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Issue 12, December 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• ADL scores rule new payment system

  Combine the following ingredients: caregivers with little training for scoring activities of daily...

• Survey prep for the MDS coordinator

  Every staff member in your nursing home has a unique way of preparing for your annual state...

• When a restraint is not a restraint

  If you turn to p. 3-198 in your Resident Assessment Instrument ( RAI ) User’s Manual to read...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 11, November 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Pay for performance: Boon or bane?

  Top-performing nursing homes might await the upcoming pay-for-performance system with happy...

• Navigating the RUGs 53 system

  CMS has promised to refine the Resource Utilization Group (RUG) system for so many years that you...

• Build a thriving Medicare census in your SNF

  Every skilled nursing facility (SNF) has done it-backed off from covering a resident under Medicare...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 10, October 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Generic notices prove difficult

  This isn’t likely to be the last explanation of the expedited determination process that...

• AA8 isn’t always easy to reason with

  You fill out MDS assessments about residents all week long, so it’s natural that you’re...

• Smart ways to structure the MDS department

  If you looked at the wish list of a typical MDS coordinator, topping it would probably be two...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 9, September 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Make your MDS accurate

  The complexity of timing, coding, and scheduling MDSs can become overwhelming at times...

• Tricks of the ICD-9 coding trade

  Editor’s note: This is the second in a two-part series about ICD-9-CM codes. Turn to last...

• Quality indicators and quality measures wed

  If you’ve been in your position for a while, you’re undoubtedly used to the old QIs...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 8, August 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Tricks of the ICD-9 coding trade

  Editor’s note: This is the first in a two-part article about ICD-9-CM codes. Check in again...

• Performance improvement basics

  You probably hear rumblings now and again about performance improvement, and maybe you even lead or...

• Try this activities of daily living refresher

  Are you getting bad returns on your activities of daily living (ADL) coding lately? Whether you...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 7, July 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• RAI User’s Manual changes, take two!

  MDS coding updates replace those released in March It’s difficult not to be confused by...

• What the SNF PPS proposed rule means for your reimbursement rates

  Grace days, lookback periods, and therapy projections It’s been a few years since the...

• Conduct a mock survey to help you prepare for when the real thing takes place

  Try these tested tips to pass your survey with flying colors Editor’s note: The following...

• New generic notice tells of Medicare termination

  As of July 1, skilled nursing facilities (SNF) could start using a different expedited review...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 6, June 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Goodbye, DAVE--hello, PERM

  Government continues chasing misspent funds This may be the first time you’ve heard of...

• Get an incontinence guidance preview

  New survey protocol requires a hard look If you already familiarized yourself with the draft...

• Are your care plans hard to handle?

  Simple steps to making care plans user-friendly, accessible Your care plans may be clinical...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 5, May 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS alters the format of your quality indicator reports in May

  If you expected CMS to roll out its new quality indicator (QI) reports on April 11 as the agency...

• Solving the skilled services puzzle

  How long to cover a resident under the Medicare benefit It's difficult enough to determine when...

• CMS releases-then revokes-manual changes

  Perhaps you had it on your list of things to do-to hunker down and read the changes to the Resident...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 4, April 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Ding, dong, the DAVE is done

  Ding, dong, the DAVE is done But he may reappear in another incarnation With all the talk of...

• The MDS takes the spotlight

  The MDS takes the spotlight Forthcoming initiatives will affect your job You may sometimes...

• Unlock the power of Section F

  Unlock the power of Section F Use psychosocial well-being to guide care plans Dr. W. is a...

• PPS Q&A

  PPS Q&A "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient...

Issue 3, March 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Seven ways to answer DAVE

  You may not have received it yet, but one day that letter will appear with the rest of the mail on...

• Essential ingredients of your RUGs

  You know that filling out a green-shaded item on the tricolor MDS form could affect your...

• Pick the perfect candidate for your job

  Sometimes it seems the work of an MDS coordinator is never finished. Among your other duties, you...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 2, February 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The changing face of the MDS

  The development of MDS Version 3.0 is chugging along. CMS has been reworking the basic...

• Support surfaces need second look

  Skilled nursing facilities (SNF) must prepare for surveyors who take a tougher stance when...

• Are you missing out on skilled services?

  Ever since CMS got tough on providers attempting to scam the system, some skilled nursing...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...

Issue 1, January 1, 2005 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• QIOs tell stories of success

  It's been more than two years since CMS rolled out the national Nursing Home Quality Initiative...

• In the aftermath of the MDS audit

  So you've taken the step to audit your facility's MDS assessments. This is a great achievement and...

• CMS reveals DAVE results during forum

  CMS' Data Assessment and Verification (DAVE) project to test MDS accuracy has been around for three...

• PPS Q&A

  "PPS Q&A" is written by Julia Hopp, MS, RN, CNAA, BC, vice president of patient accounting for the...