Long-Term Care Survey Alert

In addition to the liability and generic notices you have to give residents related to Medicare payment, you may have a new one to add to the list. A new CMS proposal "would require most Medicare participating providers and suppliers to give Medicare beneficiaries written notice about their right to contact a Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) with concerns about the quality of care they receive under the Medicare program," the agency says in a release.

"By requiring providers and suppliers to furnish QIO contact information to all beneficiaries, we are protecting beneficiaries' rights to bring their worries about quality of care to a third party for review," CMS Administrator

Donald Berwick says in the release. Read the proposed rule starting on page 5755 at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/pdf/2011-2275.pdf.

Looking for new ways to prevent falls? Check out the recently updated American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatric Society's guidelines. Some of the recommended interventions, according to an AGS press release, include:

• "Multifactorial interventions which include exercise for balance, gait, and strength training, such as Tai Chi or physical therapy
• Cataract surgery where needed, but they recommend against vision intervention as an individual approach
• Medication reduction, regardless of the number of medications prescribed (in 2001 this was only recommended for those on at least four) with particular attention to medications that affect the brain such as sleeping medications and antidepressants
• Focus on raising low blood pressure and managing heart rate and rhythm abnormalities."

Read the full release at http://www.americangeriatrics.org/press/news_press_releases/id:1545.