HCPro.com: Briefings on Long-Term Care

May 2008 (Volume 16, Issue 5)	view entire issue

Deciphering the STRIVE data: Determine what it means for future payments
The draft results for the Staff Time and Resource Intensity Verification (STRIVE) project from the Technical Expert Panel (TEP) meeting on February 13 are now available-but what does it all mean? The STRIVE project is sponsored by CMS and is being conducted by the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care of West Des Moines. The draft results contain the data that have been collected thus far.

2009 payment rates for SNFs projected to remain the same
A recent report released by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) suggested that no increase in payment rates should be made for skilled nursing facilities (SNF) for fiscal year 2009. The report, titled Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy, contained three main recommendations for SNFs. First, the report indicates that no payment increase is necessary for SNFs in 2009.

Updating your disaster plan: Include necessary revisions
A disaster plan is a necessity in all long-term care facilities, and updating it on a regular basis has become a standard procedure. "There are lots of things covered in our disaster plan," says Bob Richard, executive director at Kansas City (KS) Presbyterian Manor (KCPM). Policies and procedures that are important to cover in your disaster plan include: Biological threats Bomb threats Armed robbery Emergency water supply Workplace disturbance or violence

What's happening to substantial compliance?
Editor's note: This month's column was written by Diane Brown, a long-term care regulatory specialist at HCPro. Recent statistics from the 2007 Nursing Home Data Compendium show sharp declines in nursing home survey deficiencies cited at the B and C levels, whereas time citations issued at the D and E levels are drifting upward (see Figure 1 on p. 12 of the PDF of this issue). Although these trends are disturbing and need close monitoring by the industry, we should explore potential reasons, including recent changes to the survey process, that may help to explain these shifts.

Other recently-published articles from Briefings on Long-Term Care:

Avoid the ‘dirty little secret’ inside healthcare

Minimize mistakes when responding to the media

Dealing with the challenge of medical identity theft

Project management pointers to develop staff leaders

Receive financial backing: What you need to take out a loan

Embracing change: How to make a big shift in culture

Capturing referral opportunities: How to avoid letting money fall through the cracks

Implement critical thinking in your facility

Implement a successful discharge planning process

Preparing for baby boomers

Will your facility earn a five-star rating?

Installing proper sprinkler systems in your facility

CMS announces changes to two F-tags

MedPAC proposes SNF PPS changes for 2009

Are you taking advantage of the QM/QI trend reports?

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