In the first part of this series, we discussed drug diversion: what it is, how to prevent it and how to spot it. This column will focus on how to conduct drug diversion investigations. When drug...
Reducing learned helplessness in LTC
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jul 11, 2013
John O’Connor’s recent post on the pain/depression cycle raised some interesting points about depression in long-term care. Reducing learned helplessness that is often seen in depression is...
Answers to lingering questions about PBJ
By
Karolee Alexander, RN, RAC-CT
Jul 08, 2016
Even though the Payroll-Based Journal kick-off was last Friday, it’s understandable that questions still cloud this new process. It behooves providers to get up to speed and become better informed...
Waiver or not, here I come!
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 28, 2020
The immediate relief I felt when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a blanket waiver 1135 on March 13 was soon replaced with confusion and anxiety.
Reviewing the top 10 errors in rehab documentation
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Apr 23, 2013
As a long-term care therapy consultant, I work on a lot of claim reviews and denials management with my clients. I’ve also read a lot of peer-review research articles related to this subject, and...
How to make your nursing facility RAC-ready
By
Bryan Baird
Nov 08, 2011
As skilled nursing facilities adjust to the changes to Medicare that arrived early last month, they must be ready for Recovery Audit Contractors. RACs are independent auditors for the government that are...
Success with scheduling technology
By
Debra Welk and Jackie Larson
Jun 07, 2013
Immanuel Communities adopted workforce management best practices and technology solutions used by many leading organizations in the inpatient and acute care sector for nearly a decade, but until recently...
5 rules of the rehab screen
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Feb 25, 2014
What is the purpose of a rehabilitation screen? Very simply, we attempt to identify long-term residents’ needs and possible rehab potential. Somehow, we don’t really have an industry standard...
Provider can’t sue for Medicaid eligibility
By
Marty Stempniak
Dec 05, 2018
Three Maryland nursing homes have come up empty in their attempts to take state officials to court on behalf of their residents over Medicaid eligibility.
The ABCs of documenting CPT
By
Renee Kinder
May 06, 2021
It’s that time of year again when the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel meets with the task of ensuring its codes remain up to date.