CMS updated survey guidance and interpretive guidance for 20 F-Tags that went into effect Nov. 26, 2014. Are SNF leaders paying attention?
Summer reading: The language of long-term care
By
Mary Helen McSweeney-Feld
Jul 30, 2014
A recent NPR survey of older adults had a not-too-surprising finding: No one likes being referred to as “elderly” or as a “senior.”
F-Tag in focus: F-431
By
Sonja Quale, Pharm.D.
Jul 25, 2016
In today’s environment, long-term care providers face growing regulatory demands designed to improve the quality of care
Do you know your P’s and Q’s of QAPI?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Feb 21, 2013
The Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement system from CMS is on our doorsteps. As facilities have been training and educating themselves, the new QIS (Quality Indicator Surveys) are ready to roll....
A former surveyor tells THE key to getting good star ratings
By
Leslie Mahoney, RN, BSN
May 14, 2018
Until the State Operations Manual becomes the quintessential tool for regulatory compliance, a 5-star rating will be out of reach for skilled nursing providers. It’s as simple as that.
The nursing home survey system is about to get a much closer look
By
John O'Connor
Aug 29, 2014
You had to know this was coming. Earlier this week, the New York Times reported that many nursing homes are submitting massaged staffing and quality indicator data to the feds. The alleged reason? So facilities...
Lower the risk and deter elopement
By
Betty Norman
Feb 10, 2017
The single most cited F-tag in a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services survey is F-323 in regards to resident safety and supervision.
The hidden threat lurking in your facility
By
Mar 14, 2017
I don’t mean to make your lives more difficult by adding another issue onto that pile, but according to a recent survey from the National Safety Council, there’s a problem plaguing American...
New study finds the terms we use inadvertently offends seniors
By
Kevin M. Williams
Jul 19, 2013
The terms we use to describe and communicate with seniors have either positive or negative associations. We recently conducted a new survey asking 1,114 participants their feelings and associations with...
A ‘promising’ new year
By
Liza Berger
Jan 06, 2009
It’s the New Year, otherwise known as resolution time—the season to hit the gym five days a week, read more books and be nicer to your mother-in-law. At least until the end of January, that is. Since...