The Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) is a federal advisory committee chartered to provide advice and guidance to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Secretary of the Department of …
To be a successful director of nursing services (DNS) in a nursing home today and to lead staff in the very important mission to provide the best care possible for our nation’s elderly, there are …
Conflict is a daily reality, yet many of us do our best to avoid it, dreading the time when we will have to navigate interpersonal disputes. Many nurse leaders are similarly uncomfortable with or do …
Editor’s note: This is the first article in a three-part series on elopement prevention and response in nursing homes. Future articles will address staff training, policy and procedure development, and elopement risk management, including mechanical …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) discovered an error in the calculations for the Discharge to Community measure and will be updating the Care Compare website with the corrected data on Sept. 29, …
Question: Is the 3-day hospital waiver still in place? Answer from Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-CT, QCP: Yes, the Public Health Emergency (PHE) was just renewed again on July 20, 2021, which continues all …
2022 ICD-10-CM From https://www.cms.gov/medicare/icd-10/2022-icd-10-cm The 2022 ICD-10-CM files below contain information on the ICD-10-CM updates for FY 2022. These 2022 ICD-10-CM codes are to be used for discharges occurring from October 1, 2021 through September …
Notes from the Field: Transmission of Pan-Resistant and Echinocandin-Resistant Candida auris in Health Care Facilities ― Texas and the District of Columbia, January–April 2021 Weekly / July 23, 2021 / 70(29);1022–1023 Meghan Lyman, MD1; Kaitlin Forsberg, MPH1; Jacqueline …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) discovered an error in measure calculations for the Discharge to Community – Post Acute Care (PAC) Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program measure, and are re-releasing the …
The Five Star Preview Reports will be available on July 19, 2021. To access these reports, select the CASPER Reporting link located on the CMS QIES Systems for Providers page. Once in the CASPER Reporting …
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. July 2021 update Quick …
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJuly 16, 2021 Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced the availability of an estimated $103 million in American Rescue Plan …
CMS is providing notifications to Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and non-Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Swing Beds (SBs) that were determined to be out of compliance with SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for calendar year (CY) 2020, …
PBJ Daily Nurse Staffing CY 2021Q1 Special Programs/Initiatives – Long Term Care Facility Staffing Payroll-Based Journal Dataset Payroll-Based Journal staffing data submitted by long term care facilities. Data are presented as one row per work …
Most recent updates: July 14, 2021 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 …
Jul 13, 2021 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing changes to address the widening gap in health equity highlighted by the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) and to expand patient access to …
Nursing school does not prepare nurse leaders to interview job applicants, so figuring out the process to find the right candidate is often a challenge. Leaders want to find the best fit for the position—someone …
A physician who always sends residents to the emergency department (ED) when nurses call them about a significant change in condition, an advanced practice provider (APP) who routinely orders expensive and unnecessary tests, a physician …
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has released a toolkit to assist facilities with antibiotic stewardship. This toolkit focuses on three critical areas: Developing and improving a facility’s antibiotic stewardship program Creating a …
Nurse leaders want to hire candidates with the right characteristics and talents necessary to be successful in their jobs. AAPACN’s new Interview Template Tool allows the nurse leader to customize the desired characteristics and talents, …
Answer from Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-CT, QCP:F609 and F610 state that the final results of the investigation must be reported within five working days. This means five business days, not calendar days. However, the …
WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has revised its National Emphasis Program (NEP) for COVID-19. The agency launched the NEP on March 12, 2021, to focus on companies that put the …
Spring 2021 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions HHS has released the spring 2021 list of rules coming from its agencies here: https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaMain?operation=OPERATION_GET_AGENCY_RULE_LIST¤tPub=true&agencyCode=&showStage=active&agencyCd=0900&csrf_token=0E1B877ADA6F1E9E7B917760AB4DF631E1235A1E80343E41CEE5211522813776D81C588749E57D66DD6727F7D1F1E611994A Key agenda items: HHS/CDC Proposed Rule Stage Respirator Certification Fees; Fee …
Covid-19’s toll in nursing homes highlighted major shortcomings in how these facilities handle infection prevention and control. A federal strike team identifies key challenges and promising practices to improve safety for residents and staff. https://catalyst.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/CAT.21.0144
Improving Health Care Quality for LGBTQ People (Contact Hours 70 min.) Learn to identify sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) terminology to build trust with LGBTQ patients and recognize health disparities that impact many older LGBTQ adults. …
Participants will learn the definition of osteoporosis, how to identify risks for osteoporosis, and select nursing interventions to care for a person with osteoporosis. Download now.
This learning activity should enable the participate to identify major areas of care that culture affects and at least three actions that can be taken to show respect for residents’ diversity. Download now.
The Long-Term Care Toolkit explains the Four Moments of Antibiotic Decision Making, and has tools to support their implementation and improve prescribing in three areas: developing and improving an antibiotic stewardship program, creating a safety …
This learning activity should enable the participate to identify who the customer is, demonstrate good customer service, and discuss the steps of service recovery. Download now.
Members: Free | Non-members: $99Continuing Education: 1.0 CE hourDate: August 19, 2021Time: 2 pm ET, 1 pm CT, Noon MT, 11 am PTDuration: 60 minutesSpeaker: Denise Winzeler BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-CT, QCP Resident falls, especially those resulting in injury, …
The current weekly data provided by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that 1,136 nursing homes have met the provider-set national goal of getting 75 percent of staff fully vaccinated with a …
Guidance related to Emergency Preparedness- Exercise Exemption based on A Facility’s Activation of their Emergency Plan Memo # QSO-20-41-ALL REVISED 06.21.2021 Posting Date 2021-06-21 Fiscal Year 2021 Summary • Emergency Preparedness Training and Testing Program …
A short, free IHI Open School online course offers practical ways for individual health care workers and team leaders to promote health, well-being, and connections every day. Login or register and then browse the catalog …
The following data sets were updated June 1 and released June 23 at https://data.cms.gov/provider-data/search?theme=Nursing%20homes%20including%20rehab%20services: FY 2021 SNF VBP Facility-Level Dataset This dataset contains facility-specific performance information for the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Skilled Nursing Facility …
(OEI-02-20-00490) This data snapshot showed the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Medicare beneficiaries in U.S. nursing homes in 2020. It provides objective, standardized data based on Medicare claims for beneficiaries in nursing homes …
One of a nursing student’s most exciting milestones is purchasing a stethoscope. In addition to serving as a critical tool, the stethoscope is also a symbol signifying that the nursing student has taken a leap …
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released a new emergency temporary standard for healthcare settings that includes skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). This standard requires SNFs to conduct a hazard assessment and have a written …
Question: What assessments should my facility be completing for residents who are readmitted? Answer from Michelle Stuercke, DNP, MSN, MPH, LNHA: It often happens that residents have a change in their fall risk, skin risk, …
CMS provides a current list of F-tags by regulatory grouping used in the Long-term Care Survey Process (LTCSP) CMS updated the tag list on June 19, 2021. List of Revised FTags [Effective 06/19/2021] (PDF) From …
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 into …
New tool provides innovative solutions for states and facilities to protect our nation’s vulnerable nursing home residents during emergency CMS has released a Toolkit for States to Mitigate COVID-19 in Nursing Homes (PDF) UPDATED (6/21/21) developed to …
On May 11, 2021, CMS published an interim final rule with comment period that added new COVID-19 vaccination reporting requirements for nursing home staff and residents. CMS has provided a four-week grace period for facilities …
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor. ACTION: Interim final rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is issuing an emergency temporary standard (ETS) to protect healthcare …
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is releasing revised reporting requirements for recipients of Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments. This announcement includes expanding the amount …
US Department of Labor’s OSHA issues emergency temporary standardto protect health care workers from the coronavirusOSHA also releases new guidance for all industries WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration …
June 9, 2021 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is sharing the following alerts from the White House and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Organizations are encouraged …
Incontinence is a common issue for many of our residents. In fact, almost 50% of residents in a nursing home present with some type of incontinence. This education will discuss urinary incontinence along with the …
Urinary incontinence (UI), defined as any involuntary leakage of urine, affects over half the population living in post-acute long-term care (PALTC) and costs an estimated 5.5 billion annually, according to the Society for Post-Acute and …
“Against medical advice” (AMA) is a term that nursing homes use to describe a resident unexpectedly leaving the facility in a self- or representative-initiated discharge that is inconsistent with their identified care needs. “Some providers …
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed a new PPE tracking tool along with a user’s guide to assist facilities in identifying performance patterns and to target improvement areas regarding PPE use.The …
Question: Do adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccine need to be recorded on the OSHA log? Answer from OSHA QuickTakes, June 1 : OSHA does not wish to discourage staff members from receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, …
Meet four rising stars in long-term and post-acute care – the AAPACN Education Foundation 2021 Scholarship recipients. The AAPACN Education Foundation positively impacts the lives of 1.4 million people living in nursing homes by providing …
The 2021 National Impact Assessment of CMS Quality Measures Report (2021 Impact Assessment Report) has been posted on the CMS website. CMS assesses the quality and efficiency impact of endorsed measures every three years. The …
MACs Resume Medical Review on a Post-payment Basis: Beginning August 2020, Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) resumed post-payment reviews of items and services with dates of service before March 2020. MACs may now begin conducting post-payment …
The June issue of The American Journal of Gastroenterology includes the following new guidelines: ACG Clinical Guidelines: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Clostridioides difficile InfectionsKelly, et al. New ACG Guidelines were authored to address C. difficile infection, bacteria that often causes …
In celebration of Nurses Week 2021, the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) Leading In Care Blog will recognize an AAPACN 2021 Award winner each week in May. Winners were honored at the AAPACN …
These resources allow nursing home staff to accurately collect, record, and file all the necessary information to document COVID-19 vaccine status for nursing home staff and residents. Resident Vaccine Administration Record for COVID-19 (PDF, 270 KB)This …
Note: These tools also go with the general AHRQ tool for how to conduct observational audits at https://www.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/wysiwyg/nursing-home/materials/observational-audits.pdf. The Personal Protective Equipment COVID-19 Observational Audit Data Tracking Tool and User Guide help nursing homes identify performance …
Performance & Budget The CMS FY 2022 budget request has been finalized and submitted to Congress. This Congressional Justification of the budget presents the resource requests for programs, focuses on key performance measures, and summarizes …
The NHSN Long-term Care Facility Component supports the nation’s COVID-19 response through the LTCF COVID-19 Module. Facilities eligible to report data to NHSN’s COVID-19 Module include nursing homes/skilled nursing, long-term care for the developmentally disabled, and assisted …
In celebration of Nurses Week 2021, the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) Leading In Care Blog will recognize an AAPACN 2021 Award winner each week in May. Winners were honored at the AAPACN …
Hand hygiene has always been a primary focus of infection prevention, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is under intense scrutiny. Even though the skill of hand hygiene is straightforward and easy to learn, …
Falls are common in nursing homes—they are a driver of surveyor citations under F-tag 689 (Free of Accident Hazards/Supervision/Devices), which is consistently among the top three survey citations nationwide, according to the S&C QCOR online …
The newest Five-Star data is to be released on the Care Compare website on May 26, 2021. AAPACN recommends reviewing this data on the website to ensure it is correct, especially if the Five-Star preview …
Question: What will happen to the online AADNS communities, discussion groups, and libraries? Answer from AAPACN: The AADNS Network has become a new member community named the Management/Leadership General Discussion community on AAPACN.org. The discussion …
COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Most Homes Had Multiple Outbreaks and Weeks of Sustained Transmission from May 2020 through January 2021 GAO analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, …
Invest in Trust: A Guide for Building COVID-19 Vaccine Trust Among Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) is designed to help nursing home leaders build COVID-19 vaccine confidence among CNAs and overcome barriers to vaccination by applying insights …
Long-Term Care Community Champions Videos – Voices from the Front Lines. Nursing home staff from multiple departments share their COVID-19 vaccination experiences: Long-Term Care Community Champions – Video #1 Long-Term Care Community Champions – Video #2 …
List of Blanket Waivers (PDF) UPDATED (5/24/2021). Note from AAPACN staff: CMS unintentionally removed the update that made the SNF/NF section consistent with the May 10 QSO memo expirations (https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-21-17-nh.pdf). Please see the May 10 …
These address issues related to SNF consolidated billing, telehealth, and other Medicare coverage and payment issues. Frequently Asked Questions to Assist Medicare Providers (PDF) UPDATED (5/24/21) Medicare Monoclonal Antibody COVID-19 Infusion Program Instruction (PDF) (4/16/21) Frequently …
The Five Star Preview Reports will be available on May 18, 2021. To access these reports, select the CASPER Reporting link located on the CMS QIES Systems for Providers page. Once in the CASPER Reporting …
In celebration of Nurses Week 2021, the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) Leading In Care Blog will recognize an AAPACN 2021 Award winner each week in May. Winners were honored at the AAPACN …
Considerations for Long-Term Care Facilities on Acquiring COVID-19 Vaccination Resources The purpose of this document is to provide long-term care facilities (LTCFs) with information about acquiring COVID-19 vaccination resources for staff and residents. All LTCF …
Disparities & Culturally Competent Care: Fostering Cultural Competence This section includes a collection of assessment tools, educational and learning materials, research articles and resources that are curated to help medical professionals and institutions provide culturally …
Nursing homes have been at the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents in these homes have been particularly affected by the disease, as they are predominantly elderly individuals who have underlying medical conditions and live …
CMS Quality, Safety, & Oversight memo QSO-21-19-NH includes new interpretive guidance for surveyors for F887 (COVID-19 Immunization), as well as updated investigative procedures, potential tags for additional investigation, and survey tools. In addition, the memo …
While many nursing homes thankfully are no longer in crisis staffing mode, recruiting staff remains a top priority in a highly competitive job market. “Staff recruitment breaks down into meeting two overarching challenges,” says Julie …
By CMS COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs-IID) Residents, Clients, and Staff Link to CMS release: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-expanding-efforts-grow-covid-19-vaccine-confidence-and-uptake-amongst-nations-most-vulnerable AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid …
“Across the country, the high rate of turnover in long-term care is a serious workforce problem,” says Dr. Linda Shell, DNP, MA, BSN, DNS-CT, Chief Learning Officer, LindaShell.com. “The cost associated with this turnover—the organizational …
On May 11, 2021, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new interim final rule and QSO memo regarding new COVID-19 vaccination immunization requirements for residents and staff. Facilities will now be …
Question: Will I still be able to access AADNS courses that I am currently taking on the new AAPACN website? Answer from AAPACN: Yes. You still have access to any courses that have not expired …
AAPACN’s latest set of tools provides nurse leaders with guidance on how to best utilize the pharmacy’s services and expertise and assists nurse leaders to collaborate with the pharmacist and maximize his or her expertise …
NHSN hosted a live webinar training for the updates to the weekly COVID-19 Vaccination modules. If you missed this live training, don’t worry, NHSN will rebroadcast this training for more times followed by a live …
In celebration of Nurses Week 2021, the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) Leading In Care Blog will recognize an AAPACN 2021 Award winner each week in May. Winners were honored at the AAPACN …
By CMS The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering web-based training that provides an overview of the general and key clinical considerations important for conducting standardized cognitive and mood assessments. This four-course …
By CMS On May 5, 2021, as a part of CMS’ ongoing COVID response efforts to support the long term care community, CMS debuted its first social media videos highlighting staff, also referred to as …
By the OIG Report OEI-07-19-00490 The Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (CMS’s) use of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) as the sole data source to count the …
The past year has brought a multitude of changes for everyone, but especially those in nursing homes. While the public health emergency (PHE) situation continues to evolve, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) …
The 2021 AAPACN Conference featured a highly-anticipated session, “ReFOCUS: 2021 CMS Regulatory Updates,” in which representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shared their insights on current regulatory challenges and future regulatory …
Mental and behavioral healthcare is one of many resident care needs that transitioned to telehealth (i.e., telephone or video visits) in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, …
By Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA Have you ever stopped to ask, “How did life amidst a pandemic affect my ability to be a good nurse leader in post-acute care or any …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) update the Nursing Home Visitation – COVID-19 memo, QSO-20-39-NH, and the Interim Final Rule (IFC), CMS-3401-IFC, Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public …
Question: How do you access 2021 AAPACN Conference sessions you wanted to see but may have missed? Answer: Members who registered for the 2021 AAPACN Conference but were unable to view a session live can …
On Thursday April 8, 2021, CMS issued the QSO-21-17-NH announcing the end of the following three blanket waivers: 1. The emergency blanket waivers related to notification of Resident Room or Roommate changes, and Transfer and Discharge notification …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in an April 8, 2021, QSO memo the following updates: • CMS is announcing that select blanket waivers are ending: o The emergency blanket waivers related to notification …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Spread in Nursing Homes. This guidance merges two prior documents (Responding to COVID-19 in Nursing Homes …
The safety of residents is a top priority for a skilled nursing facility (SNF). But how does one promote safety in such a dynamic environment? Three critical steps the director of nursing services (DNS) and …
While areas of concern related to medication administration (i.e., medication pass or med pass) are specific to each facility, there are certain common issues. Directors of nursing services (DNSs) can use the following tips to …
by AAPACN To meet the needs of medically complex residents, a holistic, individualized approach to care is required, including when a resident is at risk for a decline or change in condition. This guide provides …
