With off-label antipsychotic use dangerously high in U.S. nursing homes as reported by Human Rights Watch, a question undoubtedly on the tip of everyone’s tongue is “How do we fix this?”...
Asking for the medical record
By
Steven Littlehale
Jan 29, 2014
Millions of dollars have been paid by nursing homes who unsuccessfully defended themselves against incomplete or absent documentation. There are not as many legal guidelines regarding medical records maintenance...
Drug diversion, a series: How to deal with it
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
John Myers
Aug 23, 2021
In the first part of this series, we discussed drug diversion: what it is, how to prevent it and how to spot it. This column will focus on how to conduct drug diversion investigations. When drug...
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...
Waiver or not, here I come!
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 28, 2020
The immediate relief I felt when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a blanket waiver 1135 on March 13 was soon replaced with confusion and anxiety.
How to make your nursing facility RAC-ready
By
Bryan Baird
Nov 08, 2011
As skilled nursing facilities adjust to the changes to Medicare that arrived early last month, they must be ready for Recovery Audit Contractors. RACs are independent auditors for the government that are...
Let there not be light
By
Gary Tetz
Nov 17, 2022
It’s the first command in the Biblical creation story — let there be light. But if you’re working a night shift in a long-term care facility, I need you to stop reading this right now and go turn...
An MDS affair — or RFI — to remember
By
Joel VanEaton
Apr 19, 2024
I’m a sucker for classic movies. My parents made sure I grew up watching black and whites of the likes of Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Gene Autry, John Wayne,...
Ready, set, review!
By
Renee Kinder
May 11, 2023
We’ve all been waiting for this. We knew it was coming! What am I speaking of? The May 4, 2023, notice of Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) 5-Claim Probe and Educate Review, of course! Since the initiation...
One interview away from infection control CMPs?
By
Norris Cunningham
Kathryn Cordell
May 19, 2021
With the roll out of vaccines and slowing rates of COVID-19 infections, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has not shifted its survey focus away from infection control. Instead, the agency released...