A long-term care facility slapped with a civil monetary penalty has a chance for an independent informal dispute resolution, according to new manual guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Feds looking to QAPI, not penalties, for help
By
Elizabeth Newman
Apr 01, 2014
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officials said they consider the upcoming Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement guidelines, not harsher penalties, as the better way to reduce adverse events...
Reducing seniors’ drug use, one iPod at a time
By
John O'Connor
Mar 28, 2014
For reasons that are understandable yet hard to countenance, antipsychotic drugs are widely used in nursing homes. Too often over-used, according to government statistics. But it’s beginning to look...
CMS budget defines nursing home quality targets, requests an additional $50 million for surveys
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 12, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed budget for fiscal year 2015 requests additional funds for survey activities and lists the agency’s targets for nursing home quality measures.
Regulators to double down on QAPI after government report on adverse events in post-acute care
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 07, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services sees the upcoming Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement guidelines, not harsher penalties, as the way to reduce adverse events in post-acute care, officials...
Updated emergency prep checklist from CMS includes resident tracking procedures
By
Tim Mullaney
Mar 04, 2014
Long-term care facilities should have written plans for how they will track residents during evacuations, according to an updated emergency preparedness checklist from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Ask the care expert … about interpretive guidance
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Mar 01, 2014
I heard there was communication to surveyors on being required to cite the regulation and not the interpretive guidance. Where can I find this?
Overdocumentation and cloning in electronic health records are overlooked risks, investigators say
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 09, 2014
Auditors reviewing Medicare and Medicaid claims from electronic health records are largely treating them in the same manner as paper claims, even though they pose unique risks for overbilling and fraud,...
Top 5 news stories reveal varied interests among long-term care professionals
By
John O'Connor
Jan 03, 2014
What do neck abnormalities, dangerous bacteria, a murder-suicide, a defensive nursing home chain, and antipsychotic guidelines have in common? These five developments were voted the most popular news stories...
Blanket ‘no-CPR’ policy can result in citation, CMS rules
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 01, 2013
Federal regulators have come out strongly against facility-wide policies that prohibit cardiopulmonary resuscitation for residents in distress.