An 18-month review of the Long Beach Wound Scores system showed it can be an intuitive and effective way to assess and categorize patients with diabetic foot ulcers. LBWS includes five assessments using 2-point (best) to 0-point (worst) grades based on specific findings to generate a 0- to 10-point wound score. For a study published…
“I was a newbie on the job. I worked to develop rapport with the residents and staff. I always had wanted to work with Wesley Woods. I would ride past it and hope. It has changed so drastically over the years. Back then, there were no uniforms and we didn’t have computers.” — Linda Smith,…
It’s hardly news that many skilled care operators are now struggling. The rehab-switcheroo windfall has apparently played itself out at many properties. Meanwhile, occupancy levels generally remain stagnant or worse, despite an uptick in supply. Two new reports further reveal the hazardous driving conditions. First, came an update from Irving Levin Associates indicating that on…
I’ve heard that as of April 30, 2018, we had to start using the new CMS-approved form for Medicare A denial notices. As a director of nursing services, what do I need to know? Most skilled nursing facilities use one of CMS’s five 20-year-old denial letters to inform beneficiaries they no longer qualify for skilled…
Can an LPN be asked to start IVs or use a PICC line? This question is dependent on your specific Nurse Practice Act.This website has all the nurse practice sites: https://www.ncsbn.org/npa.htm. Pick your state and see the rules and practice acts available. Also, just because your state says that an LPN may do or start…
Members of Congress have ratcheted up their scrutiny of how well nursing homes are being overseen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Four influential Republican Congressmen demanded details from Administrator Seema Verma about her agency’s diligence. In part, their nine-page letter asks what CMS has done regarding “reports of sexual abuse and neglect”…
Efforts to improve frontline supervision can enhance the quality of entry-level jobs in long-term care and lead to higher retention of certified nursing assistants and better patient care, according to a recent case study. The National Fund for Workforce Solutions launched a yearlong pilot study of five nursing homes in conjunction with the Massachusetts Senior…
Measuring neuropsychiatric symptoms such as depression, anxiety, agitation and irritability can help predict who will develop mild cognitive impairment, and who will progress to dementia. So found researchers from the Boston University School of Medicine, who recently published a data analysis on depression and cognition in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. They tracked 6,763 individuals…
A federal review of outpatient physical therapy payments found Medicare likely overpaid $367 million during a six-month period. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General examined a random sample of 300 claims and found 61% did not meet medical necessity, coding or documentation requirements. The OIG issued its report in March,…
A new, multi-day course is being designed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to help nursing homes prepare for the infection preventionist requirement included in the revised final rules of participation. CMS outlined class topics in a March memo to state survey directors. All federally supported skilled nursing facilities must have a trained…
