I continue to be struck by how deep Five-Star has worked its way into the countless nooks and crannies of our industry. It’s far beyond what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services intended...
Increase your occupancy now
By
Steven Littlehale
Aug 02, 2021
Preparing for a presentation is always fun for me, especially when it involves original research. In anticipation of Reimbur$ement-Con, and my session “The Unexpected Nemesis,” we took a deep dive...
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,...
Sorting out the antipsychotic quality measures
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 05, 2013
While antipsychotic measurements can vary, providers must carefully and thoroughly examine all antipsychotic medication use in their facility.
Analytically Speaking: CMS Quality Measures for MDS 3.0
By
Steven Littlehale
Feb 17, 2012
At first, the MDS 3.0 Quality Measures do not appear to be very different from those based on MDS 2.0. But “the devil is in the details” and nearly every measure that seems familiar is different...
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...
ALOS complex query
By
Steven Littlehale
Dec 01, 2013
What do you get when you ask two academics, one geriatrician, one reimbursement specialist, and an analyst to define average length of stay? Five different answers.
Focus on long-stay rates
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 04, 2015
By now, everyone has heard the resounding drumbeat of 30-day rehospitalization rates. What is yours? Are you improving? Are you using the National Quality Forum’s endorsed method for calculating?
The country line dance of pain management: One step forward, two steps back
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 05, 2021
“Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is.” “We just hope that you don’t say it. Oh, and we’ll likely not hear you anyway.” We credit Mary Margo McCaffery, MS, RN-BC, FAAN, a pioneer...
A concept worth exploring: using clinical data to develop a marketing campaign
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 24, 2009
Information is readily available, so why not use it to your advantage? Developing a marketing strategy based on clinical evidence from your skilled nursing facility could prove invaluable in attracting...