Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS issued QSO-21-18-Hospitals/CAHs on Friday, May 7, 2021.  This is an advance copy of Interoperability and Patient Access Rule – Admission, Discharge, and Transfer Notifications for Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) Interpretive Guidance. The Interoperability and Patient Access final rule (CMS-9115-F) published May…… Continue reading Admission, Discharge, and Transfer Notifications for Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) Interpretive Guidance

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare May 6th is National Nurses Day.  National Nurses Day is celebrated to raise awareness of the important role nurses play in society.  It kicks off the annual observation of National Nurses Week, which ends on May 12th – the birthday of Florence Nightingale (200th birthday in…… Continue reading National Nurses Week: May 6 – 12, 2021

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP                                                                                                                                        Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CDC joins the World Health Organization (WHO) in observing World Hand Hygiene Day. Today and every day, we want to remind everyone that practicing good hand hygiene, such as handwashing and using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, is a simple yet effective way to help prevent…… Continue reading May 5th is World Hand Hygiene Day

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The submission deadline for the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH), and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Programs is approaching. IRF-PAI and LTCH CARE Data Set assessment data and data submitted to CMS via the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National…… Continue reading IRF/LTCH/SNF QRP May 17, 2021 Submission Deadline Reminder

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is granting exceptions under certain Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs located in areas affected by the Texas Severe Winter Storm to assist these providers while they direct their resources toward caring for their patients and repairing…… Continue reading Reporting Exception Granted Due to Texas Severe Winter Storms

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS posted Transmittal 204 – Revisions to the State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix Z – Emergency Preparedness – on Friday, April 16, 2021.   This is a 101-page Transmittal. If you read my March 26, 2021 blog, you’ll find reference to the QSO-21-15-ALL memorandum telling us about…… Continue reading Revisions to the State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix Z – Emergency Preparedness

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare I’m providing this information for our Critical Access Hospital (CAH) readers. The Q4FY20 release of the Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) is now available for download through the PEPPER Resources Portal. To obtain your CAH PEPPER: Visit the PEPPER Resources…… Continue reading Critical Access Hospital (CAH) PEPPER Report Available

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Department of Human Services (DHS) has a new resource for stakeholders to understand how the state’s Medicaid program operates. The 2021 Iowa Medicaid Reference Guide provides an overview of both the state’s Medicaid program as well as the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), including program…… Continue reading Iowa 2021 Medicaid Reference Guide

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare We’ve been talking about health care workers a lot during this public health emergency/pandemic.  Just who are these workers?  The U.S. Census Bureau has some answers. Many of the nation’s health care workers are now on the front line of the battle with COVID-19. Who are…… Continue reading Who Are Our Health Care Workers?

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare If you missed the live MLN event on March 23, 2021, you can now access these materials when it’s convenient for you: Audio recording (ZIP) … MP3 filePresentation (PDF) … 33-page handout Transcript (PDF) … 26-page written transcript You can also access the above as well as…… Continue reading Materials for Residents with Dementia-Related Psychosis: Strategies for Evaluation and Care