Drug diversion, a series: How to prevent and spot it
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jul 19, 2021
Drug diversion occurs when prescription medicines are obtained or used illegally. While diversion has always been a concern, without question, COVID-19 certainly increased personal stress and pressure...
Stricter audits may be on the horizon from the OIG
By
Norris Cunningham
Kennedy Bunch
Devin Zimmerman
Jan 11, 2023
Long-term care facilities and providers should brace themselves for what may be an uptick in enforcement activity from Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) in the coming year. In 2023, the U.S. Department...
Ban on arbitration of sexual assault, harassment disputes will hit LTC
By
Norris Cunningham
Barb Killian
Feb 28, 2022
Congress passed H.R. 4445 on February 7, 2022. The bill, titled “Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021,” is important to long-term care facilities that enter...
HHS enforces early COVID-19 infection control penalties despite ambiguities
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jan 21, 2022
Infection control penalties upheld against the facility with the first known COVID-19 outbreak reinforce need for implementation – not just policy.
The elephant in the room: Are you prepared for the next emergency?
By
Angela Rinehart
Norris Cunningham
Sep 30, 2022
Historically, emergency preparedness programs in long-term care facilities have been less prioritized, with facilities understandably focusing on patient care and operations. But with the pandemic...
One interview away from infection control CMPs?
By
Norris Cunningham
Kathryn Cordell
May 19, 2021
With the roll out of vaccines and slowing rates of COVID-19 infections, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has not shifted its survey focus away from infection control. Instead, the agency released...
Mastering the paper records to EHR migration
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
John Myers
Sep 20, 2021
By now, most can agree that going electronic is a necessity of doing business, especially in the health care setting. Among other uses, electronic health records (“EHR”) often provide for the ability...
Cultural competency is integral to quality care
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jun 21, 2021
The country is changing, and fast. Studies show that racial and ethnic minorities account for most, if not all, of the country’s population growth as of late. “Nationally, the U.S. grew by 19.5...
Drug diversion, a series: How to deal with it
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
John Myers
Aug 23, 2021
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...
What the Kirkland verdict means for emergency preparedness
By
Norris Cunningham
May 29, 2023
There is little doubt that leaders at Life Care Centers of America breathed a huge sigh of relief, as did the entire skilled nursing industry, when a federal jury found that Life Care Center of Kirkland,...