Length-of-stay — LOS — is one of those management reports that often leaves administrators and upper management bewildered. If you increase LOS, you essentially increase your census.
How to profit from the new regulation changes
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jan 04, 2012
Has the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services underestimated us again? I hope so. On Oct. 1, 2011, CMS implemented new regulation changes that added a Change of Therapy, COT OMRA, MDS. I believe it...
How to avoid end-of-therapy pitfalls
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Oct 28, 2011
You are not required to offer therapy services on weekends under new MDS 3.0 changes instituted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. But you do have to be careful if you don’t.
Rehab and ADLs
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Oct 17, 2011
Since MDS 3.0 was initiated in October 2010, facilities throughout the United States have experienced a significant increase in “A” ADL scoring ratios. By becoming aware of your facility’s...
New LTC resources from some of the best
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Dec 06, 2016
Over the past year, I’ve been involved with several exciting long-term care-related projects that I can now tell you about. In the spirit of the season, I wanted to spread some good cheer with them,...
You know you’re a nurse when …
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Apr 30, 2012
OK, I can’t help myself. I’m in an incredibly silly mood as I sit to write my blog today. And I was thinking about how we as nurses see the world differently from “normal” folks....
Same-sex couples: Are you and your staff prepared? Probably not
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 05, 2013
Last week, McKnight’s staff writer Tim Mullaney wrote about the new Medicare guidance that guarantees that same-sex married couples can live in the same nursing home. Is your staff prepared to offer...
Caregivers and nurses: Knowing when to get involved in issues of elder intimacy
By
Elizabeth Landsverk, M.D.
Jan 18, 2017
As caretakers of elderly people we focus on their health, comfort and emotions. We monitor their eating, bathroom routines, and even their socialization.
Hand-wringing about handshakes
By
Gary Tetz
Mar 24, 2022
Yesterday, I did something I haven’t done in more than two years. Something I said I’d never do again. Something I’m not proud of. Something I should probably bring up with my therapist, or in confession. ...
Wishes for a Happy New Year — in their words and mine
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Jan 07, 2014
Surfing the Internet around New Year’s Day, I saw many quotes, both famous and anonymous, spreading wishes and advice for the year ahead. I thought of how, with some minor adjustments, they could...