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Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Resident Safety:
Don't Jeopardize Your Facility's Reputation: Pay Close Heed To Sexuality in Long-Term Care
Survey says: Special attention to staff training required. Sex in the facility? It may... Read more
Section G:
Code ADL Assistance Correctly
CMS offers clarification on “Rule of 3.” If the “Rule of 3” se... Read more
Sex in Long-Term Care:
Toward a Better Understanding
Those surveyed by AMDA favored a “staff training manual” as the most essenti... Read more
Sexual Abuse:
A Cautionary Tale
Recently, a federal appeals court upheld a finding of Immediate Jeopardy level penalties... Read more
Continuing Education:
Check Out These Resources For Staff Training
1) AMDA Survey, available at www.amda.com 2) “Management of Sexual Expression in... Read more
Diagnosis Spotlight:
Report Pressure Ulcers This Way in ICD-10
You’ll have 149 different pressure ulcer codes in the L89.000 to L89.95 range once... Read more
Industry Notes
Study: Your Next Dementia Fix Could Be Animal-Assisted Therapy Therapy animals help to... Read more
Survey Appeal Provisos:
CMP "Discounts" and "Independent" Appeals? Let the Buyer Beware
Weigh your options before you appeal. Any survey deficiency linked with a civil moneta... Read more
MDS 3.0:
Tactics to Help You Control Resident Interviews
Here’s how your interview skills for the cognitively impaired can apply to chatty ... Read more
IIDR Clock:
Stay Ahead with This Countdown
The IIDR clock starts ticking as soon as a CMP is imposed. Be sure that you understand t... Read more
Should You Self-Report A Deficiency?
A puzzling provision of the Affordable Care Act is one that offers nursing facilities a ... Read more
Compliance:
Check These Hospice Contracting Resources
Under new requirements, nursing facilities must designate an individual — a clinic... Read more
Human Resources:
Enhance Your Own and Your Employees' Performance With Properly Scheduled Vacation Time
Keep your brain, body and work ethic in tip-top shape. Become a more productive and ha... Read more
Industry News:
Get Ready For These jRAVEN Updates
On Sept. 23, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced multiple u... Read more
Life Safety Survey:
Caught Short With The Feds' Sprinkler Deadline? Here's How To Proceed
Hundreds are left scrambling toward compliance. Nursing homes marked a deadline five y... Read more
MDS 3.0:
Get Cracking On Missing/Late Discharge Assessments
Protect your facility from the impact on quality measures. A recent Survey and Certifi... Read more
Stay Current On All Life Safety Survey Issues
Take note of a second life safety memo released recently by the feds. On August 30, 20... Read more
Don't Let K Stand For Ka-Ching
Be proactive in addressing the most frequently cited (and costly) life safety K tags in ... Read more
Staffing Strategies:
Keep Staffing Transitions From Jeopardizing Reimbursement
Ensure process moves smoothly with these 6 tips. Take some time to create fall back ar... Read more
Nutrition:
Watch How You Code K0510
Don’t trip over K0510D —Therapeutic diet. Take a look at some of the four ... Read more
Industry News
Keep Up the Good Work in Reducing Antipsychotic Use Your data on Nursing Home Compare ... Read more
Compliance:
Hospice on the Horizon: Will New Rule Bring Opportunity -- or a Survey Storm?
Tip: Agreement must spell out circumstances requiring hospice notification. A new fina... Read more
Compliance:
Beware: Hospice-SNF Relationships Under The Microscope
Learn a valuable lesson from Hernando-Pasco Hospice’s fate. As you work out agre... Read more
Who Can Elect Hospice? Brush Up On These Medicare/Medicaid Facts
A Medicare beneficiary with Part A who is certified by a physician as being terminall... Read more
MDS 3.0:
Heed These Recent Changes to MDS Coding
Inappropriate use of dash could get your claim rejected. You could be jeopardizing you... Read more
MDS 3.0:
Avoid Pain Assessment Coding Pitfalls
Tip: Echo resident’s responses for coding pain frequency. You need to look for c... Read more
Industry Notes
Assess Whether Your Patients’ Hospitalizations Are  Avoidable Your nursing... Read more
Reader Question:
Sliding Scale Orders
Question: Can you explain why sliding scale orders are not counted as changes in orders?... Read more
Reader Question:
Accurately Document And Report Negative Outcomes Of Psychotropic Drugs
Question: How do we indicate monitoring of certain drugs? Answer:  Since so ... Read more
F-441 Compliance:
Adopt These Infection Control Measures and Safeguard Yourself Come Survey Time
Disinfection is the battle cry in the war on c. difficile. A few years have passed sin... Read more
MDS 3.0:
Get Your Discharge Assessments Right Every Time
Your quality coding and survey outcomes are both at stake. The Centers for Medicare &a... Read more
Here's How To Know Who's at Risk
Residents with the following characteristics are at increased risk for Clostridium diffi... Read more
Combat Clostridium Difficile With These Resources
For more information on C. difficile in long-term care settings, take a look at the foll... Read more
Quality of Care:
How Does Your Facility Rate? Check These Quality Stats
Staffing remains a matter of concern. If the Nursing Home Compare 5-Star Quality Ratin... Read more
ICD-10 Coding:
Get Encounter Details For Infected Surgical Wounds
Pay attention to 7th character in crosswalk for this diagnosis code. You’ll be g... Read more
Industry Notes
Medicare Finalizes SNF-Hospice Written Agreement Requirement Home health agencies and ... Read more
Reader Question:
Create A 'Faith Friendly' Workplace
Question: Many of our employees have asked to celebrate their cultural holidays and pray... Read more
Reader Question:
Count Days Patient Received Injections
Question:  It seems to me that coding injections in N0300 and for insulin again N03... Read more
F-Tags:
Take Infection Control Efforts to a New Level -- and Soar on F-441 and F-315 Compliance
Make infection control a priority. Starting this summer, expect surveyors to take a cl... Read more
Tool:
Cheat Sheet: Here's How to Identify a Symptomatic UTI
Take the guesswork out of your healthcare-associated urinary tract infection diagnoses w... Read more
Beware Strict F-315 Enforcement Levels
Survey strikes on F-315 are likely to land you with monetary penalties, in part because ... Read more
Add These UTI Resources To Your Infection Control Arsenal
These are important resources to aid your survey preparedness. 1.   &nb... Read more
SNF PPS 2014:
Fine Tune Scheduling To Meet Calendar Day Criteria
Low impact on therapy reimbursement for SNFs predicted. Heads up: The Centers for Medi... Read more
MDS 3.0:
Are You Making These Costly ADL Coding Errors?
Correct these 5 Section G mistakes and save your facility thousands in lost pay. Secti... Read more
Resident Assessment:
Evaluate Your Patients' Mental Status With These 3 Pointers
Key: You’re not using the BIMS to determine the resident’s mood, feelings, p... Read more
Survey:
Fight The Good Fight: Stay Focused On F329 Compliance
Antipsychotics are back in the news. Surveyors may soon be scrutinizing with renewed v... Read more
Tool:
You Can Scale for Describing the Scope and Severity of Behavior
You can rate emerging problem behaviors according to a scale like the one used below&mda... Read more
Case Study:
Saved By The Bell -- And A Person-Centered Approach To Care
Take a cue from CMS’s surveyor training—and troubleshoot dementia-related be... Read more
Educate Yourself And Your Staff
The following resources can help ensure that your policies are based on the latest evide... Read more
Compliance:
7 Steps To Antipsychotic Medication Compliance
Tread carefully when administering antipsychotic medications to your residents. With t... Read more
Staffing Strategies:
Adapt A Paid-Time-Off Model To Manage Employee Absences
Allow your staff this simple freedom and get out of the babysitting business. If your ... Read more
Medications:
Ask 8 Questions To Conduct A Thorough Pre-Psychotropic Assessment
Determine the resident’s ‘true needs’ before starting psychotropic med... Read more
Industry News
You No Longer Need An Inactivation Request For Certain MDS Errors The Centers for Medi... Read more
Reader Question:
Dementia Interview Criteria
Question: I have several residents who have dementia and are not consistent with their r... Read more
Reader Question:
What Is A Nonsensical Response?
Question: I’m having a difficulty understanding what a nonsensical response is. Ca... Read more
Transition Care:
Rethink Physician Roles to Ensure Compliance, Capture Market Share
Avoid readmissions with these tips.     Long-term care providers who wan... Read more
MDS Coding:
Watch Out: The Patient's Restorative Needs Might Also Require Formal Therapy
Tip: Check patient record carefully before coding. The Restorative Nursing Programs se... Read more
Tool:
Use These Compliance Cues for Regs Related to Physician Delegation of Tasks
In the real world — especially in a dually-certified facility offering both SNF an... Read more
O0500 Oops:
Avoid The Most Frequent Blunders
Learn how to properly code for CPM device use. Restorative Nursing Programs is not the... Read more
MDS Coding:
Tips Help You Choose The Right Quadriplegia Code
Learn the difference between functional and spinal quadriplegia.  If you haven&rs... Read more
Data Storage Strategies:
Ask The Right Document Management System Questions
Look for ease of setup and integration in your paperless system. Most facilities are g... Read more
Tool:
Form A 'Learning Circle' To Solve Critical Problems
Check out ways this communication method can improve understanding. Whether you need y... Read more
Clip 'N' Save:
Ask These Questions In Your Learning Circle
Get each person’s response to garner profound insights. SAMPLE LEARNING CIRCLE Q... Read more
Industry Note:
Industry Note:
Don’t Hold Your Breath for QAPI & ACA-Related Regulations The Centers for Me... Read more
Compliance:
Ready or not: New Dining Practice Standards are Now Official
Ready or not: New Dining Practice Standards are Now Official Surveyors are set to view... Read more
Compliance:
Ensure Your Plan Of Care Meets Medicare Standards
OIG scrutiny intensifies after scathing report. Quality of care is just one of the key... Read more
Today's Special:
Change
Tune into the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ interest in the new Dini... Read more
Quality of Care:
See How Your State Ranks In Nursing Home Quality Measures
CMS releases the latest quality data for short- and long-stays. The Centers for Medica... Read more
Electronic Records:
Ask These Questions Before Acquiring A New EMR System
Ease the transition with these tips. You need to interview your potential vendors to g... Read more
Management Strategies:
Get Top-Notch Performance By Crafting A Culture Of Accountability
Don’t let your patients or organization suffer. Nip accountability problems in t... Read more
Industry Notes
Submit Your Suggestions On SNF Therapy Payments If you have ideas about how the Center... Read more
F-Tags:
Take The Lead On Your Residents' Advance Directives Or Risk Regulatory Fallout In 2013
Watch for any conflicts between patient and family members on desired care giving and ou... Read more
Research:
Study Finds Regional Variations in Antipsychotic Use in Nursing Homes
Residents in central south states more likely to get antipsychotic prescriptions. Over... Read more
Tool:
Take These Steps To Stave Off Citations Under F-Tag 155
In its recent Survey and Certification memo on advance directives, CMS tells surveyors t... Read more
Business Builder:
Make Savvy Use Of Technology To Ensure Person-Centered Care
Annihilate staff/resident resistance to its incorporation by using these field-tested st... Read more
SNF ICD-10 Update:
Prep for These Dx Coding Changes for Infected Surgical Wounds
Tip: You must describe the infection to list an additional code. Last month, we brough... Read more
Staffing Strategies:
Give Your Team A Boost With These 3 Tips
Capitalize on your team’s strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses. Instead ... Read more
Industry Notes:
Industry Notes:
HHS Lawsuit Settlement Bucks ‘Improvement Standard’ A recent court decisio... Read more
Reader Question
Question: I have several residents whose charts are exploding. Is it really necessary fo... Read more
Survey Strategies:
What You Don't Know (Yet!) About Palliative Care
Get ready for the real test -- and beware: surveyors are one step ahead. Sure, yo... Read more
SNF ICD-9 Coding:
Present A Clear Picture Of Your Post-op Infection Care
Coding infected surgical wounds need not be a pain.     When you code fo... Read more
Tool:
What Surveyors Want You to Know about Palliative Care
Although many important survey changes affecting palliative care are contained in the CM... Read more
Tool:
Brush Up On The ABCs Of End-of-Life Care
CMS suggests this short cut to covering the essentials of end-of-life care planning. &... Read more
MDS 3.0 Corner:
J1100: Test Your Shortness of Breath (Dyspnea) Expertise With 2 Examples
Whether you breathe easy when coding dyspnea scenarios or scratch your head, reviewing t... Read more
Risk Management:
Gauge Medication Hazards With This Checklist
Find out when meds could put a patient at risk for serious complications.   It ... Read more
Industry Note:
Unencrypted Laptop Leads to ePHI Breach
The Hospice of North Idaho (HONI) will pay $50,000 to the U.S. Department of Health and ... Read more
Reader Question:
Clear Up Infected Pressure Ulcer Coding
Question: Our patient was admitted to the nursing facility for wound care to a Stage IV ... Read more
Reader Question:
Get A Therapy V-Code Refresher For SNFs And HHAs
Question: I’ve just relocated to a SNF setting from a hospital outpatient therapy ... Read more
Reader Question:
Report PT Tech's Services With This Advice
Question: We are currently building out our EMR content and the following questions came... Read more
Survey Strategies:
What's Your IQ? Boost Your "Investigative Quotient" To Avoid Costly Citations and Sanctions
Creating a comprehensive record can save the day when surveyors show up. The news isn&... Read more
Medicare Reimbursement:
Brace for More Medicare Outpatient Therapy Claims Scrutiny
Don’t rely on MACs to let up on reviews while Congress decides next actions. Th... Read more
Tool:
3 Easily-Missed Factors That May Lead to Errors
Use this chart to uncover hidden glitches as part of your root cause analysis. ... Read more
Hiring:
3 Tips Point You to the Most Effective MDS Nurse Candidate
Give the potential new hire a mock sample QI/QM report. Hiring an MDS nurse is an expe... Read more
Nursing Skills:
Look for These 4 Critical Skills When Assessing MDS Nurses
Experts share inside secrets to mastering a demanding role. The MDS coordinator doesn&... Read more
What Do You Think?
The following Q&As have been provided courtesy of Marilyn Mines, RN, BSN, RAC-CT, BC... Read more
Personnel Management:
5 Tips Alleviate Your Stress This Holiday Season
Get into the spirit of giving -- without undue stress on your psyche or your wallet... Read more
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