Planning for time off over the holidays often takes coordination across the entire interdisciplinary team (IDT) to ensure processes and systems continue to operate smoothly while key players are missing. The nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) must ensure MDS assessments are in place, skilled Medicare decisions are being made appropriately, significant …
By Emily Royalty-Bachelor Care conferences: maybe you’re familiar with them. Maybe you even attend them on a regular basis. But are you confident that your care conferences are meeting their intended purposes and making good use of everyone’s time? Here are some important details you need to know about hosting your …
As a screening tool to identify potential weight problems for adults, body mass index (BMI) has always been important to document, but it gained new importance as a reimbursement factor for Medicare Part A residents under the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM). Here’s what nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) need to know …
The National Academies of Sciences Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) hosted a Town Hall meeting in Chicago, IL on Friday, June 7 as part of the Future of Nursing: 2020-2030 project. The Future of Nursing project aims to “chart a path for the nursing profession to help our nation create a …
To date, the accuracy of section GG (functional abilities and goals) hasn’t mattered from a payment perspective. Section GG doesn’t affect payment under the RUG-IV case-mix classification system, and the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) only penalizes providers financially for failing to meet the data submission threshold …
Through Oct. 13, influenza activity remained low across the United States. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects flu outbreaks to increase in the coming months. Avoiding and minimizing flu outbreaks not only protects residents and staff, it protects the facility as well given the laser focus …
Have you ever worked for a boss who kept calm and positive even when under tremendous pressure? If so, you probably remember how that person’s attitude impacted the stress-filled environment in a very positive way. Nurse leaders carry an enormous amount of responsibility for multiple tasks in long-term care: budget, …
In his children’s book Happy Birthday to You, Dr. Seuss eloquently wrote, “Today YOU are YOU, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than YOU.” The book was intended to encourage children to celebrate who they are and the ability they have to shape …
Throughout the new survey process that implements on Nov. 28, 2017, the entire survey team will observe for breaks in infection control. “Infection-control deficient practices will be observed if they are happening and identified and documented,” said officials with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) during the July …
In many skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), the responsibility for obtaining Medicare Part A physician or nonphysician practitioner certifications/recertifications (certs/recerts) for skilled care has shifted to the nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) from medical records. “But often, the NACs or other staff members who are responsible for certs/recerts learned how to fill …
