Can anyone guess what the title to this blog is stating? In the current culture of text messaging and abbreviations for everything, it can be a danger zone for medical documentation. Unfortunately, I have...
Facilities have opportunity to improve operations and re-think patient care
By
Imran Javaid
Oct 18, 2013
Long-term care facilities are facing new pressures as a result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. As part of the shift to integrated care, reimbursements will be linked to patient outcomes...
Fumbling in the dark — my Virtual Dementia Tour
By
Gary Tetz
Oct 09, 2013
It seemed like a low-tech gimmick, but I signed up anyway to take the Virtual Dementia Tour. I had seen it promoted at the opening session of the American Health Care Association convention this week in...
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,...
Ready or not: The MDS is changing again!
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Sep 25, 2013
On Oct. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be updating the Minimum Data Set with another round of changes. Most are minor but there will be two changes to the therapy section. Your case-mix...
What’s on Your PEPPER Report?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Sep 10, 2013
Have you received your provider-specific PEPPER report yet? The Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) were mailed on August 30 and have been slowly arriving at skilled nursing...
Same-sex couples: Are you and your staff prepared? Probably not
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Sep 05, 2013
Last week, McKnight’s staff writer Tim Mullaney wrote about the new Medicare guidance that guarantees that same-sex married couples can live in the same nursing home. Is your staff prepared to offer...
Are you prepared? 5 questions you need to know the answers to
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Aug 27, 2013
With all the recent regulatory changes that have come down the line, or are about to, we developed a simple five-question survey that each provider had to ask every therapy employee. If you can develop...
Vivacious smiles for seniors
By
Joel Glicksman, D.D.S.
Aug 26, 2013
A lot of things happen when you turn 80: you’re officially retired and the dream of competing in the Iron Man triathlon or climbing Mount Everest has faded. But, enjoying each and every meal, eating...
Connecting to seniors through community outreach
By
Cole Marvin
Aug 16, 2013
It’s important for the future of seniors that providers work to reverse the trend of waiting to move to a retirement community. Friendship Village Tempe has made an effort to target these prospective...