A weak heart can affect the brain and contribute to cognitive decline … Annual breast cancer screening not beneficial for women over age 75 … Adults don’t need tetanus, diphtheria boosters if...
Long-term care communities lacking LGBTQ inclusive policies, report finds
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 30, 2021
Long-term care operators are being urged to ensure they have non-discriminatory policies in place for LGBTQ residents to ease concerns about safe and harassment-free care in the wake of a new report finding...
Experts criticize COVID booster strategy for leaving one-third of seniors without needed shots
By
Danielle Brown
May 13, 2022
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows more than 30% of fully-vaccinated seniors 65 and older have yet to get their COVID-19 booster shots, despite being most at risk for serious...
Dehydration: Therapy should help fight it
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jul 15, 2014
The elderly are very vulnerable to dehydration and more than just the nursing staff have to be concerned about it. Not keeping an eye on appropriate hydration can cause a variety of serious problems.
Are standardized assessment tools our future?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
May 20, 2014
With therapy documentation being put under the microscope more than ever, you would be wise to make sure standardized assessment tools are at your fingertips. Unbiased views of data and outcomes information...
Top 5 ICD-10 changes for 2014
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jan 30, 2014
Have you started your countdown clocks yet? It looks like it’s definitely happening this year on Oct. 1, 2014. The transitions from ICD-9 to ICD-10 coding will 100% absolutely take effect for the...
No more Rehab Medium RUG defaults
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Oct 08, 2013
Well, Oct. 1 has passed, and we’re all still hanging in. The biggest changes we saw to rehab were the addition of reporting co-treatment minutes on our billing logs and Section O on the MDS. And,...
You’re probably guilty of too much documentation
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jun 18, 2013
Is it time for a diet? Not a food diet, but a documentation diet. I’ve written previous blogs about documentation quick tips, top 10 reasons for denials, and so on. But, how many of you are guilty...
OIG? OMG! One lump problem
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jan 23, 2013
The Office of the Inspector General’s recent report about what it calls $1.5 billion in inappropriate Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities should be yet another wake-up call to providers.
Eastern vs. Western standards of practice
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jun 26, 2012
The theory of improving function in China is overshadowed by the focus on comfort, reducing pain, and providing as much rest as possible. From a cultural standpoint, the family dynamics are very different...