This podcast is the beginning of a special podcast series on the winter wave of COVID-19. Throughout this series, AAPACN will talk with experts about the state of COVID-19, the vaccines and boosters available and …
Participants will learn to define and differentiate dementia, delirium, and depression, and recognize nursing interventions for each condition, especially dementia. Download now. For permission to use or reproduce this tool in full or in part, …
Nurse leaders make a tremendous difference in whether certified nurse aides (CNAs) and nurses decide to stay or leave the job, especially in the first 90 days of employment. One of the key ways the …
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 …
When new employees see their leader is invested in their success, including proficiency in their job performance as well as becoming a part of team, the odds of retaining the employee increase dramatically. AAPACN’s Retaining …
Listen to this podcast for a discussion on survey citation F695, Respiratory/Tracheostomy Care and Suctioning – what it is, why it is important, and how skilled nursing facilities can avoid it. Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, …
Question: Do we need to obtain an order from a physician to be able to place a new admission or move a current resident to the secured (locked) unit in our care facility? Answer from …
SUBJECT: Revisions to State Operations Manual (SOM), Appendix PP I. SUMMARY OF CHANGES: Technical Corrections – corrected endnote numbering and references, updated broken web links, deleted duplicated regulatory text. NEW/REVISED MATERIAL – EFFECTIVE DATE: October …
Weekly health care personnel (HCP) & Resident COVID-19 Vaccination Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting Long-term care facilities can track weekly COVID-19 vaccination data for residents and healthcare personnel (HCP) through NHSN. February 2023 and January …
The HCP Flu Vaccination Module, which is part of the HCP component in NHSN, is used to input required NHSN data for the SNF QRP. This site provides access to the HCP Vaccination Module: Influenza …
GAO-23-104813 Published: Jan 03, 2023. Publicly Released: Feb 02, 2023. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-104813 Fast Facts Care Compare is a web-based tool that lets consumers compare the quality ratings of health care providers participating in the Medicare program. …
The January update of Appendix B to the RAI 3.0 User’s Manual contains changes to the list of State RAI Coordinators, MDS Automation Coordinators, RAI Panel members, and CMS locations and contacts. To ensure accurate formatting, use a …
“On January 30, 2023, the Biden Administration announced its intent to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations on May 11, 2023, related to the COVID-19 pandemic.” From https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/EPRO/Current-Emergencies/Current-Emergencies-page
FYI 1/26/23SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Responses to the Ancestral SARS-CoV-2 Strain and Omicron BA.1 and BA.4/BA.5 Variants in Nursing Home Residents After Receipt of Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine — Ohio and Rhode Island, September–November 2022 Summary What is …
In an effort to better enable the collection of health-related social needs (HRSNs), defined as individual-level, adverse social conditions that negatively impact a person’s health or healthcare, are significant risk factors associated with worse health …
Five-Star, NHQI, SNF QRP, SNF VBP, PBJ data Announcement: January 2023: Data have been refreshed for January 2023. Because of COVID-19 reporting exceptions, the claims-based measures were calculated excluding Q1 and Q2 2020. For additional …
CMS created the Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily. The Nursing Home Compare Web site features a quality rating system that gives each nursing home …
The CY 2023 PFS Final Rule contains provisions concerning Medicareprovider enrollment. These principally involve the following: (1) Moving skilled nursingfacilities (SNFs), various provider enrollment ownership changes, and certain other providersand suppliers into the “high” level …
Question: Where can I find information about iQIES? Answer from Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the new iQIES Reports User Manual. This manual …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo last week containing updates to Care Compare and Quality Measure ratings. These changes include: CMS will consider a lesser action to the star ratings …
2015—the year that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added antipsychotic medication use quality measures (QMs) to the Five-Star Quality Rating System—marked the beginning of some difficult trends in the potentially inappropriate diagnosis …
With a long-lasting pandemic, staff shortages, increased federal reporting requirements, and survey changes in 2022, and new MDS changes in the year to come, one thing is certain—everyone is tired. Amid all this, the director …
More Than a Thousand Nursing Homes Reached Infection Rates of 75 Percent or More in the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic; Better Protections Are Needed for Future Emergencies (OEI-02-20-00491) Nursing homes had a surge of …
Updates to the Nursing Home Care Compare Website and Five Star Quality Rating System: Adjusting Quality Measure Ratings Based on Erroneous Schizophrenia Coding, and Posting Citations Under Dispute Summary • Adjusting Quality Measure Ratings: CMS …
The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) …
January 2023 The Improving Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act) requires the Secretary to specify resource use measures and other measures, on which post-acute care (PAC) providers are required to submit necessary data …
iQIES is the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System, which is the system that the MDS submissions system is being transferred to. The QIES Technical Support Office maintains a website with iQIES reference materials, including …
Starting on January 17, 2023, post-acute facilities and Medicare health plans will no longer receive phone calls for appeal notifications (when a new appeal has been filed). Post-acute facilities and Medicare health plans will receive …
Participants will learn to identify requirements of a person-centered care plan, identify ways to develop a relationship with a resident that facilitates care planning, and define person-centered care according to the Centers for Medicare & …
Participants will learn to identify the risks for medical emergencies for skilled nursing facility residents and select basic actions to follow when a medical emergency occurs. Download now. For permission to use or reproduce this tool …
Participants will learn to understand the effects deconditioning may have on a resident, identify risks for deconditioning, and identify what can be done to recondition a resident. Download now. For permission to use or reproduce this …
Participants will learn to identify at least two residents who wander and discuss the factors that could cause their wandering, guide learners in developing a plan to reduce these residents’ wandering based on their unique …
Jan. 11, 2023: As a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health …
Due to the Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) quarterly deadline, the iQIES Service Center is projecting an increase in the volume of calls and emails between now and February 14, 2023. For More Information Contact the …
The purpose of the Third Edition Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) COVID-19 Public Reporting (PR) Tip Sheet is to help providers understand CMS’ public reporting approach to the SNF QRP to account for CMS …
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response has released an information sheet, COVID-19 Treatments: Key Messages for Long-Term Care Facilities. https://www.aapacn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ASPR-Info-Sheet_COVID-Tx_LTC-Key-Messages_1.5.2023-1.pdf
By Cody Campbell and AAPACN Leadership pioneer and scholar, Warren Bennis once said, “Leadership is the capacity to translate a vision into reality.” This quote inspires in moments of stress and anxiety related to work, …
Meaning “This study suggests that day-to-day staffing instability is an important marker of nursing home quality, limiting measurement, reporting, or policy to average hours per resident-day likely will miss important opportunities to improve care.” https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2800160
Performing bed safety checks is often an essential duty of the maintenance supervisor. However, the risk to residents of injury or even death while they are in bed is a serious matter, and the DNS …
F-tag 880 (Infection Prevention and Control) is the second most frequent citation nationwide in calendar year (CY) 2022—and the third most frequently cited at the immediate jeopardy (IJ) severity level, according to QCOR (Quality, Certification, …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated draft of the new MDS 3.0 Item Sets on Dec. 23, 2022. This newest draft includes changes to the following: Because there are multiple …
It is important that a resident’s bed is in good working condition to maintain safety and provide the highest quality of care for the resident. Utilize AAPACN’S Bed Safety Guide to ensure each bed in …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, vice president of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, and Alexis Roam, MSN, RN-BC, QCP-MT, DNS-MT, AAPACN curriculum development specialist, discuss nurse incivility and …
Question: If the DNS is on the schedule Monday through Friday for 8-hour shifts each day and 40 hours per week, and serves primarily as RN coverage, are they allowed to leave the building for …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network Long-Term Care Facility Multidrug-Resistant Organism & Clostridioides difficile (MDRO/CDI) Infection Event Reporting Module Using Laboratory-identified Event Methodology offers protocols, tools and other resources at this site: …
CDC’s NHSN provides healthcare facilities, such as long-term care facilities (LTCFs), with a secure reporting platform for reporting outcomes and process measures in a systematic way. Reported data are immediately available for use in strengthening local …
This series provides nursing homes with the facts on COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics that support better resident outcomes. In these conversations with Dr. Lee Fleisher, the CMS CMO, nursing home leaders will hear from Centers for …
Emergency preparedness planners in nursing homes can adapt this new On-Campus Hospital Armed Assailant Planning Considerations document to help prepare their facilities to mitigate, respond to, and recover from an armed assailant or active shooter situation on …
Full list here: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaMain Some highlights are excerpted below: HHS/SAMHSA Proposed Rule Stage Medications for the Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder 0930-AA39 HHS/CMS Proposed Rule Stage Administrative Simplification: Adoption of Standards for Health Care Attachment …
AMDA-The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine partnered with the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, the Gerontological Advance Practice Nurses Association, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and the American Academy of Physician Assistants/Associates …
Major Category II. A. – Dialysis, EPO, Aranesp, Other Related Services for ESRD ADD Major Category III. A. -Chemotherapy ADD Major Category III. C. -Radioisotopes and their Administration ADD Major Category IV. A. – Mammography …
Prevention Process Measures: Hand Hygiene, Gown and Glove Use Adherence Most Recent Updates Protocols Supporting Chapters Data Collection Forms & Instructions All Data Collection Forms are Print-only PPM Monthly Reporting Plan Annual Facility Survey FAQs …
SNFs were the provider type with the highest level of insufficient documentation, leading to an improper payment rate of 15.1 percent for the 2022 report period: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2022-medicare-fee-service-supplemental-improper-payment-data.pdf
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Healthcare Safety Network Long-Term Care Facility Urinary Tract Infection Module provides forms, tools, and other resources at this site: https://www.cdc.gov/nhsn/ltc/uti/index.html Most recent updates Protocols Supporting Chapters Data …
The HCP Influenza Vaccination module in the HPS component of the NHSN is where SNFs enter data for the SNF QRP’s HCP Influenza Vaccination measure. This website offers access to training slides and other educational …
The National Forum of ESRD Networks has shared a communication tool, updated on Dec. 2, 2022, that covers nursing home communication to dialysis facilities, as well as dialysis facility communication to nursing homes: LTCF-Dialysis Infection …
AG Healey Secures $1.75 Million Resolution With Nursing Home Chain Over Failure To Meet the Needs of Residents With Substance Use Disorder BOSTON — A Connecticut-based long-term care management company operating nursing homes across southern New England …
The draft Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Item Sets version (v)1.18.11 are now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. CMS plans to release the final …
The National Center for State Courts (NCSC) has released an updated online course that explains options for assisting individuals who need decision-making support. Finding the Right Fit: Decision-Making Supports and Guardianship is a free, …
JAMA Network Open Study found that “several common phrases are misunderstood when used in a medical setting, with the interpreted meaning frequently the exact opposite of what is intended.” Free full text available: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2799079
AHRQ has released translations in Spanish, Haitian Creole and Tagalog of learning modules that nursing home staff can watch at their own pace to learn about COVID-19 prevention and how to support residents’ and staff emotional health. Each of the …
Outbreak Duration Averaged 4 Weeks and Was Strongly Associated with Community Spread Highlights Page (1 page) Full Report (70 pages) What GAO Found GAO analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …
Effective Oct. 24, 2022, nursing homes are required to implement revised pain management guidance under F-tag 697 (Pain Management) in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual for residents with active opioid use disorder or …
With the Staffing domain in the Five-Star Quality Rating System more complex than ever, Jessie McGill, RN, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, a curriculum development specialist with AAPACN, offers directors of nursing services (DNSs) and other nurse managers …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Core Infection Prevention and Control Practices for Safe Healthcare Delivery in All Settings, also known as Core Practices, are now available on CDC’s Infection Control webpage. These …
Question: What is the difference between a Stage I pressure injury and a deep tissue injury? Answer from Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT: The National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) defines a stage one …
SUBJECT: Revisions to Appendix I – Survey Procedures for Life Safety Code Surveys I. SUMMARY OF CHANGES: Revisions based on 81 FR 26871 and 81 FR 42548 published on 5/4/16 (effective 7/5/2016) amended the fire …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, vice president of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, and Rob Leffler, RPh, FASCP, the vice president of clinical services for Synchrony Pharmacy, talk …
As of October 24, 2022, nursing facilities must comply with updates the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made to the surveyor guidance in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual. Although changes to …
Psychosocial harm is such a critical issue in nursing homes that resident psychosocial outcomes are equally important to physical outcomes when surveyors are determining a deficiency’s severity level. Surveyors assign the severity level of a …
The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA) has developed a new toolkit with their partners. This free toolkit provides resources for clinicians to help them navigate challenging questions. This toolkit includes: For permission …
Participants will learn what diabetes is, how to recognize the signs and symptoms of hypoglycemia, and what certified nurse aides (CNAs) should do when they see a resident might be experiencing hypoglycemia. Download now. For …
Question: What are some best practices for providing a welcoming and thorough clinical orientation for nurses and unlicensed staff? Answer from Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT: AAPACNS’s Onboarding Essentials: Welcoming Staff to Promote …
Note that CMS is planning a substantial revision to the adopted but still not implemented SNFPPR measure (SNF VBP) as well as to COVID-19 HCP Vaccination measure (SNF QRP). MUC2022-084* SNF QRP COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage …
The December 2022 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports for the fiscal year (FY) 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program are now available to download via the Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (QIES)/Certification and …
As previously announced, CMS is preparing to release the Internet-facing, cloud-based system, referred to as the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) for Minimum Data Set (MDS) submission, in early 2023. Although the MDS …
Note that this memo is for all healthcare providers, but there are several “nursing homes in particular” statements, including but not limited to: “Nursing homes, in particular, should review and reinforce their infection control protocols …
There is a new Quality in Focus tab at the CMS QSEP Training site: https://qsep.cms.gov/ProvidersAndOthers/publictraining.aspx Available LTC-focused resources now available include: Quality in Focus Resources for Addressing LTC Free of Accident Citations Training for Providers …
TMF Health Quality Institute, a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Innovation Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), works with nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities in Arkansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Puerto Rico and Texas to …
This ZIP file contains resources for surveyors conducting initial surveys under the Long-term Care Survey Process (LTCSP). It is a one-stop shop containing a multitude of reference materials that are provided to the surveyors going …
A report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) highlights patients’ experience of Long COVID to better understand its complexities and drive creative responses by government leaders, clinicians, patient advocates and …
Long-Term Trends of Psychotropic Drug Use in Nursing Homes(OEI-07-20-00500) OIG found that from 2011 through 2019, about 80 percent of Medicare’s long-stay nursing home residents were prescribed a psychotropic drug. While the Centers for Medicare …
Over the last two years, the holidays have been difficult for many residents, families, and providers. However, things seem to be looking up as we near the end of 2022! The Centers for Disease Control …
On Oct. 3. 2022, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) renewed the nationwide opioid public health emergency (PHE), marking the launch of the PHE’s sixth year. Some nursing homes have been slow …
IPRO QIN-QIO will be having a free day of online learning on December 8 at 9 am – 3pm ET to share the latest updates on topics to advance quality and address needs such as: …
Question: What does a facility have to do to maintain compliance if they use bedrails or grab bars? Answer from Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT: F700 in Appendix PP of the State Operations …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is releasing updated and expanded recommendations for clinicians providing pain care for adult outpatients with short- and long-term pain. These clinical recommendations, published in the CDC Clinical Practice …
Learn to identify ICD-10-CM structure and format, recognize features, and find codes. Diagnosis Coding: Using the ICD-10-CM (October 2022) (Contact Hours 64 min.)
[11-8-2022] Health care professionals should be cautious of possible xylazine inclusion in fentanyl, heroin, and other illicit drug overdoses, as naloxone may not be able to reverse its effects. FDA is aware of increasing reports of …
Written by Michael Daniels, RN, DNS-CT, QCP, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA All one needs to do is peruse the long-term care (LTC)/skilled nursing facility (SNF) job openings online for a few minutes to realize that something is …
Participants will learn to identify factors that give rise to ethical dilemmas in nursing, identify measures that assist in making ethical decisions, and apply the core principles in ethical decision making. Download now. For permission …
When the pandemic pummeled the nursing home workforce, nursing homes lost more jobs than any other healthcare setting. This loss compounded the staffing shortage facilities were already confronting, leaving many facility leaders physically and emotionally …
It just got a little more difficult for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to avoid a 2 percent reduction to their annual payment update (APU) in the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP). For …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revised guidance regarding COVID-19 staff vaccination requirements. This revision combines previous memos QSO-22-07-ALL, QSO-22-09-ALL, and QSO-22-11-ALL.CMS defines noncompliance of this requirement as a “rate of less than …
AAPACN’s Laboratory Test Tool provides useful knowledge to nurses regarding the most widely ordered laboratory tests. Areas of knowledge include components of each test, reasons the physician may order the laboratory test, if the resident …
