Short cycle dispense: A case study in implementation
By
Jonathan Shaatal, R.PH., MS, and Carol Sirianni, R.PH.,
Aug 02, 2012
A new rule from CMS promises to have a tremendous impact on how long-term care pharmacy (LTCP) providers serving skilled nursing facilities will operate their businesses and serve facility residents. A...
Eat your vegetables
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 28, 2021
I’m all about simplistic solutions to impossible difficulties. Faced with huge challenges like staffing, staffing and staffing, long-term care operators, administrators and clinical leaders are feeling...
Flu creates challenges, but staff can prepare effectively
By
Paula J. Fenza, M.A.
Feb 26, 2013
On average, roughly 24,000 Americans die each flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than half of those hospitalized are over age 65. This season’s influenza...
Addressing improper billing
By
Kristin Walter
Mar 23, 2015
The government has put the RAC program on a shelf, while they determine how to deal with confusion among providers regarding billing short inpatient hospital stays. It’s time now to get the RAC program...
California medical association strongly supports the president’s nursing home plan
By
Michael Wasserman
Mar 28, 2022
The California Association of Long Term Care Medicine (CALTCM) applauds President Biden’s ambitious plan to improve the care of our nursing home residents. CALTCM is the medical voice of long-term...
New payment models present opportunities for SNFs
By
Jeff Terkowitz
Jun 18, 2014
For skilled nursing facilities, the Medicare SNF 3-day rule can make it difficult to place the right patients in the right setting at the right time. The 3-day rule requires that a Medicare beneficiary...
Which matters most: Social media or Five-Star?
By
Steven Littlehale
May 27, 2022
Recently my colleague Ken Kelley, MS, OTR/L, RAC-CT, a clinical consultant/reimbursement specialist, posited something about Five-Star ratings that I hadn’t considered. He suggested that, in general,...
Focus on life safety during the management of COVID-19
By
Stan Szpytek
Mar 24, 2020
Note: This story was updated on May 12 to reflect new regulatory changes. As skilled nursing facilities around the nation rise to the challenges of managing this current infectious disease outbreak, providers...
The physiatrist’s role in post-acute rehabilitation
By
Steve M. Gnatz, M.D.
Dec 09, 2015
In the IRF environment, it is mandated by federal regulation that the rehabilitation physician performs several key functions. It is not specified that this doctor necessarily be a physiatrist, but only...
The future of restorative
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Jun 11, 2019
For those who are considering how to manage therapy in four months when they’re no longer using therapy as the primary revenue-producer, how about utilizing the therapy staff more for training restorative?