality of care and treatment accounts for 40.6% of reported complaints. Source: GAO analy...
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Legal Requirements:
Don't Let This Tough New Reporting Duty Catch You Off Guard
Failure to report 'reasonable suspicion of a crime' could cost you big time. Facilities t...
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What Do You Think?
Question: Should a Facility Code Pain Education as a Non-pharmacological Pain Remedy on t...
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Behavioral Management:
Experts Share Creative Supervision Approaches for Dementia Residents Who Act Out Sexually
You can make this type of day club an attractive option, says former DON. How can a facil...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 7
Quality of Care:
When a Pressure Ulcer Doesn't Seem to Be Healing, Consider These Key Reasons
Know what to consider if you see this when wound bed slough clears, advises expert. First...
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Survey Management:
Getting Up to Speed on Upcoming CMP Rules Can Pay Off
Know the downsides of accepting the 50 percent discount for self-reported deficiencies. C...
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Survey Management Tips:
Don't Get Tripped Up During Your Next Survey: Simple Tips Help You Avoid Missteps
Orient surveyors to your EMR but make sure these safeguards are in place. Ever had that s...
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Research:
Orthopedic Trauma Can Impact Your Rehab Patients' Mental Health
Elderly hip fracture patients may also have a fear component, says orthopedics expert. Pa...
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What Do You Think?
Question: Can long-term care residents who are private pay or Medicaid and have Part B re...
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MDS, Compliance & Clinical News to Use
The FY 2012 proposed SNF PPS rule seeks to roll out two new rehab-related MDS assessments...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 6
Compliance:
2 Steps Can Help You Ward Off Payment Suspensions for 'Credible' Fraud Allegations
Home in on these 3 potential sources of complaints. Your facility no doubt has a plan to ...
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Risk Management:
These Documentation Strategies Can Keep Surveyors and Litigators Off Your Case
Beware injecting personal bias -- or leaving room for the reader to do this. Solid medica...
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Prepayment Audits Can Help You Maintain Clean Claims
Apply what you find to prevent future problems. If your facility doesn't yet have some fo...
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Management:
Use This Clever Tool to Get Staff to See the Good They Do
Also find out free ways to help staff in need and how to turn around chronic complainers....
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Tool:
Staff Can Use This Form to Share How They Are Helping Residents
Nursing expert puts a new spin on 'incident report.' POSITIVE INCIDENT REPORT Dear Boss: ...
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Compliance Tip:
Don't Cross the Line When Teaching Staff How to Respond to Auditors, Surveyors
Beware ever saying this. Solid bet: "With all the different entities out there doing audi...
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What Do You Think?:
What Kind of Support Documentation Do You Need for This Service Coded on the MDS?
Question: When we have a resident who receives IV fluids to prevent dehydration in the nu...
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Professional Management:
Conferencing Soon? Check Out These Cost-Saving Tidbits
Find out how to shave $100 or more off your tab. When planning your conference travel bud...
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MDS & Survey News to Use
Keep an eye out for the RAI User's Manual update this spring. The last thing you want to ...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 5
Risk Management:
Is Your Facility Harboring a Criminal? OIG Report Uncovers a Disturbing Finding
3 steps can help prevent this scenario from occurring on your watch. A March Office of In...
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Quality Improvement:
Adopt This Winning Equation: Surveyors + QIO = More Person-Centered Care
If your facility is waking up residents to give TID meds, take a look at that practice. N...
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OIG to CMS:
Consider These Steps to Shore Up Background Checks
Pointing to the healthcare reform act-mandated National Background Check Program, the OIG ...
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Tool:
Chart Gives Quick Look at State Nursing Facility Criminal Background Check Requirements
The OIG provides this list of what states require. OIG Report Shows Nursing Facility Emplo...
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Quality Assurance:
Shore Up Wound Care, Impress Surveyors
Get the real-time scoop on doctor visits for wound patients. How does your facility follo...
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What Do You Think?:
When Would the RUG Rate Change in This Scenario?
Question: When you combine a 5-day assessment with a significant change in status assessm...
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What Do You Think?:
Does a Nursing Facility Have to Treat Psych or Substance Abuse Records Differently Under HIPAA or Other Laws?
Question: Are we required to handle medical records requested from a psychiatric or subst...
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Clinical Tip:
This Simple Dietary Remedy Can Help Relieve Constipation
It may also help address another all-too-common program in LTC. As you know, constipation...
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Compliance, MDS & Clinical Roundup
Get up to speed on Medicaid auditors, which experts say could be coming your way. For one...
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Management Tip:
Make Sure Staff Feel Comfortable Letting Managers Know About Residents' Preferences
To promote person-centered care, "you need a culture where people feel comfortable sharing...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 4
Medical Privacy:
Don't Let Your Facility Be Toppled by HIPAA Noncompliance: Perform a Topnotch Security Risk Analysis
Beware 'willful neglect' penalties up to $50,000 per violation now in effect. If you thin...
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Management:
4 Ways to Forge Positive Relationships With Families
Are you using your family council in this helpful way? Risk managing relationships with r...
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What Do You Think?:
Could HHS Extend 'Willful Neglect' Violations to a Stolen Laptop or Other Device Containing Unencrypted PHI?
It could happen, says HIPAA expert. Willful neglect violations can lead to some humongous ...
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MDS 3.0:
Use the MDS to Keep Behavioral Assessment and Management on the Mark
Increased verbal aggression may be caused by this common problem. The MDS 3.0 captures th...
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Care Planning:
Is the Resident With Behavioral Sx Taking Any of These Meds?
These drugs can cause socially inappropriate behaviors, agitation, paranoid delusions. The...
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MDS 3.0:
Mistaged Pressure Ulcers Can Cost Your SNF a Higher Paying RUG
Mistaged Pressure Ulcers Can Cost Your SNF a Higher Paying RUG Find out how to differentia...
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MDS 3.0:
Check Out This Pressure Ulcer Assessment and Documentation Form
...
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Compliance & Clinical News
In addition to the liability and generic notices you have to give residents related to Me...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 3
Quality of Care:
Boosting Physician Coding Know-How Pays Off for Residents and SNFs
Are your facility's attendings underbilling in these key scenarios? Looking for new ways ...
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Resident Safety:
Resident Got Dysphagia? Head Off Serious Danger With This Key Check
This strategy can cure or reduce swallowing difficulty. If a resident appears to have a p...
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Clinical Tip:
Look Closely at a Resident's Need for Thickened Liquids
These strategies may allow some residents to safely drink regular liquids. Thickened liqu...
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Compliance:
These 2 Physician Billing Patterns Can Raise Compliance Concerns
How many physician visits in a day may signal a problem? Physicians shouldn't be afraid o...
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Risk Management:
Vanquish Common Survey Vulnerabilities With 4 Strategies
Analyzing incident reports may help you in this way, says former survey agency director. ...
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Trends:
Revisit Your Service Mix to Stay in Tune With a New LTC Landscape
Putting this issue on the back burner can diminish your business over the longer haul. If...
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Compliance & Drug News to Use
If you thought the RACs would remain quiet in the SNF realm, no such luck. "SNFs have tre...
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Long Term Care Survey Alert - 2011; Volume 13, Number 1
Survey Management:
Extinguish the Potential for These Fire Safety Violations
Changing the purpose of a room can open the door to K-tag citations. Even seemingly minor...
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Infection Control:
Resident Got a Rash? Stay a Step Ahead of This Contagious Condition
Know the telltale signs and incubation period. A scabies outbreak can be difficult to get...
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Survey Trends:
Check Out the Top 10 F Tags Nationwide
Here's the list as of third quarter 2010. 1. F371 Food sanitation 2. F323 Hazard-free env...
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Resident Safety:
Don't Let These 3 Common Practices Derail Your Fire Safety Record
Candles are verboten except in this one instance, says fire expert. To prevent fires ...
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Case study:
Simple Strategies Rein in SNF Rehospitalization Rates
A team approach to SNF discharge planning and disease management programs can pay off. Ke...
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Compliance Trends:
SNFs Should Keep Rehospitalization on Their Radar Screen -- Here's Why
The 2011 OIG work plan addresses this issue. Preventing rehospitalization has definitely ...
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Know What Counts as Non-Pharmacological Pain Interventions for Coding Section J of the MDS 3.0
Can you include herbal pain remedies? Answer: According to the RAI User's Manual, says Sh...
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MDS & Compliance News to Use
The RUG-III Hybrid is no more. Congress passed legislation in December that repealed the ...
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Reader Questions:
Get the HIPPA Scoop on How to Handle Resident/Family Requests for Medical Records
Should you automatically fork over records to families who seem to have litigation in min...
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Reader Questions:
Get the HIPPA Scoop on How to Handle Resident/Family Requests for Medical Records
Question: How quickly does a nursing facility have to comply with an authorized request t...
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Reader Questions:
Get the HIPPA Scoop on How to Handle Resident/Family Requests for Medical Records
Question: What if the facility suspects a family member is requesting records related to ...
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