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Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Focused Patient Care:
Residents Reign: Proposed Survey Changes Make Person-Centered Care A Must
Tip: Pay special attention to staffing requirements. The push for person-centered care... Read more
Survey Strategies:
Hone Your Skills To Meet New Survey Requirements
Take advantage of these resources. Approximately 85% of nursing homes in the United S... Read more
Patient Protection:
Caregivers Need To Be Crime Stoppers
Remember that preventing suspected criminal activity in the SNF is your duty. The prop... Read more
Residents' Mood Evaluation:
Brush Up On Your Coding Skills For Section D
Don’t let your patients go untreated for mood distress. Your coding of Section D... Read more
Section N:
Are You Making These Basic Blunders When Coding Medications?
Tip: Keep in mind what you must not code. Your coding of Section N — Medications... Read more
Infection Prevention:
Take Charge Of Infection Control -- Don't Delay
Tip: Don’t overdo the antibiotic bit; instead pay closer heed to basics. The st... Read more
Tool:
Take Control of Infection Risks With This Checklist
How can nursing and medical staff avoid the spread of Clostridium difficile? Use this... Read more
Section O:
Steer Clear Using O0700 Days as a RUG Enhancer
Have documentation in place to support your O0600 coding. The last thing you want is ... Read more
Toolkit:
Quick-Reference Chart: Match F-Tags With MDS Sections
Pay attention to citations relating to Chapters 2 and 4 as well. With the MDS-focused ... Read more
J1900 Coding:
Tighten Up Your Falls Coding
Prevent potential penalties in the future. Your coding of falls on the MDS has become ... Read more
Industry Note:
Look for Reformatted RAI Manual Pages and Revised QMs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been busy revising and refini... Read more
Adverse Drug Events:
Expect A New Level Of Intense Scrutiny From Surveyors
Trial lawyers and surveyors take aim at adverse events related to Coumadin. If you&rsq... Read more
Quality Reporting:
Report On These PAC Quality Measures Or Risk Pay
CMS planning to fulfill IMPACT Act goal of standardized patient assessment data. Your ... Read more
Clip & Save:
Use This Adverse Drug Event Trigger Tool
(Anticoagulants/Antithrombotic Medications)   Source: Centers for Medicare &... Read more
Prospective Payment System:
Are You Ready To Protect Your Pay?
Aligning quality measures in the post-acute care settings to become real. If you are n... Read more
Research Alert:
Depression Remains Major Risk in Long-Term Care
Turn to targeted quality improvement to enhance resident care — and survey results... Read more
Tool:
Tips for Motivating Residents to Self-Perform ADLs
When symptoms of depression are present, use this tool to involve all caregivers in supp... Read more
Section M:
Keep Your Pressure Ulcer Management Top Notch
Tip: Be specific about intervention and frequency. Skin integrity is one of the major ... Read more
ICD-10:
Keep Updated with Revised Educational Tools
CMS recently released revised versions of several ICD-10 educational materials, includin... Read more
ICD-10 Transition:
Stay On Top Of ICD-10 Transition With New Training Materials
Pay attention to the myriad of common coding practices. To ensure that you’re fu... Read more
Industry Notes
Consider New Pressure Ulcer Guidance On ‘Bottoming Out’ Are you using t... Read more
Survey Strategies:
Stave Off Superbugs -- And Survey Citations
Renew attention to F441 guidance and news of antibiotic resistance. Renewed attention ... Read more
War on Superbugs Gets White House, TED Talk Attention
Superbugs are such a hot topic this summer that everyone from TED Talk speakers to Presi... Read more
Check Out This Study To Develop UTI Guidelines And Tools
AMDA on the front lines. On June 30, The Society for Post-Acute and Long Term Care Med... Read more
Handy Resources List:
Here are more sources to help you get more information
The latest guidance from CMS on F411 was issued in 2009, the “Updated Guidance to ... Read more
SNF Quality Reporting:
Here's Why Submitting Your Quality Data Matters More Than Ever
Latest proposed rule links payment with quality of care. Focusing on collecting your r... Read more
Compliance:
Beware Nixing Benes from MA and MMP Plans
CMS to LTC facilities: Doing this could get you into hot water. The Centers for Medica... Read more
Industry Notes:
Is Your Star Rating Related To Your Facility's Size?
Non-profit nursing homes are nabbing higher quality star ratings than for-profit facilit... Read more
PBJ:
Remodel Your Staffing Plan Or Trigger Scrutiny At Survey Time
Prepare now for PBJ: CMS is hungry for your staffing data. The feds’ new system ... Read more
Care Quality:
Is Your Facility At Risk During Focused Dementia Care Survey?
Learn from pilot survey results. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS... Read more
Care Planning:
Individualize Care Planning For Best Outcomes
Know resident’s preferences to help minimize distress. You have a better chance ... Read more
Patient Privacy:
Safeguard Your Paper Records - They're Black Market Gold
Tip: Shredding records is critical. The speed at which the HHS Office for Civil Rights... Read more
Industry Notes:
SNFs: Go Ahead With Efficient Medication Dispensing Methods
Pay attention to important changes to Medicare Advantage (MA), as well as Medicare Part ... Read more
QAPI:
Boost Your QAPI Quotient to Stay a Step Ahead of Surveyors
Feds aim for better dementia care through performance improvement. Better dementia car... Read more
Section I:
Begin Using ICD-10 Codes In October Or Suffer Denials
Tip: The new codes contain expanded detail and far more specificity. The Medicare Acce... Read more
Resources
Check out these resources to get a leg up on understanding QAPI and its role in improvin... Read more
QAPI:
Understand The Difference Between Quality Assurance And Process Improvement
Just the basics: If you’re new to QAPI, be sure you understand the difference betw... Read more
Dementia Care:
Need Inspiration? Check Out This Video
If you’re looking for a way to engage staff in QAPI initiatives related to dementi... Read more
Tool:
Understand Root Cause Analysis
Root cause analysis is central to QAPI, so practice it now to be sure you’re savvy... Read more
Staffing Strategies:
Invest In A Great MDS Coordinator
This position can make a crucial difference to your facility’s bottom line. You ... Read more
Industry Notes:
What The SGR Repeal Means For Your Facility
President Barak Obama signed into law the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act o... Read more
Care Planning:
Follow 5 Steps to a Flawless CAA Process
Tip: Your CAA summary should provide the basis for an individualized care plan. Good C... Read more
Pressure Ulcers:
Take A Holistic Approach To Pressure Ulcer Prevention And Healing
Find and use what best fits the patient’s nutritional intake history and lifestyle... Read more
HIPAA Audits:
Use OCR Audits Delay To Identify Potential Risks And Vulnerabilities
Are your HIPAA policies and procedures up-to-date? You may be sighing with relief at t... Read more
Competency Assessments:
Use 6 Tips to Improve How You Gather Assessment Feedback
Give the best possible care to your patients and residents. Don’t get caught in ... Read more
Industry News:
Look For Expanded Efforts To Combat Improper Antipsychotic Prescribing
Nursing homes won’t be the only healthcare providers in the glaring spotlight of a... Read more
Adverse Events:
Care Planning And Medication Missteps: Expect Renewed Surveyor Scrutiny In 2015
New OIG report highlights preventable adverse events and hospital readmissions. Will a... Read more
Section A:
4 New Scenarios Help You Complete Admission Assessment Correctly
Much needed clarifications on A1600 and A1900 issued by CMS. Looking for some clarific... Read more
Tool:
Anticipate 20 Care Area Triggers With This Handy Cheat-Sheet
Coding these items in certain ways may (or may not) become care area triggers. Make yo... Read more
Industry Notes:
Take a Peek at the October 2015 MDS Item Sets
On Jan. 29, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted a new version ... Read more
F Tags:
These Changes Could Definitely Catch You Unawares
Read fine print in survey guidance for 2015. Late last year, the feds quietly released... Read more
Section A:
Clear Up Confusion Regarding A1600 & A1900 Coding Interplay
Know when Entry Date is different from Admission Date. The October 2014 RAI Manual upd... Read more
F Tag Changes:
Newly Revised for 2015
Watch out for these changes too. At a glance, here are the main sections and related F... Read more
Section P:
Keep Your Physical Restraint Coding Up-to-Snuff
Use this three-step process for properly coding P0100. Are you certain that your staff... Read more
Human Resources:
Make Performance Appraisals Worthwhile With Actionable Feedback
Tip: Vague expectations leave employees clueless. A successful performance review, whe... Read more
Patient Privacy Enforcement News:
Warning: Laptops Used In The Field Are At High Risk
Just because a laptop is password-protected doesn’t mean that you can avert a HIPA... Read more
ICD-10 Implementation:
Deadline Draws Near For ICD-10 (Again!)
This time, start training in earnest. You’ve lived through a few false starts, b... Read more
SNFs:
Your Future Pay Could Hinge on the Quality Measures Reported
Tip: New tool will measure quality based on a variety of metrics. A new law that aims ... Read more
Basic Training:
Watch Out For Code Extensions
All ICD-10 diagnosis codes have between 3 and 7 characters. Here’s how they break ... Read more
Resources:
Tap Into These Free Training Resources As You Step Up Training
ICD-10-CM Guidelines: Go to this source for a basic overview: www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/icd/... Read more
Section A:
Understand the Difference Between "Stay" and "Episode of Care"
Know what works in A1900. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) left ... Read more
HIPAA Enforcement:
Watch For Limited Liability Where No Actual Loss Is Incurred
Warning: Don’t let up on breach prevention efforts. Though a state appeals court... Read more
Industry Notes:
Get Your Residents 'Tweeting' To Improve Their Cognitive Capacity
Want to help your elderly residents to improve their overall mental health and well-bein... Read more
Emergency Readiness Planning:
Make "Be Prepared" This New Year's Resolution
Beware survey-related snafus if you aren’t ready.  2014 brought news of sev... Read more
Compliance:
Avoid a Survey Crisis
Ensure your emergency plan supports regulatory requirements. Make no mistake. Some asp... Read more
Quality of Care:
Watch Out: Crack Down on Nursing Home Quality-Of-Care Likely In 2015
Don’t let staffing issues become your Achilles’ heel. You can expect unpre... Read more
Section A:
Get a Handle On The Most Significant MDS Changes
Are you certain about what an ‘episode of care’ signifies? If you’ve... Read more
HIPAA Compliance:
Don't Let Emergencies Become a HIPAA Breach Disaster
Least possible information is the gold standard. Remember your obligations to public h... Read more
Check Out 3 Important RAI Manual Technical Updates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made several key changes to the R... Read more
Available Years:  2015  2014  2013  2012  2011  2010  2009  2008  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003  2002