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Issue 12, December 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• RAI User's Manual changes effective October 1, 2013

  On September 27, 2013, CMS released the RAI Manual V1.11 Replacement Manual Pages and Change Tables...

• Facilities with satisfied staff have more satisfied customers and reduced deficiencies

  Could your facility reduce its risk of survey deficiencies and improve customer satisfaction by...

• Improving your facility's dementia care program and maintaining compliance

  Developing an effective dementia care program is essential for SNFs, and CMS' recent updates to...

• PPS Q&A

  Editor's note: This month's PPS Q&A was modified from the HCPro book, Long-Term Care Skilled...

Issue 11, November 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• 2013 statistics show a decrease in prescription antipsychotics

  In March 2012, CMS formed the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care. The motivation for...

• CDC report highlights increasing threat of antibiotic-resistant organisms

  Antibiotic resistance is a threat that all healthcare facilities have heard before, but after the...

• 2013 year-in-review: What we learned and what we have to look forward to in 2014

  It may be hard to believe, but 2013 is quickly coming to a close and 2014 is just as rapidly...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

  Editor's note: This month's PPS Q&A was modified from the HCPro book ICD-10 Essentials for...

Issue 10, October 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS issues final payment changes for fiscal year 2014

  If you hate surprises, then you were probably pleased with the final rule for the prospective...

• Redesigned Medicare Summary Notices add to a growing focus on fraud and abuse

  If 2013 has shown us anything, it's that the government is dead serious about reducing Medicare...

• GAO report reveals flaws in manual medical review process

  During the final three months of 2012, in response to the growing concern regarding costs for...

• HHS proposes updates to LTC Ombudsman ­program

  On June 14, the Administration on Aging and the Administration of Community Living (ACL), both...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

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

Issue 9, September 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• QAPI update: Looking ahead toward ­successful ­implementation

  On June 7, CMS officially announced the rollout of introductory materials for LTC facilities to use...

• Troubleshooting G-codes and modifiers for ­outpatient therapy

  June 30 marked the end of the testing period for the claims-based data collection requirement for...

• CMS releases updated surveyor guidance for residents with dementia

  A memo released by CMS to state survey directors on May 24 provided additional clarifications...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

  Editor's note: This month's PPS Q&A was modified from the HCPro book Satisfied Customers Seldom...

Issue 8, August 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Silencing alarms in the ­long-term care setting

  For years, patient alarms have been the main tool in preventing patient falls, particularly in...

• Battling C. diff infections with infection control basics

  Although often overshadowed by more-publicized counterparts, such as methicillin-resistant...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

  This issue of PPS Q&A covers monitoring residents who are on atypical antipsychotics and...

Issue 7, July 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS proposes a SNF rate increase for 2014

  In May, CMS released a proposed rule concerning Medicare payment and policy changes for SNFs for...

• CMS releases memo to survey agencies regarding sequestration

  When the federal sequestration hit March 1, government programs saw budget cuts across the board as...

• Update to fraud and abuse reporting offers greater incentives for whistleblowers

  If LTC providers weren't already focused on their compliance programs, a new proposed rule from CMS...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

  In this PPS Q&A, we discuss the tips for new coders to help them accurately find the proper...

Issue 6, June 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• OSHA targets high-risk workplaces for possible inspections

  In March, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sent letters to 9,400 employers...

• MedPAC reiterates recommendations to restructure Medicare payment system

  On March 15, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued its annual report to...

• Ongoing monitoring and periodic audits key to continued success

  Editor's note: This is the fifth and final installment of a series of articles focusing on how SNFs...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

  In this PPSA Q&A, we discuss the administrator’s role in the billing process at your...

Issue 5, May 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• OIG report highlights quality-of-care shortcomings

  If you were starting to wonder whether the Office of Inspector General (OIG) has a bone to pick...

• Identifying steps toward improving care planning and discharge planning

  The numbers featured in an OIG report released in February should tell SNF providers all they need...

• Refining systems and tools to improve early recognition and care

  Editor's note: This is the fourth installment of a ­series of articles focusing on how...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

  In this PPSA Q&A, Normal 0 false false false EN-US...

Issue 4, April 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• HIPAA finalizes omnibus rule, increases security for health data

  On January 17, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced its biggest set of...

• Improving nursing practices and systems to recognize the first signs of readmission

  Editor's note: This is the third installment of a series of articles focusing on how SNFs can help...

• AHCA Quality Report shows progress within the LTC industry

  In November, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) released its annual Quality Report, based...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

  We discuss ICD-10 and a transition strategy for facilities.  /* Style Definitions...

Issue 3, March 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• New claims-based data collection codes put additional pressure on therapists

  The testing period has begun for the claims-based data collection requirement for outpatient...

• Using root cause analysis to expose readmission weaknesses

  This is the second installment in a series of articles focusing on how SNFs can help reduce...

• Preventing staff burnout: A proactive approach to a happy and productive workforce

  The long-term care industry is one of the most regulated industries in healthcare, and at times it...

• MDS professor

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Issue 2, February 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• As more information comes forth, SNFs look to ­implement compliant QAPI programs

  Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, CMS has been working to address a specific...

• CMS memo clarifies confusion with medication ­administration and policies

  On November 2, 2012, CMS released a memorandum to survey agency directors regarding clarifications...

• The first step: Mastering the admissions process

  In the first article of this reducing readmissions series, we cover the first step: mastering the...

• MDS professor

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

• PPS Q&A

  This month's PPSA Q&A discusses the administrator’s role in ensuring quality performance...

Issue 1, January 1, 2013 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS officially updates the RAI manual

  In the beginning of November, CMS officially updated its MDS 3.0 RAI Manual to include billing and...

• Proposed Medicare settlement expands coverage for skilled nursing and therapy

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• CMS issues surveyor guidance for advance directives and end of life requests

  Two new CMS memos to state surveyors indicate that SNFs may be seeing more regulatory emphasis in...

• MDS professor

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

Issue 3, March 1, 2013

• PPS Q&A

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