52 Posts in Post Acute Care
The regulations surrounding issuance of beneficiary notices has resulted in some significant confusion in the SNF industry, not only with SNF staff, but with surveyors as well. Compounding the confusion is not only knowing which of the different types of forms to issue, but who and when to issue them, to be in compliance with current Federal regulations.
Ensuring that your institution or clinical setting provides primary palliative care is one of the most powerful ways you can improve the quality and cost of U.S. healthcare. However, most health care professionals have not been trained to provide this type of care, and they cannot practice what they do not know. Since nurses are the largest group of healthcare professionals, and the ones who...
Answer: All health care institutions should ensure their nurses are educated in primary palliative care!
The way that our society views aging is quite remarkable. Most people long to maintain life but somehow try to avert the inevitable changes that come with the aging process. Some of the changes are anxiously anticipated, such as a first birthday or college graduation. Other changes are unwelcome, such as the appearance of the first few gray hairs or “age spots”. Being young has value in...
A Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) is issued by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to improve the quality of health care and to promote compliance with regulations. CIAs combat fraud committed by health care organizations and are issued when a health care organization acknowledges improper or fraudulent actions.
You’ve probably noticed that advance care planning (ACP) conversations are gaining attention as an important intervention in healthcare. Why? Most importantly, good ACP conversations help people get the kind of care at the end of life that is consistent with their personal goals and wishes. In addition, studies show that advance care planning conversations improve multiple outcomes including...
Do you incorporate palliative care into your clinical practice? Can you help optimize the quality of life for those you care for?
The prevalence of opioid addiction and overdose has skyrocketed since the early 1990s. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), overdose deaths from any opioid have increased sevenfold, and overdose dusts relating to commonly prescribed opioids, including natural and semi-synthetic opioids and methadone, have more than...
Infection control is a serious public issue, and it is vital for healthcare workers and others working with the public to understand how to prevent infection. Controlling and preventing infection in long-term care settings is possible. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that when healthcare professionals are aware of infections and they take steps to prevent...
November is just around the corner and CMS has been busy developing resources related to the upcoming implementation of the new nursing facility/skilled nursing facility (NF/SNF) survey process. The target date of implementation is November 28th, 2017.
