Achieving Strong Resident Quality of Life Starts With Better Staff Management

Quality of life is a “fundamental principle” that feeds into—and flows from—all resident care and services, according to 42 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §483.24. The F-tag 675 surveyor guidance in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual offers insights on the definition of quality of life and what it …

Culturally Competent Care Planning: What It Takes to Get It Right

Effective with the Oct. 1, 2023, implementation of MDS v1.18.11, items A1005 (Ethnicity), A1010 (Race), A1110 (Language), and B1300 (Health Literacy) will provide nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and other interdisciplinary team members with a starting point for creating more culturally competent care plans—especially if the team conducts a more detailed …

Pain Management for Residents With OUD: Prioritize Staff Training

Like every aspect of nursing home operations, staff education and training are critical to providing pain management for residents with opioid use disorder (OUD), other substance use disorders, or an addiction history. Each resident’s pain management plan should be highly resident-centered and individualized, says Annette Sanders, MSN, RN, CLNC, ICP, …

Set up an Audit Response Process to Navigate TPE

Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) seem to be experiencing a significant uptick in Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) prepayment medical review of fee-for-service Medicare Part A claims, says Stacy Grondel, RN, BN, RAC-CTA, RAC-MT, QCP, CMAC, director of medical review and education for Salt Lake City, UT-based Avalon Health Care Group. “Over …

MDS Data Specifications V3.01.0 (DRAFT) Posted

The MDS Data Specifications V3.01.0 (DRAFT) are now available for download under the Downloads section at the bottom of this webpage.  These specifications will go into effect on October 1, 2023.  There are a significant number of changes in this version, primarily in Sections A, D, GG, J, K, N, O and …

Ethnicity, Race, Language, Health Literacy: New MDS Items Are a Cultural Starting Point

Effective Oct. 1, 2023, seven social determinants of health (SDOH) standardized patient assessment data elements (SPADEs) will be added to the MDS v1.18.11 item sets as follows: SDOH Items on the MDS v1.18.11 Draft Item Sets Item ND  NPE NC NQ NT NP IPA A1005 (Ethnicity) X X X X …

April 2023 Quarterly Update to SNF Consolidated Billing HCPCS Codes

Transmittal # R11849CP Issue Date 2023-02-09 Subject April 2023 Quarterly Update to HCPCS Codes Used for Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Consolidated Billing (CB) Enforcement Implementation Date 2023-04-03 CR # 13089 Publication # 100-04 Downloads I. SUMMARY OF CHANGES: The purpose of this CR is to provide updates to the lists …

CDC: Outbreak of Extensively Drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Associated With Artificial Tears

There are nursing home-specific recommendations: SummaryThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is issuing this Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Advisory about infections with an extensively drug-resistant strain of Verona Integron-mediated Metallo-β-lactamase (VIM) and Guiana-Extended Spectrum-β-Lactamase (GES)-producing carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (VIM-GES-CRPA) in 12 states. Most patients reported using artificial tears. Patients reported more …

Nursing Staff Conflicts: Gracefully Resolve Issues With These Mindset Shifts

Interactions Among Staff (i.e., the extent to which staff are rude to, or bully, other staff) is one of six workplace safety composite measures derived from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) new Surveys on Patient Safety Culture (SOPS) Workplace Safety Supplemental Item Set for Nursing Homes to …

From Glucometers to Podiatry Equipment: Where Cleaning and Disinfection Can Fail

Inadequate hand hygiene before and after care processes (e.g., when donning or doffing gloves) is a perennial problem for nurses and other staff members in nursing homes. However, even staff who perform hand hygiene correctly can be tripped up by the cleaning and disinfection requirements for the reusable medical devices …