The average cost of a hospital readmission is 12.4 percent higher than the average cost of the original hospital admission ($16,300 vs. $14,500), according to a 2023 analysis by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). At the same time, hospital readmissions from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) remain relatively …
As the leader of the nursing department, the director of nursing services (DNS) plays an integral role in the disciplinary process. Managing employee performance can be challenging, but it is necessary. Failure to address employees’ negative behaviors and actions can destroy morale among the staff. Knowing when and how to …
The nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) role is a complex one that requires managing numerous deadlines, compliance regulations, and the involvement of the interdisciplinary team (IDT) in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment. The job can be overwhelming, even when everything proceeds as expected. And the NAC can feel defeated when …
MDS items E0100A (Hallucinations) and E0100B (Delusions) are qualifiers for the Behavioral Symptoms and Cognitive Performance category in the nursing component of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM). Even more importantly, these conditions that form the core of E0100 (Potential Indicators of Psychosis) can indicate an acute medical condition—or result in …
A surveyor investigating a resident with multiple falls approaches a nurse and asks why the care plan wasn’t updated with the latest fall prevention interventions. The nurse tells the surveyor that she doesn’t have anything to do with the care plans and that the nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) is who …
Historically, pain is underassessed and undertreated in the geriatric population, says Liz Barlow, RN, CRRN, RAC-CT, DNS-CT, QCP, vice president of marketing at Synchrony Health Services in Louisville, KY. “Up to 75 percent of community-dwelling people over the age of 65 in the United States report experiencing chronic pain.” The …
Beneficiary notification requirements under the Medicare program can be confusing for nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) who serve as the lead Medicare nurse and other interdisciplinary team members in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), says Carol Maher, RN-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, RAC-CT, CPC, director of education for Hansen, Hunter & Co. PC …
The role of the nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) can often be an enigma to many nursing home staff. Misunderstandings about the position abound, and NACs may find it frustrating that no one knows what they do or its true impact. One of the most common misunderstandings about the NAC’s role …
Emergencies can occur at any moment. Fires, hurricanes, snowstorms, ice storms, water main breaks, power outages, and outbreaks are just a few of the emergencies nursing homes must prepare for throughout the year. However, in September 2023, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) …
The continuing expansion of the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing program (SNF VBP) quality measure (QM) set is part of a multi-pronged approach by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to encourage improvements in the quality of care for nursing home residents. The SNF VBP focuses on financial …
