Welcome to 2014! Taking a look back at the CMSCG Blog from 2013, it seemed like a good time to recap some of the most important issues we saw affecting the post-acute and long term care industries in 2013. Here are ten key posts from the CMS Compliance Group Blog for 2013.
- CMS Open Door Forum clarifies hospital “Two Midnight Rule” for inpatient stays – One of the year’s hottest topics is the two-midnight requirement that CMS provided when it looked to provide clarity on inpatient versus outpatient stays for Medicare beneficiaries. This has been an area of growing concern for both hospitals and skilled nursing facilities
- Linda Elizaitis discusses F-tag revisions and their impact on SNFs (ADVANCE for Long Term Care Management) – When CMS announced revisions to F-155 Right to Refuse; Formulate Advance Directives, F-309 Provide Care/Services for Highest Well Being and F-322-NG Treatment/Services – Restore Eating Skills, there was more to the changes than met the eye. Linda Elizaitis discussed these revisions for an ADVANCE for Long Term Management Feature article
- OIG Report: Nursing home hospitalizations need better monitoring – As part of the 2013 OIG Work Plan, the OIG released a report reviewing hospitalization rates and taking into account provider concerns about impacts on payments.
- The expanding focus on resident-centered care in nursing homes – Many federal initiatives underway are helping to ensure nursing home residents maintain their autonomy
- A Year after Sandy . . . Is your nursing facility prepared? – Although no one in the Northeast can forget Hurricane Sandy, skilled nursing facilities may not have taken a good look at their disaster plans to make sure it had been updated to help them be more prepared. CMS is currently proposing a rule to create a national standard for emergency preparedness
- Taming the MDS (McKnight’s Long Term Care News) – Linda Elizaitis discussed the October 2013 updates to the MDS 3.0 with McKnight’s Long Term Care News
- CMS updates to the Quality Indicator Survey (QIS) Materials (Summer 2013) – We provided a recap of QIS documentation that was updated in the middle of 2013 for your reference
- 5 reasons your nursing facility needs a mock survey – We often hear the question, “why do I need a mock survey when I know we are prepared?” Well, here’s some things to take into account before you decide to forgo having an outside set of eyes take a look at your building
- Nursing homes, take note of inadequate care planning and discharge planning efforts – The OIG issued a report in March 2013 that highlighted a $5.1 billion Medicare payment that was provided for inferior quality of care, inadequate care plans and poor discharge planning
- CMS: Enforcement actions – installation of sprinkler systems in nursing homes – We kept you in the loop regarding the requirement for fully automated sprinkler systems in nursing homes, which has been underway since August 2013. This post discusses the enforcement actions that CMS disseminated to let facilities know they will be cited for not having a fully sprinklered building
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