Long-Term Care Survey Alert
MEDICARE TO PAY FOR E-STIM WOUND TREATMENT
Wound coverage is about to improve for residents with difficult-to-treat ulcers.
Under a new national coverage decision, Medicare will pay for electrical stimulation as an adjunctive therapy for four types of chronic nonhealing wounds. Providers have lobbied for the national coverage policy for many years. Currently local Medicare contractors decide whether to pay for e-stim treatments on a case-by-case basis.
Therapists deliver electrical stimulation through electrodes placed directly on the skin close to the wound, which appears to promote healing.
The types of wounds Medicare will cover once the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issues a coverage policy to implement the national coverage decision are: pressure ulcers (stages III and IV only), arterial ulcers, venous stasis ulcers and diabetic ulcers. Read the full memo on the new coverage at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/coverage/8b3-ii3.asp.
Long-Term Care Survey Alert
- Survey Management:
OPPOSING STRATEGIES CAN TURN AROUND A LOSING SURVEY
Every survey is a gamble. That’s because no matter what kind of winning hand you [...] - Survey Appeals:
A SURVEY SUCCESS STORY AFTER THE FACT
No luck convincing surveyors to put up their citation pads during the exit conference? All [...] - Survey Data Management:
WHAT TO DO WHEN CMS' 'NURSING HOME COMPARE' SITE IS WRONG
It’s painful enough to see negative survey or quality performance information about your facility on [...] - Survey Reporting:
FORMER OPERATORS' SURVEY SINS AND DOT-COM SITES HAUNT NURSING FACILITIES
Providers and nursing home organizations are lobbying for a number of reforms to protect themselves [...] - Care Plan Management:
UNCAN 'CANNED' CARE PLANS TO AVOID QUALITY CITATIONS
Caveat care planners: If your facility uses a prefabricated or “canned” care plan, make sure [...] - Resident Assessment:
IMPROVE DIETARY ASSESSMENT -- BEFORE SURVEYORS FORCE YOU TO
Here’s food for thought: Nursing assistants in a recent study assessed resident meal intake accurately [...] - Survey Preparation:
HOW SURVEYORS CALCULATE FOOD AND FLUID INTAKE
Ready to do some math? If you really want to get inside the mind of [...] - Resident Nutrition:
3 TIPS FOR IMPROVING RESIDENT DIETARY INTAKE
Residents not eating or drinking enough? Try these simple strategies: 1. Check with the physician [...] - Quality Initiative:
PARTNERSHIPS KEY TO NURSING HOME QUALITY INITIATIVE
Providers recently got a heads up on the federal quality nursing home quality initiative set [...] - Quality Initiative:
CMS BROADCAST TO EXPLAIN QUALITY MEASURES
Mark your calendars: On Sept. 20, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to [...] - Clinical Research:
AROMATHERAPY MAY CALM RESIDENTS WITH DEMENTIA
The aroma of lemon balm may be just what the doctor ordered for agitated residents [...] - Survey Studies:
CMS SET TO STUDY SURVEY INCONSISTENCY
Wish someone would finally do something to improve the consistency and accuracy of surveys? The [...] - Medicare Reimbursement:
MEDICARE TO PAY FOR E-STIM WOUND TREATMENT
Wound coverage is about to improve for residents with difficult-to-treat ulcers. Under a new national [...]
