We all know that political and notable figures of all kinds have the ultimate “out” available when being asked questions of substance by authorities. They can just invoke the Fifth Amendment. That’s...
Ode to The Annual Survey (‘The DON Blues’)
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Nov 27, 2018
Oh, annual survey,You stress me so,No matter how we prepare,I’ll dread you, though … Despite skills labs, process reviews,And competency checksFor some reason at survey timeI fret a big hex I’ve...
Trying to reason with hurricane season
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Aug 29, 2023
I’m here in Florida trying to prepare for this hurricane we are supposed to get as I write this. You know, you can do your best to prepare but as you’re scurrying about, knowing it’s hurricane season,...
Confidence, plus 1
By
Martie Moore
Jun 02, 2023
I belong to a group on social media that posts pictures of nature, animals, birds and the occasional unidentified print left in the dirt/sand. This day a question was poised, “Can you identify what animal...
The case for dialogue over swift sentencing
By
Arif Nazir, MD, CMD
May 02, 2018
As a leader in the nursing home setting, I see the accountability game played out quite often. Mostly, it’s a facility has failed to meet a certain standard of care and a state surveyor, during a...
OIG signals new focus on nursing homes
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Feb 17, 2023
The federal Office of Inspector General recently published its “OIG’s Top Unimplemented Recommendations: Solutions To Reduce Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in HHS Programs.” In the 94-page document,...
The elephant in the room: Are you prepared for the next emergency?
By
Angela Rinehart
Norris Cunningham
Sep 30, 2022
Historically, emergency preparedness programs in long-term care facilities have been less prioritized, with facilities understandably focusing on patient care and operations. But with the pandemic...
Bad survey? Call your medical director
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Mar 20, 2023
I recently won a case against state surveyors and I learned something new… again. The surveyors were adamant that the facility neglected a resident, and cited violations of policies, and criticized...
F880 & the DDPNA trap
By
Angi Livingston
Jan 31, 2022
Since the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services enhanced enforcement for infection control citations, we have seen our Quality In-Cite® subscribers experiencing increased instances of providers getting...
Time to get rid of the nurse-aide training prohibition, CMS!
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Dec 19, 2022
I’ve written a lot in the past few years about increased enforcement against nursing homes when it comes to health surveys by state departments of public health and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...