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Issue 12, December 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• RAI manual update holds limited changes and clarifications

  In addition to a handful of grammatical fixes, the updates include clarifications for submitting...

• Repeat F-tag deficiencies plague nursing homes across the U.S.

  An analysis by the Coalition for Quality Care finds that 44% of nursing homes are...

• Forthcoming QIO updates increase pressure on SNFs to improve care quality

  One expert says that impending changes to Quality Improvement Organization rules will force SNFs to...

• Community falls program instills confidence, saves money

  Recent analyses suggest A Matter of Balance leads to significant Medicare cost savings, and could...

Issue 11, November 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• GAO agrees to conduct audit of five-star system amid mounting criticism of the tool

  Since it was first implemented in 2009, the Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System has been...

• Latest ACO performance results are a mixed bag of successes, shortfalls

  In June, CMS finalized a collection of December 2014 proposals for its Medicare Shared Savings...

• Upcoming payment phase advances CMS' initiative to reduce avoidable hospitalizations among nursing home residents

  For the last three years, LTC providers associated with CMS' Initiative to Reduce Avoidable...

• Proposed rule thrusts LGBT antidiscrimination into the spotlight

  In a new legislative proposal, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is taking aim at...

Issue 10, October 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• 25-year-old long-term care CoPs to get face-lift

  After a quarter-century dry spell, CMS has proposed updates to the long-term care CoPs that aim to...

• CMS unveils bundled payments for joint replacements

  SNFs that thrive on post-surgery joint replacement care are facing a new payment model that could...

• Overpayments tied to therapy billing attract more federal scrutiny of SNFs

  Therapy assessments have long been pitfalls for the SNF industry. But a recent Office of Inspector...

• Establishing dementia care best practices: How to do it and why it matters

  Today, there are millions of individuals around the globe living with Alzheimer's/dementia, and...

Issue 9, September 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS pushes SNFs toward payment reform in FY 2016 PPS final rule

  In its final SNF PPS rule for fiscal year (FY) 2016, released in late July, CMS pushed the bulk of...

• Expert Q&A | NOTICE Act becomes law: Regulatory experts on why SNFs should take note

  On August 6, President Obama signed the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care...

• Safeguard revenue against partner billing flubs: The five-step invoice verification process

  Due to the complexities of consolidated billing (CB), knowledge gaps on its finer points and a...

Issue 8, August 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Developing nurse leadership: Paving the path toward culture change

  Many nurses in long-term care have roles that require them to lead, yet they have never been given...

• The DRNO protocol: Adopting an analytical approach to behavioral intervention

  What is a negative behavior? More often than not, it is a response to a person or a situation and...

• Debunking Medicare Part A SNF myths

  With the increasing scrutiny and regulatory congestion in today's healthcare climate, it can be a...

Issue 7, July 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Beyond the doc fix: What MACRA means for the SNF sector

  On April 16, President Obama signed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of...

• Communication skills to fuel success throughout the facility

  As regulatory and legislative changes continue to reshape care and payment paradigms throughout...

• MSP claims: When billers must be detectives

  Medicare as Secondary Payer (MSP): the claims so many billers dread. Many MSP situations are...

• Internal auditing strategies for ongoing ICD-10 success

  With the October 1 implementation date of ICD-10 now on a fast track to fruition--and no further...

Issue 6, June 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• CMS sets sights on future quality, payment initiatives in 2016 SNF PPS proposed rule

  In mid-April, CMS released its proposed SNF PPS rule for fiscal year (FY) 2016. Though the...

• Sound the alarm: Three reasons (and ways) to abolish chair alarms in your facility

  Since the 1990s, SNFs have turned to chair alarms to protect their residents from falls. At first...

• Bolster billing compliance: Implement a Medicare Part A triple-check process

  Medicare billing is a domain rife with payer offshoots and evolving regulations that can be...

• Trendspotting: SNFs tentative about ACOs

  HCPro recently posed a few questions to the readers of MDS 3.0 Insider, a free weekly e-newsletter...

Issue 5, May 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Star razing: Providers face quality rating dips after system recalibration

  On February 12, CMS announced the dawn of Nursing Home Compare 3.0, a version update marked by a...

• Stakeholders take NOTICE of mounting ­observation status reform legislation

  In mid-March, the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved the Notice of Observation...

• Rev up prevention efforts for World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

  June 15 will be the ninth annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD)?an event held to unite...

Issue 4, April 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• ACOs look to long-term care to fill ranks

  Since the Institute of Medicine first coined the term "patient-centered care" in a 2001...

• Harnessing the therapeutic self: Facilitate positive behaviors in residents with dementia

  Never underestimate the powerful impact you can have on others?particularly those for whom you...

• Navigating the LTC technology landscape: How SNFs are using HIT, POC tools

  When it comes to technology, SNFs and their fellow postacute care (PAC) providers are rapidly...

Issue 3, March 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• Red hot PEPPERs: Why SNFs should access their 2015 reports next month

  Kick up compliance and audit preparedness in key billing areas

• Recent F-tag updates emphasize patient choice, evidence-based care

  The tides of healthcare reimbursement continue to shift from quantity of services rendered to...

• Turn turnover on its head: Strategies for keeping frontline staff on board

  Between soaring turnover rates, skepticism surrounding providers' reporting of staffing levels, and...

Issue 2, February 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• New research points to perks of nursing home-hospice partnerships

  High hospice penetration in the nursing home can reduce hospitalization risks for all residents and...

• Medicare Advantage Q&A

  Medicare Advantage plans, also known as managed care, Part C, and MA plans, are offered by Medicare...

• Five reasons to identify the disease stage of individuals with dementia

  Dementia capable care insights

• Laying the preliminary framework for an effective QAPI program

  Editor's note: This article was adapted from HCPro's Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement...

Issue 1, January 1, 2015 - VIEW THE FULL ISSUE

• OIG continues to eye Part A billing, hospitalizations of SNF residents in 2015

  Experts say this year's plan holds no surprises

• SNF star rating system to get gradual makeover

  Some experts aren't sure all of the planned updates are actually upgrades

• CMS launches national expansion of MDS focused survey pilot

  The second round of MDS surveys will feature at least one significant addition