Across the country, long-term care facilities are vaccinating their staff and residents, with approximately 3.1 million doses delivered as of last week and rates of COVID-19 infection in nursing home residents...
Shining some light on the new Five Star system
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 05, 2012
The Five Star overall score is comprised of three domains: Survey, Staffing and Quality Measures. This month, look a little deeper into the overall Five Star Scores.
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...
Uniform data collection key for SNF cost containment
By
Betsy Rust
Oct 09, 2015
When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced in July that it was implementing a system of bundled payments for knee and hip operations in 75 geographic areas of the country, it prompted...
Section D surprises! The season’s biggest change
By
Joel VanEaton
Oct 31, 2023
There has been a slogan that has circulated on social media recently that goes like this: “Fall is proof that change is beautiful.” Hmm… I suppose individual perspective is the key to whether that...
What your therapy team should know about the CMS REACH Model
By
Renee Kinder
Mar 03, 2022
We all know it to be true. Common sense, really. When we as therapists coordinate our care more efficiently across teams and settings our patients excel. They feel supported. And in many cases, they...
Readmission penalty categories inspire more analysis and opportunity
Aug 25, 2014
The Medicare stakes are about to get higher.
50 shades of G-coding
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jul 02, 2013
Sorry, ladies, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up with that title. But does anyone else feel like there is a lot of ambiguity to the new G-Coding system? Well, it’s a little too early to tell...
Looking at dementia beyond drugs and disease
By
G. Allen Power, M.D.
Aug 01, 2014
The emerging literature on “nonpharmacological interventions” has not succeeded in providing long-term solutions for many people, such that expressions of need continue to recur on a regular...
A good first step but more to do with MDS 3.0
By
Leah Klusch, RN, BSN, FACHCA
Mar 07, 2012
It was a long first day, but there was tremendous value and everyone who is here has learned what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ positions are with the April updates and some of the...