Bully for provider groups pulling out the stops to draw attention to the ludicrous mishandling of “observation stay” designations by many hospitals. One prong of the plan is to have providers...
Cracking new PT and OT evaluation codes
By
Renee Kinder
Nov 17, 2016
January 1 will put new evaluation codes for physical and occupational therapy into effect and we all better be paying close attention.
CMS wants to know how you make things better
By
John O'Connor
Jul 06, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may be asking you for help this summer. It might behoove you to sit up and take notice.
Care plans and discharge planning: Steps for success!
By
Lisa Thomson
May 29, 2013
Let’s take a look at the facility policies and procedures to determine that they include how the facility will ensure that the care plans are developed using resident individualized assessment information,...
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....
What is your vision for PACE expansion and innovation?
By
Jade Gong
Jan 30, 2017
In the final days of the Obama administration, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided a parting gift to the PACE community by issuing a Request for Information seeking stakeholder input on...
Answers to lingering questions about PBJ
By
Karolee Alexander, RN, RAC-CT
Jul 08, 2016
Even though the Payroll-Based Journal kick-off was last Friday, it’s understandable that questions still cloud this new process. It behooves providers to get up to speed and become better informed...
CMS gives providers a mug with a gift card
By
Elizabeth Newman
Nov 28, 2017
Never have Rolling Stones’ lyrics come faster into my head than when I saw the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would give an 18-month enforcement delay for certain Phase 2 regulations.
The end of fee for service
By
Mark Fish
Sep 12, 2014
The seeds that have flowered into the burgeoning of ACOs – groups of providers accepting the responsibility, and risk, for caring for the health of a designated patient population according to defined...
Reducing seniors’ drug use, one iPod at a time
By
John O'Connor
Mar 28, 2014
For reasons that are understandable yet hard to countenance, antipsychotic drugs are widely used in nursing homes. Too often over-used, according to government statistics. But it’s beginning to look...