As a Charlton Heston movie once illustrated in an indirect way, it’s important to know about the lives of who is living in our home. It’s about relationships, not about heads in the beds.
Fiscal Year 2015: Can you handle it?
By
Steven Littlehale
Oct 23, 2014
It’s that time of the year again! Do the shorter days have you thinking of colorful leaves, a harvest moon, ghouls and goblins on All Hallows’ Eve? Or were you a SNF provider waiting for the...
A plan for drug diversion
By
Susan LaGrange
Oct 13, 2014
One timely topic that is both difficult to comprehend and discuss is drug diversion in long-term care. Long-term care leaders must have a solid system in place with policies and procedures, education,...
The Five Star Report, once again, in the SNF spotlight
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 24, 2014
The Five Star Quality Rating System takes the spotlight on the front page of the New York Times and the top of the news cycle, kicking off other publicity and political pressure. Regardless of any of the...
Stakeholders need to prepare for the loss of long-term care’s exemption to e-prescribing
By
Cynthia Morton
Sep 15, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is set to lift long-term care’s exemption from its e-prescribing rule as of Nov. 1. This is bigger news than most realize right now, and there has been...
Looking at short stay assessments
By
Jan White
Sep 10, 2014
In reviewing the MDS, there are several areas to check related to short stay requirements. First, is the Start of Therapy assessment checked in A0310C? If there is not a 5-day scheduled assessment or readmission/return...
Hospitals cast a wide net for SNF patients
By
Jeff Terkowitz
Aug 27, 2014
For skilled nursing facilities it’s a struggle to stay ahead of the Medicare initiatives and market forces that are causing hospitals and health systems to narrow their post-acute care networks....
How old is too old to work?
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Aug 05, 2014
A recent article in Health Affairs centered on nurses delaying retirement and claimed this is boosting the workforce. Should we believe this?
Preventing burnout in long-term care
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 10, 2014
In my recent post, “Stuff I won’t do for residents and why your staff shouldn’t either,” I wrote about the need for individual workers to set appropriate boundaries around caregiving...
New payment models present opportunities for SNFs
By
Jeff Terkowitz
Jun 18, 2014
For skilled nursing facilities, the Medicare SNF 3-day rule can make it difficult to place the right patients in the right setting at the right time. The 3-day rule requires that a Medicare beneficiary...