HCPro.com: PPS Alert for Long-Term Care

Looking for a tool to make your job easier? PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, exclusively for the RN or MDS coordinator, is your survival guide for complying with PPS.

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April 2008 (Volume 11, Issue 4)	view entire issue

Restorative nursing: Tips for a well-run program
More nursing homes are recognizing that restorative nursing (i.e., nursing rehabilitation) programs can benefit from Medicare, and many Medicaid, resource utilization group (RUG) case-mix classification systems, as well as surveys. (See "F-tags that restorative nursing can help you avoid" below.) However, many MDS coordinators are asked to run these programs with limited guidance. B.J. Collard, RN, BSN, CPHQ, RAC-C, founder of CTS, Inc., in West Minster, CO, and Diane Brown, a regulatory specialist with HCPro, Inc., offered several operational and organizational tips during the January 15 HCPro, Inc., audioconference, "Position Your Restorative Nursing Program for Success: Resident Gains Boost Morale, Retention, and Reimbursement."

Quality indicator survey rollout picks up speed
Editor's note: Part one of this two-part series reviews the current status of the quality indicator survey and the basic components of Stage I. Part two will examine how Stage II of this two-stage survey process works. Look for information on related MDS coding issues, as well as how to use surveyor tools to improve assessment and care planning, in future issues of PPSA. CMS is continuing in its now 10-year quest to deliver a more consistent, effective survey process. Accordingly, more nursing homes should now expect to undergo a data-driven quality indicator survey (QIS) instead of the traditional survey, said CMS officials at the February Skilled Nursing Facility/Long-Term Care Open Door Forum.

SNF ABN to be implemented by September 1
Change was the watchword for the February Skilled Nursing Facility/Long-Term Care Open Door Forum. CMS officials discussed topics that promise some upheaval for long-term care providers. (To learn about the changes coming via the quality indicator survey process, see p. 5.) Beneficiary notice changes are under way CMS released a revised general advance beneficiary notice (ABN) the first week of March. This revised notice will replace the two mandatory Medicare Part B ABNs, the general-use ABN-G and the laboratory-use ABN-L, as well as the voluntary Notice of Exclusions from Medicare Benefits (NEMB), said CMS officials. Skilled nursing facilities (SNF) currently use the ABN-G to notify residents who are not in a covered Part A stay about their potential liability for Medicare Part B items and services.

PPS Q&A
Editor's note: "PPS Q&A" is written by Rena R. Shephard, MHA, RN, FACDONA, RAC-CT, founding chair and executive editor of the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators and president of RRS Healthcare Consulting Services in San Diego.

Other recently-published articles from PPS Alert for Long-Term Care:

Focus on interviewing skills and working with vendors

PPS Q&A

The 2009 SNF PPS rates for Medicare

Make communication the key to successful care planning at your facility

Keys to keeping PPS assessments on schedule

CMS finally clarifies default billing

Learn the difference: Late vs. missed assessments

Counting therapy minutes: Use a triple-check review to ensure accuracy

PPS Q&A

Coding therapy on the MDS: Make sure minutes are coded accurately to avoid denials

Working the RAPs successfully: A guide to the process

RAP documentation: Achieve compliance

PPS Q&A

The RAPs: What they can do for you

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