Antipsychotic drug use correlated to staffing levels
By
McKnight's Staff
May 01, 2012
While antipsychotic drug use overuse has decreased since 2005, nearly a quarter of U.S. nursing homes are still giving many residents the medications against recommendations, a Boston Globe analysis reveals.
A call for more chocolate: Will it ease swallowing problems?
By
By Faerella Boczko, MS, CCC-SLP, BRS-S and Siobhan McKeon, MS, CCC-SLP
Apr 03, 2012
What affect would the addition of chocolate have for seniors with difficulty swallowing? That’s what we set out to learn.
MDS 3.0 updates strike
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 02, 2012
At least providers can’t say they weren’t warned about major changes to the new MDS 3.0 and other resident assessment tools that started this month.
GAO: Watch SNFs closer
By
Elizabeth Newman
Apr 02, 2012
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services needs to improve the tools it uses to evaluate the quality of nursing home care, a federal report asserts.
Bridging the gaps
By
John Andrews
Apr 02, 2012
Information technology initiatives bolster long-term care providers’ ability to trace and evaluate the quality of care they deliver to their residents.
IRS should supply workers with electronic means of reporting healthcare data, payroll professional says
By
McKnight's Staff
Apr 02, 2012
A government-mandated request for additional healthcare data may result in the Internal Revenue Service requiring another form beyond a W-2 for employees, a payroll expert said last week.
Bundled payments and dual-eligibles bring opportunities to long-term care operators, experts say
Mar 29, 2012
Gainsharing and caring for dual eligibles are hot topics for healthcare providers — and rightfully so — experts said Thursday.
Stop the ‘siloed’ policy making for skilled nursing
By
Alan G. Rosenbloom
Mar 21, 2012
Last week, three reports issued by three separate government agencies made incongruent recommendations — or no recommendations at all — related to skilled nursing facility (SNF) patient care and policy....
Medicare auditors can request twice as many SNF medical records
By
McKnight's Staff
Mar 20, 2012
Medicare recovery audit contractors (RACs) can now request twice as many resident medical records than previously allowed, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Operate with an eye on quality, not the next survey cycle
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 16, 2012
The anxiety associated with an impending survey should be offset by the fact that the nursing facility holds the secret to its own success – the knowledge of its customers.