Nursing facilities must submit written QAPI plans to CMS one year after promulgation of the regulation. This regulation will be in addition to current QAA standards.
A Medicaid conundrum
By
Stuart H. Shapiro, M.D.
Oct 03, 2012
The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling on health care reform brings to mind Apollo 13 astronaut John Swigert’s understated line: “Houston, we have a problem.”
Louisville leads the way in aging care innovation
By
Paul J. Diaz, Ralph G. Gronefeld Jr., Pat Mulloy, E. Joseph Steier III
Sep 10, 2012
We are at the forefront of how to grow long-term wellness and aging care services.
The three “Rs” of nursing home care
By
Steven Littlehale
Aug 17, 2012
By utilizing benchmarks and data analytics preparation, time is reduced, priorities established and efforts measured. By knowing a facility’s prior survey deficiencies and having insight into the...
Why ‘Staffing to the Stars’ isn’t enough: How to make the right staffing decisions
By
Steven Littlehale
Aug 09, 2012
Operators should try to hire RNs whenever they have a vacant position for a licensed nurse — the increased hourly wage will be more than offset by the increased revenue and decreased costs. Nonetheless,...
Five-Star insights: Will those stars ever illuminate your path?
By
Steven Littlehale
May 16, 2012
I recently asked a hospital discharge planner how she chooses which nursing home to discharge to. “Five-Star” was the reply. Was I surprised? Not at all. Once again, it demonstrates just how...
New initiatives needed to build skilled caregiver workforce
By
Alice Vestergaard, Ed.D
May 05, 2012
The aging of the American population and the healthcare issues that go with it are creating a demographic earthquake that will shake our current system of healthcare to the core. We are on our way to becoming...
Capturing acuity: How MDS accuracy has a critical impact on Medicare/Medicaid payment systems
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 20, 2012
There’s a familiar saying in the industry that “If it’s not documented, then it’s not done.” But what if it is documented, but just not documented correctly?
Operate with an eye on quality, not the next survey cycle
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 16, 2012
The anxiety associated with an impending survey should be offset by the fact that the nursing facility holds the secret to its own success – the knowledge of its customers.
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...