There is something you and your team must do immediately, the success of which will make or break your transition to the government’s new payment model. Relax. Refresh. Recharge. Only with a clear...
Five-Star is anything but frozen
By
Steven Littlehale
Dec 13, 2017
The day after Thanksgiving, CMS further defined its intensions with the Five-Star Quality Rating System; more specifically how the new survey process and derivative data will be used in its calculation...
Lots to learn with new Five-Star
By
Steven Littlehale
Jul 22, 2022
On a recent flight, I sat next to an attorney whose principal focus was compliance. It turned out that we were both on our way to speak at events in the same popular Florida conference destination. She...
PDPM: Where providers should be now, on Oct. 1, and at 6 and 12 months post implementation
By
Steven Littlehale
Jul 31, 2019
“Tick, Tick … Boom!,” a lesser known musical by composer Jonathan Larson, who won a Pulitzer and three Tony Awards for his musical “Rent,” opens with a ticking sound.
Supporting the unpaid caregiver through the virtuous circle
By
Steven Littlehale
Nov 12, 2021
It seems inevitable. You are likely among the 53 million people in the United States who are unpaid caregivers for a loved one. If not, you may soon join their ranks. This unpaid and frequently unplanned...
Will you pass CMS’s new schizophrenia MDS audits?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 31, 2023
In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services started focused on-site surveys to address the issue of erroneous coding of schizophrenia in nursing homes. More recently, the agency began conducting...
Be your own data defender
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 15, 2023
“Well, it’s clear that you’ve never set foot into a nursing home.” I know you’ve thought that while reading a memo from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services or your state agency, taking...
Telehealth is a linchpin to SNF success
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 17, 2021
Telehealth Awareness Week (September 19–25) is a time to highlight and reinforce the critical role of telehealth. Telehealth is the use of telecommunications technology to deliver care and health...
Who cares about Five-Star during a pandemic?
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 15, 2020
Just as the sun continues to rise, the need to objectively monitor and evaluate care in nursing homes has not ceased, nor has the need for providers to continuously work on quality improvement initiatives.