Long-Term Care

Long-Term Care Articles by Topic: Survey

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, October 2009

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 10, October 1, 2009

    The September 2009 issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care brings long-term care professionals...

Master the Medicare appeals process

  • LTC Educator's Corner, Issue 4, September 7, 2009

    At one point or another, many SNFs will disagree with their fiscal intermediary’s (FI...

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care September 2009

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 9, September 1, 2009

    The September 2009 issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care brings long-term care professionals...

CMS releases new infection control guidelines for nursing homes

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 9, September 1, 2009

    On July 17, CMS released Transmittal R51SOMA, which combines and revises the surveyor guidance on...

ZPICs crack down on Medicare fraud and abuse

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 9, September 1, 2009

    You may not have heard of Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPIC), but they will soon be...

CMS revises survey guidance for quality of life F-tags: Are you in compliance?

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 8, August 1, 2009

    CMS recently released new guidance for nursing home surveyors regarding 11 F-tags, many of which...

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, August 2009

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 8, August 1, 2009

    The August 2009 issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care brings long-term care professionals...

CMS details infection control expectations with Transmittal R51SOMA

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 28, July 23, 2009

    Relocating F-tags 442, 443, 444, and 445 to F441, Transmittal R51SOMA provides a thorough...

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, July 2009

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 7, July 1, 2009

    The July 2009 issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care brings long-term care professionals information...

CERT program could test your documentation

  • Billing Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 7, July 1, 2009

    Your facility can survive a CERT review by complying with the program’s guidelines and...

CMS releases updates to quality of life F-tags

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 23, June 18, 2009

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released several revisions to its...

ZPICs: New program cracks down on Medicare fraud and abuse

  • Billing Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 6, June 1, 2009

    CMS developed ZPICs to fix flaws in the current Medicare program integrity system, which protects...

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care June 2009

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 6, June 1, 2009

    The June 2009 issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care brings long-term care professionals information...

PPS Q&A

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 6, June 1, 2009

    Columnist Rena R. Shephard, MHA, RN, RAC-MT, C-NE, answers your questions

New Recovery Audit Contractor FAQs

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 19, May 21, 2009

    CMS updated the frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) program...

Seeing stars: Who's looking at your SNF's star rating?

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 5, May 1, 2009

    When CMS unveiled the Five-Star Quality Rating System for nursing homes in December 2008, the...

F309 puts pressure on pain management

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 5, May 1, 2009

    To comply with F309, nursing facilities must reexamine how they assess and manage pain in...

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, May 2009

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 5, May 1, 2009

    The May 2009 issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care brings long-term care professionals information...

CMS releases pain management guidelines for nursing homes under F309

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 15, April 16, 2009

    Pain management is about to come under intense scrutiny with the release of new pain management...

Nursing home value-based purchasing demonstration begins in July

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 14, April 9, 2009

    CMS plans to test whether financial incentives can encourage nursing facilities to make quality...

Tip of the week: Know when to notify physicians about abnormal labs

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 13, April 2, 2009

    In some situations, the facility continues to have the responsibility for identifying potential...

Identify ADL decline before your next survey

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 4, April 1, 2009

    Identifying activities of daily living (ADL) decline early is the key to helping residents maintain...

Alert for Long-Term Care, April 2009

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 4, April 1, 2009

    The April 2009 issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care brings long-term care professionals...

Revised guidance for F309

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 9, March 5, 2009

    On January 23, CMS provided long-term care surveyors with revised guidance on F309, quality of care.

Quality assurance

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 7, February 19, 2009

    Quality assurance (QA) is linked to quality improvement (QI), and in long-term care, it’s...

RAC protests withdrawn and expansion schedule updated

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 6, February 12, 2009

    Unsuccessful bidders withdrew their protests to the recovery audit contractor (RAC) program on...

Beneficiary notifications: Simplify the process at your SNF

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 2, February 1, 2009

    Avoid survey and financial liability problems by learning which notices your facility must issue...

CMS launches five-star rating system

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 2, February 1, 2009

    CMS' five-star quality rating system will require nursing homes to tell the public about what the...

New information regarding the SNF ABN and F309

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 51, December 18, 2008

    The unveiling and implementation of the new SNF advanced beneficiary notice (ABN) has been delayed...

CMS implements the Five Star Quality Rating System

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 51, December 18, 2008

    During a December 11 SNF open door forum held by CMS, Thomas Hamilton, director of CMS&rsquo...

Recovery audit contractors: Ready or not, here they come

  • Billing Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 12, December 1, 2008

    Billers can help to better prepare their SNFs for the expanding RAC program by enacting prevention...

Fluid status monitoring: A good program starts with CNAs

  • PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, Issue 12, November 1, 2008

    Empowering certified nursing assistants (CNA) to recognize and report early signs of dehydration...

CMS announces new permanent recovery audit contractors

  • Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly, Issue 42, October 9, 2008

    On October 6, CMS announced the launch of the national recovery audit contractor (RAC) program...