National standardized surveys for nursing homes in the works
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 02, 2015
You kind of get the sense that a government watchdog didn’t want to believe the good numbers coming out of its latest research into nursing home care, so it felt the need to introduce uncertainty.
Ode to The Annual Survey (‘The DON Blues’)
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Nov 27, 2018
Oh, annual survey,You stress me so,No matter how we prepare,I’ll dread you, though … Despite skills labs, process reviews,And competency checksFor some reason at survey timeI fret a big hex I’ve...
Four reasons why states need to stop inspecting nursing facilities
By
John O'Connor
Aug 08, 2014
What if every state had its own language, currency and traffic signals? Life could get a lot more complicated once you ventured into another jurisdiction.
How should long-term care providers celebrate? Let us count the ways
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 31, 2016
Long-term care operators have plenty of reasons to recoil and lick their wounds over the course of a year. But there are also good times when they should find reason to smile. Like this past week.
The case for dialogue over swift sentencing
By
Arif Nazir, MD, CMD
May 02, 2018
As a leader in the nursing home setting, I see the accountability game played out quite often. Mostly, it’s a facility has failed to meet a certain standard of care and a state surveyor, during a...
For Texas operators, a proposal that might not be as appealing as it sounds
By
John O'Connor
Dec 19, 2014
At first blush, providers in other states might feel a bit envious about a proposal being floated in Texas. But they might want to reconsider.
A snapshot of successful dementia surveys
By
Oct 06, 2015
I firmly believe the old saying that a picture’s worth a thousand words. But for every strong, visual message photograph conveys, there are dozens of more messages that it doesn’t, or can’t,...
A survey system that works?
By
John O'Connor
Jan 30, 2012
All sides generally agree that the current nursing home survey system is flawed. But there’s hardly consensus on how best to fix it. Here’s something worth considering.
Why nursing homes can exhale — but not get complacent
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 07, 2017
The announced delay of full enforcement of new survey requirements is indeed good news for nursing home operators and all of their compliance officers. Their blood pressure should now lower a few millimeters....
The three “Rs” of nursing home care
By
Steven Littlehale
Aug 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...