Mrs. Elderberry is ready to go home. It’s been five long weeks of rehabilitation following a broken hip from that clumsy slip on a rug. Home. She’s wondering if her son actually watered her house plants that she proudly kept vibrant for years. Home. The nurse called her attention back …
Editor’s note: This is the third article in a multipart series about advance care planning and how to operationalize an effective program in nursing homes. Find the first article explaining the basics of what it is and why it matters here and the second article explaining how to use advance …
By Jessica Kunkler, MA Staff turnover is everyone’s problem, and in facilities across the United States, it’s a big one. One in four nursing assistants and one in five home health aides report that they are actively looking for another job, according to the Recruitment and Retention Guide For Employers by …
With the rush to understand the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) under the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS), it’s easy to get caught up in meeting the technical criteria for payment—and not pay enough attention to the clinical criteria for meeting a Medicare skilled level of care, says …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) makes clear that nursing homes should have a sexual expression/intimacy program that supports sexually intimate relationships when possible. Specifically, F607 (Develop/Implement Abuse/Neglect, etc. Policies) in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual states: The facility must have and implement written policies and procedures to prevent …
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 …
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 …
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, …
