Person-Centered Fall Prevention Interventions: Beyond Rehab Screen and 15-Minute Checks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites falls as the leading cause of injury-related death in adults aged 65 and older (CDC, 2023). It is imperative that nursing facility staff identify fall risk in their residents and care plan accordingly. A fall risk assessment can help to identify …

Back to Basics: Returning to Pre-Pandemic Medicare Regulatory Compliance

Since March of 2020, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have relied on two distinct waivers related to technical eligibility for Medicare. Due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), temporary changes related to the 3-day qualifying hospital (QHS) stay and the benefit period appear in the MLN Matters document SE20011 – …

Medical Review Audits and Regulatory Compliance: It Takes a Village

Long-term care is one of the most regulated settings in this country. The interpretive guidance in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual, which surveyors apply during an onsite survey, is 856 pages long—and that is just a small fraction of the regulatory mandates that apply to long-term care facilities. …

Back to Basics: Daily and Weekly Tasks of a Nurse Assessment Coordinator

Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) new to the job often receive guidance from a mentor during their first two weeks in the role. That mentor might lead the new NAC step by step through all the functions necessary to manage the resident assessment instrument (RAI) process. Ideally, the NAC would continue …

Uncover Unusual Contributors to Fall Risk

The RAI User’s Manual states that “A previous fall, especially a recent fall, recurrent falls, and falls with significant injury are the most important predictors of risk for future falls and injurious falls” (CMS, 2019, p. J-27). However, there are many more items that must be considered when assessing a …

PDPM: Clearing Up Nursing Component Confusion – Part 5 – Behavioral Symptoms and Cognitive Performance and Reduced Physical Function

Editor’s note: This is the fifth and final article in a series on the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) categories for the nursing component, covering various missteps to avoid in PDPM calculation, as well as essential coding tips. Part one focused on Extensive Services; part two focused on Special Care …

PDPM: Clearing Up Nursing Component Confusion – Part 4 – Focus on Clinically Complex

Editor’s note: This is the fourth article in a series on the PDPM categories for the nursing component, covering various missteps to avoid in PDPM calculation, as well as essential coding tips. Part one focused on Extensive Services, part two focused on Special Care High, and part three, Special Care …

PDPM: Clearing Up Nursing Component Confusion – Part Three – Focus on Special Care Low

Editor’s note: This is the third article in a series on the PDPM categories for the nursing component, covering various missteps to avoid in PDPM calculation, as well as essential coding tips. Part one focused on Extensive Services and part two, Special Care High. Future articles will address the additional …

PDPM: Clearing Up Nursing Component Confusion: Part Two – Focus on Special Care High

Editor’s note: This is the second article in a series on the PDPM categories for the nursing component, covering various missteps to avoid in PDPM calculation, as well as essential coding tips. Part one focused on Extensive services. Future articles will address the additional nursing categories of Special Care Low, …