May 20, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has revised the provider certification manual for hospitals, giving more in-depth guidelines around discharge planning. The goal is for hospitals to reduce readmissions by partnering with post-acute providers.
May 01, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will change some nursing home survey procedures in response to budget cuts from sequestration, according to memos released April 9. The CMS Survey & Certification budget has been reduced 5% from 2012, the agency announced.
April 24, 2013
Regional authorities will decide whether to conduct full surveys of deemed long-term care providers that are cited for Immediate Jeopardy, according to recently revised guidelines from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
January 11, 2013
Journalists generally get all warm and tingly when previously guarded information becomes available. It must be in our DNA. So I should probably be cheering ProPublica's announcement that the government is now releasing unredacted write-ups of problems found during nursing home inspections.
January 02, 2013
As leaders in post-acute care, we need to stay abreast of the regulatory changes and its impact on our operations. In healthcare the one thing that remains consistent is change! Effective December 1, 2012, there are a series of Survey and Certification Memorandums from CMS that affect clinical provision of care as well as survey process changes.
December 11, 2012
As you engage in quality improvement efforts, put together data-driven marketing materials, complete a HUD refinance application, or talk with families and other community members take care to make sure you're using an appropriate comparative benchmark.
While Congressional lawmakers continue to negotiate avoiding the looming so-called fiscal cliff, a long-term care provider group reports Americans oppose cutting Medicare payments to nursing homes.
August 17, 2012
By utilizing benchmarks and data analytics preparation, time is reduced, priorities established and efforts measured. By knowing a facility's prior survey deficiencies and having insight into the areas of emphasis of the local surveyors in your survey district allows for priorities to be set and resources focused where it matters most.
July 20, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has just rolled out its latest version of Nursing Home Compare. If your facility garnered five stars, you probably love it. If you received one star, you surely hate it.
An audio conference will take place Tuesday morning in an effort to help long-term care providers create more efficient interdisciplinary approaches with their dining regimens. Under new QI Survey points of emphasis, providers could leave themselves vulnerable to citations in an array of areas, experts point out. Registration is online only and must be completed by Monday. Attendees (ideally anyone from CEO level down through nursing and dietary staff) will learn nuances of what the QIS expects and how it will critically observe kitchen-to-dining routines. CE credit will be available from this LeadingAge affiliated event.
Assisted living residents generally are from mid- to high-income households, and the majority can pay for care on their own, a survey released Friday reveals.
Providers will get an up-close look at problems with the nursing home survey process from a nationally respected expert during the first 2012 McKnight's Super Tuesday webcast. The event will take place at 1 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday and earn attendees continuing education (CE) credit. Linda Elizaitis, RNC, RAC-CT, BS, the president of CMS Compliance Group, will examine national trends in survey deficiencies, note at least 10 things that can help an operator prevent deficiencies and also explain how to avoid so-called "gotcha" deficiencies. Registration for the no-cost event is ongoing.
April 09, 2012
Providers will get an up-close look at problems with the nursing home survey process from a nationally respected expert during the first 2012 McKnight's Super Tuesday webcast. The event will take place at 1 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday and earn attendees continuing education (CE) credit. Linda Elizaitis, RNC, RAC-CT, BS, the president of CMS Compliance Group, will examine national trends in survey deficiencies, note at least 10 things that can help an operator prevent deficiencies and also explain how to avoid so-called "gotcha" deficiencies. Registration for the no-cost event is ongoing.
April 04, 2012
Just about a month ago, I opened a little contest, looking for the best punchline to a joke involving nursing home personnel. We have a winner.
Nursing homes have heard the warnings and been advised at every turn lately. Now, it's time to do it right, or risk losing out on reimbursements. Significant changes have been made to the new MDS 3.0 form go into effect Sunday. After then, ignorance of new provisions will start costing providers, experts warn. Discharge procedures, as well as resident interviews, are two of the top areas with the most notable changes. Providers have been advised to simply get new RAI manuals if they can, rather than to try to incorporate the multitude of revised or new pages.
March 29, 2012
The quality of nursing home care is improving — and residents and their families are noticing. That's the message two industry researchers want administrators and caregivers to take away from new survey findings.
October 13, 2011
Resident satisfaction rates have improved and health survey citations are declining in skilled nursing facilities, according to a new quality of care report.
July 07, 2011
It's time for the fourth in a series of McKnight's Super Tuesday webinars! This Tuesday's free webcast, "Taking stock of new survey realities," will feature highly successful provider and respected presenter Kimberly Corrigan, president of SJK Healthcare Resources, LLC. Continuing education (CE) credit is available for free. Also, by giving your answers to this three-question survey now, you can help add to the discussion — and become immediately eligible to win a $100 gift card!
June 01, 2011
In my 25 years as a physician, I've never heard anyone describe themselves as a "functionally impaired patient with chronic multiple conditions," a "long-term care recipient" or a "dual eligible." Yet these types of terms are used every day among healthcare professionals, policy wonks and advocates to describe the very people on whose behalf we work.
April 28, 2011
The second McKnight's Super Tuesday is upon us! This Tuesday's free webcast, "Payment challenges and opportunities," will feature McKnight's "Ask the Payment Expert" columnist Patricia Boyer. Continuing education (CE) credit is available for free. Also, by giving your answers to this three-question survey now, you can help add to the discussion — and become immediately eligible to win a $100 gift card!
March 03, 2011
The first rule of any debate, or "heated" discussion, is to know your definitions. If you don't, not much else matters. With caregiving, it comes down to knowing your people.
February 03, 2011
A private company with a website focused on family caregivers released survey results Thursday. They detailed how stressful caregiving can be for loved ones. Financial and emotional stress pound these people.
A group of long-term care patient advocates on Thursday sent a letter to Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), criticizing the lame-duck legislator's new "Enhancing Quality through Survey System Improvements Act of 2010."
August 03, 2010
The American Health Care Association Monday applauded a new bill that would seek to modernize the survey and certification system that assesses and monitors long-term care and post-acute care systems.
July 23, 2010
MDS 3.0 will "dramatically affect the traditional survey process," an official with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told listeners during a conference call with long-term care providers Thursday.
June 03, 2010
The American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging has endorsed a new bill that would reevaluate the current state of nursing home oversight.
Most Americans are still unsure what effect the new healthcare law will have on them, and seniors more than any other group view the new reforms unfavorably, according to results of a new Kaiser Family Foundation survey.
January 04, 2010
General weaknesses in the nursing home survey process contribute to the understatement of deficiencies at nursing homes, a newly released report from the Government Accountability Office found.
May 28, 2009
It's a wrap on RAPs. Resident Assessment Protocols (RAPs) will be eliminated under a new assessment regimen in development, an official with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced on Thursday.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver (D) this week enacted a law that eliminates fines against nursing homes that identify and correct health and safety issues on their own accord. The law sets out new rules and guidelines for a "quality assurance assessment" program.
