CDC: Implementation of PPE in Nursing Homes to Prevent Spread of MDROs

https://www.cdc.gov/long-term-care-facilities/hcp/prevent-mdro/PPE.html KEY POINTS How to implement personal protective equipment (PPE) use in nursing homes to prevent spread of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs). Summary of recent changes Enhanced Barrier Precautions in Nursing Homes – Video, Posters, Pocket Guide Videos Enhanced Barrier Precautions in Nursing Homes Enhanced Barrier Precautions in Nursing Homes …

HHS Office of Civil Rights: Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities Final Rule

AGENCY: Office for Civil Rights, Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services; Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Department of Health and Human Services. ACTION: Final rule and interpretation. SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS or the Department) is issuing this final rule regarding …

CMS Minimum Staffing Final Rule: Staffing Mandates Only Set the Baseline

The Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting final rule adopts the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed three-pronged, comprehensive staffing approach for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing facilities (NFs) as part of the federal requirements for …

Process Surveillance Plus QAPI Equals Better Infection Prevention Training

Nursing homes are required to establish a surveillance system (i.e., “the routine, ongoing, and systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of surveillance data”) as part of their infection prevention and control program (IPCP) under F-tag 880 (Infection Prevention and Control) in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual. This surveillance …

Expedited Determination Notices: Keys to Avoiding Financial Liability, Survey Issues

The expedited determination beneficiary notification process covers a lot of ground in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), affecting residents in the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare Part A program and Medicare Advantage plans, as well as residents who receive Part B rehabilitation therapies under consolidated billing, says Carol Maher, RN-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, …

Schizophrenia Audit Takeaways for NACs and the IDT

In the Jan. 18, 2023, Quality, Safety, and Oversight (QSO) memo QSO-23-05-NH, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced plans to conduct offsite audits to assess whether nursing homes appropriately assess, document, and code diagnoses captured in MDS item I6000 (Schizophrenia (e.g., Schizoaffective and Schizophreniform Disorders)) that are …