Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced today (August 4, 2022) that he will declare the ongoing spread of monkeypox virus in the United States a Public Health Emergency (PHE). This action will further strengthen and accelerate the Biden-Harris Administration’s responsein…… Continue reading HHS Secretary Becerra Declares Public Health Emergency

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare ​​​​National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) is an annual observance held in August to highlight the importance of vaccination for people of all ages. To commemorate NIAM, the Public Health Foundation (PHF) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have developed toolkits with key messages, graphics,…… Continue reading August is National Immunization Awareness Month

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule for inpatient and long-term care hospitals that builds on the Biden-Harris Administration’s key priorities to advance health equity and improve maternal health outcomes. As required by statute, the fiscal year (FY) 2023…… Continue reading Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Finalized Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2023 Rates; Quality Programs and Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program  

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Social Security Act Amendments, thus establishing Medicare and Medicaid, the health insurance programs for Americans. For over 57 years, these two medical support programs have been the foundation that ensures affordable healthcare for all Americans…… Continue reading Happy Anniversary Medicare and Medicaid

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule (CMS-1767-F) on July 27, 2022 that updates Medicare payment policies and rates for facilities under the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) and the IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) for fiscal…… Continue reading IRF Prospective Payment System for Federal FY 2023 and Updates to the IRF QRP (CMS-1767-F)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare         July 26, 2022 marks the 32nd anniversary of the ADA. The ADA is a historic civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to…… Continue reading Celebrating the Americans with Disability Act (ADA)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Before you start reading, stop for a few minutes and consider the state of oral hygiene in your facility, whether it be LTC, AL or in your own home. Are you providing/doing appropriate oral hygiene? What about your own oral hygiene habits? Okay, now read on.…… Continue reading Hospital-acquired Pneumonia is Killing Patients. There’s a Simple Way to Stop It.

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare POST-EVENT TRAINING MATERIALS AVAILABLE for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) and Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Updated Guidance Virtual Training Program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a virtual training program that provides instruction on the updated guidance for the IRF Patient…… Continue reading IRF/LTCH Updated Guidance Virtual Training Program Materials Available

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) announces the release of its 2022 data book (208 pages) on health care spending and the Medicare program. The publication provides data on Medicare spending, demographics of the Medicare population, beneficiaries’ access to care, and quality of care in the…… Continue reading MedPAC Releases 2022 Data Book on Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program 

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The data are based on quality assessment data submitted by LTCHs to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from Quarter 4, 2020 through Quarter 3, 2021, and for the LTCH Change in Mobility measure, Quarter 4, 2019 and Quarter 3, 2020 through Quarter 3,…… Continue reading July 2022 Refresh of LTCH QRP Data Now Available