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BLTCR helps you negotiate the maze of regulations and reimbursement, staffing, and quality issues affecting the long-term care industry.

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Briefings on Long-Term Care

Issue 10, October 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Embracing change: How to make a big shift in culture

  Culture change is a hot topic in today’s long-term care industry, and it is possible that...

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

  Obtaining loans for your long-term care facility can be a lengthy process, and today’s...

• Project management pointers to develop staff leaders

  From reshaping the customer service department to planting a serenity garden, your staff members...

• Dealing with the challenge of medical identity theft

  It’s a hot topic everywhere—in television commercials, movie plots, and on the...

• Minimize mistakes when responding to the media

  It doesn’t matter whether your facility is located in a large U.S. metropolitan area or a...

• Avoid the ‘dirty little secret’ inside healthcare

  Curiosity. Malice. Efficiency. Rivalry. To be helpful. To be hurtful. Because they have a brief...

Issue 9, September 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Preparing for baby boomers

  Take a look at today's nursing home and think about how you'd want it to look if you were staying...

• Implement a successful discharge planning process

  Discharge planning can be a confusing process, with details that can often be overlooked. Case...

• Implement critical thinking in your facility

  When looking to develop a critical-thinking process in a facility, it's best to start with the...

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

  Generating referrals can sometimes seem like an arduous task. However, one of the simplest things...

Issue 8, August 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• MedPAC proposes SNF PPS changes for 2009

  The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) made two recommendations for Medicare's...

• CMS announces changes to two F-tags

  CMS has released an advance copy of revised surveyor guidance regarding nutrition and sanitary...

• Installing proper sprinkler systems in your facility

  CMS will soon release a regulation that requires all nursing homes without automatic sprinkler...

• Will your facility earn a five-star rating?

  Editor's note: This month's column was written by Diane Brown, a long-term care regulatory...

Issue 7, July 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• F-tag #329 update: One year after implementation

  F-tag #329, regarding gradual dose reduction, is a requirement that came out about one year ago...

• Improve retention rates by spending smarter: A financial approach to recruitment and retention

  Staffing issues are an ongoing problem in many nursing homes. However, some homes are discovering...

• Quality assurance: Why your facility should focus on quality

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

• Screening for MRSA: Looking beyond a universal approach

  Is universal screening the answer to reducing Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA...

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

  Editor's note: This month's column was written by Diane Brown, a long-term care regulatory...

Issue 6, June 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Improving quality: CMS announces strides toward quality-centered care

  CMS has released the 2008 Action Plan for (Further Improvement of) Nursing Home Quality. For...

• Dissecting the numbers: Analyze your QM/QI scores

  Interpreting the scores for quality measures/quality indicators (QM/QI) requires analysis and is...

• Falls prevention: Special considerations for your residents with Alzheimer's disease

  A basic falls prevention program is a vital component of resident care plans. However, it is...

• Overcoming language barriers with ESL staff members

  It is common for nurses and nursing assistants to come from various backgrounds. Therefore, dealing...

• Public pressure on nursing homes rises to new level

  Editor's note: This month's column was written by Diane Brown, a long-term care regulatory...

Issue 5, May 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL 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...

• 2009 payment rates for SNFs projected to remain the same

  A recent report released by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) suggested that no...

• 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...

• What's happening to substantial compliance?

  Editor's note: This month's column was written by Diane Brown, a long-term care regulatory...

Issue 4, April 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Paying for medication

  Paying for medications in your facility is a complicated and expensive process. There are a...

• DAB decisions: What you need to know

  The Department Appeals Board (DAB) is constantly releasing new decisions in reference to survey...

• MDS 3.0 changes are on the horizon

  CMS and its primary MDS 3.0 validation contractor, Santa Monica, CA-based RAND, Inc., recently held...

• Developing interview skills to obtain accurate data

  Some of us are gifted and talented interviewers. Most of us are not, but all of us can learn to be...

Issue 3, March 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Providing therapy through new rhythmic activities

  It can be a challenge to come up with new activities for your residents. Using music and rhythm as...

• Recognize common HIPAA myths and misconceptions

  Maintaining HIPAA compliance and the privacy of your residents is essential. However, it is...

• Work together to eliminate pressure ulcers

  With the help of the New Jersey Hospital Association's (NJHA) Pressure Ulcer Collaborative, the...

• Prevent violence in your facility

  Violence in the workplace is increasing in our society. Long-term care facilities are not exempt...

• Keep your facility infection free with precaution

  Healthcare workers are wearing gloves in many settings-in elevators, in hallways while transporting...

Issue 2, February 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Don't overreact to increased scrutiny of antipsychotic use

  On December 4, 2007, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) published a front-page story ("Prescription...

• Keep memory-impaired residents involved and engaged in stimulating activities

  The key to slowing down the progress of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia is to keep...

• Pay-for-performance demonstration: Some basics

  The three-year nursing home value-based purchasing demonstration, which will include up to 250...

• Don't get burned on your Life Safety Code® survey

  Moving liquid oxygen from one container to another-otherwise known as transfilling-is a common...

• Raising the bar for your nursing staff members

  Making sure nurses are competent in their skill sets is one of the most important responsibilities...

Issue 1, January 1, 2008 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Coming soon to a facility near you: The QIS process

  If the Quality Indicator Survey (QIS) process hasn't been implemented in your state yet, it...

• A picture is worth a thousand words: Photographic evidence in resident abuse

  There may come a time when you'll need to photograph a resident injury to determine whether it...

• The Green House project goes urban

  It's been said that the Green House® concept, with its emphasis on the psychosocial aspects of...

• For successful collections, the devil is in the details

  Like with so many other things in life, if you get the little things right in accounts receivable...

• BLTC Q&A

  Editor's note: This month's column was written by Noelle Shough, editor in the long-term care group...