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Issue 12, December 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Making sense of the OIG 2012 Work Plan

  Released in October, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan for fiscal year 2012 contains...

• Improving your facility's CAA process

  Learn about the CAA's function and why the entire interdisciplinary team needs to play a role in...

• Managing the Medicare payment cut at your facility

  Find out how your facility can not only survive, but thrive despite the 2012 Medicare payment cut.

• MDS professor

  Think you’re an MDS expert? Test your knowledge of this long-term care assessment tool with...

• PPS Q&A

  We answer a common question about the various assessment types.

Issue 11, November 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Integration within your interdisciplinary team: Incorporating activities and social services in the MDS

  After reading this article, you will be able to: Discuss why activities and social services...

• Mastering the art of Medicare meetings

  What is the purpose of the Medicare meeting? This meeting allows the interdisciplinary...

• HIPAA Version 5010 compliance: Is your SNF ready for the switch?

  After reading this article, you will be able to: Identify the implementation date for the...

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS and long-term care by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

  Q What is the best way to manage a resident's pain? Also, can you direct me to some resources...

Issue 10, October 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS releases SNF PPS final rule for fiscal year 2012

  After reading this article, you will be able to: Discuss the payment changes for SNFs in FY...

• Achieve EOT-R excellence

  Just when facilities were getting used to the different types of therapy assessments, CMS throws...

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS and long-term care by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

  Q How can you tell when the transfer requirements are met?

Issue 9, September 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• ICD-10-CM: Implementation is closer than it may seem

  After reading this article, you will be able to:

• Take the money and run: Tips to reduce your SNF's expenses and protect your bottom line

  Maintaining a healthy business during a recession is no easy task in any industry, but SNFs have to...

• Becoming an MDS coordinator

  Becoming an MDS coordinator   I am a sports fan, so sports metaphors come easily to me...

• CMS releases updated R-131

    CMS releases updated R-131 Identify when to start using the new R-131 and when to...

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS and long-term care by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

    PPS Q&A

Issue 8, August 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• One is the loneliest ­number: Coding isolation on the MDS

  CMS released version 1.05 of the RAI User's Manual June 2, and although a lot of the changes were...

• CMS clarifies the use of dashes on the MDS

  Members of the interdisciplinary team have struggled to determine when to use dashes on the MDS...

• Ensuring valid delivery of the new NOMNC

  On February 28, the new Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC) form went into effect. The NOMNC...

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

    Learn how to write good therapy goals for your residents with these helpful...

Issue 7, July 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Reduce rehospitalizations with staff education and risk identification

  After reading this article, you will be able to: List ways facilities can help reduce the...

• New FAQs about HIPAA version 5010 implementation

  In May, CMS posted 18 new FAQs about the implementation of HIPAA version 5010. Some of these FAQs...

• Submission specifics: Filing assessments for MA and private insurance residents

  Editor's note: The following article was written by Diane Brown, a regulatory specialist and...

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

  Editor's note: This month's PPS Q&A was modified from the HCPro book Nursing and Therapy...

Issue 6, June 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Reducing rehospitalizations by improving care transitions

  After reading this article, you will be able to: Discuss the financial implications of...

• The backup plan: Following the PPS schedule with MA residents

  During the SNF Open Door Forum (ODF) in March, CMS addressed many questions regarding managed...

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

  How will the Affordable Care Act (ACA) impact long-term care insurance?

Issue 5, May 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Avoid common and costly MDS mistakes

  After reading this article, you will be able to: Discuss MDS errors that can have a...

• Accountable care organizations: Where does your facility fit in?

  After reading this article, you will be able to: Explain the ACO mandate in the ACA and...

• Notice know-how: Issuing appropriate ABNs

  The guidelines regarding some SNF beneficiary notices may soon be changing. In time, the new SNF...

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

  Q We are frequently seeing discrepancies in documentation and coding for the ADLs in Section G of...

Issue 4, April 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• ACA and LTC: How health reform will impact your nursing facility?

  This article will discuss the details of the value-based purchasing and payment bundling provisions...

• The proactive prevention of healthcare-associated infections in long-term care

  Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) are a big problem, but they can be prevented.

• MPPR update: The impact on your facility

  MPPR is a hot topic. Learn why!

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

  This excerpt explains what is classified as a skilled service.

Issue 3, March 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• MDS 101: How to train the MDS newbie

  Learning the MDS 3.0 has been a trying time for ­many veteran MDS coordinators, so imagine...

• PPSA advisors share insights

  Get to know some of the PPS Alert for Long-Term Care advisory board members and their thoughts on...

• MDS professor

  Test your knowledge of the MDS by answering the following questions.

• PPS Q&A

  We answer common questions about managing behavioral problems and identifying hyponatremia and...

Issue 2, February 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• The resident interview process: What was all the fuss about?

  Although navigating the new resident interview process of the MDS 3.0 may not be smooth sailing...

• MPPR implementation is bad news for nursing facilities and rehab providers

  Providing quality therapy to SNF residents is going to be more difficult if the multiple...

• LTC insurance is here to stay

  Although the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) includes a section about a...

• PPS Q&A

  We answer readers questions about evidence-based practices of the Care Area Assessments and...

Issue 1, January 1, 2011 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Examining Section E: Correctly code behaviors and rejections of care

  The intent of Section E of the MDS 3.0 is to identify behavioral symptoms that may cause distress...

• Don’t let the bed bugs bite: Proactive prevention

  You’ve probably seen stories about these pests on the evening news or read about them online...

• The discharge assessment: Frustration and the future

  With the birth of the MDS 3.0, SNFs have faced a number of challenges, including the integration...

• PPS Q&A

  Q. What constitutes a significant change and would require the completion of a significant change...