‘High stakes’ as providers still face brisk infection control surveys, brace for return of standard...
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 10, 2021
Nursing homes across the country are still being hit with near-routine Focused Infection Control surveys, nine months after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that surveyors should...
F-tags study reveals common misuses of psychotropic drugs in LTC
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
May 13, 2022
A study of deficiency-of-care citations in nursing homes offers lessons on reducing over-reliance on psychotropics in residents with dementia, investigators say.
F-Tag revisions: Have you prepared?
By
Lisa Thomson
Feb 06, 2015
CMS updated survey guidance and interpretive guidance for 20 F-Tags that went into effect Nov. 26, 2014. Are SNF leaders paying attention?
CMS updates manual to reflect F-Tag guidance dating back to 2003
By
Tim Mullaney
Jul 08, 2014
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has revised the manual that long-term care facility surveyors refer to, updating interpretive guidelines related to F-Tags.
F-Tag 322 (Feeding Tubes): Are our systems in order?
By
Susan LaGrange
Apr 04, 2013
CMS recently made changes to surveyor guidance on feeding tubes. Nursing homes must look at their policies, documentation and education practices in order to assess whether a feeding tube is appropriate.
CMS updates operations manual and F-tags for facility closures
By
Ashley Carman
Aug 06, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released its operations manual updates, including new F-tags for facility closures last week. The updates include amendments to Appendix PP of the SOM, with...
5 tips for avoiding deficiencies
By
Susan LaGrange
Nov 05, 2014
Here are five quick tips to operationalize for the top five most frequently cited deficiencies nationwide. Facilities could choose one per day and revisit each week to focus on audits, discussion, education...
I was a better nurse when …
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
May 06, 2014
It’s Nurses Day — a day we celebrate all it means to be a nurse. This day gets me into deep thinking. Particularly about the core of a nurse and how sometimes — even if we don’t want it...
15% of nursing homes receive infection deficiencies every year, study shows
May 04, 2011
As many as 15% of U.S. nursing homes are issued citations for deficient infection control practices per year, a new study asserts.
Practical advice on reducing antipsychotics
By
Jerome Wilborn
May 08, 2015
Two CMS tags —F-Tag 329, which addresses unnecessarily using antipsychotic drugs, and F-Tag 309, which addresses taking steps to reduce antipsychotic drug use — are used by nursing home surveyors to...