Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare I apologize for missing this announcement – it is a big deal, going forward! On September 3, 2020, CMS announced the launch of Care Compare which is described as “a streamlined redesign of eight existing CMS healthcare compare tools available.  Care Compare provides a single user-friendly…… Continue reading Care Compare is Here

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Despite substantial effort over the past 20 years, preventable harm in health care remains a major concern in the United States. Though many evidence-based, effective best practices related to harm reduction have been identified, they are seldom shared nationally and implemented effectively across multiple organizations. Reducing…… Continue reading Safer Together – National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), in collaboration with Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) and AMDA, has launched a new project focused on improving education and awareness of enhanced influenza vaccine products. Here are those Fact Sheets: Practical Strategies for Increasing Use of Enhanced Infl­uenza…… Continue reading Flu Vaccination Resources

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Here’s yet another good reason to get your flu shot as well as encourage others to do so – residents, families, friends.  A CDC study published August 25, 2020 looked at more than 80,000 U.S. adults hospitalized with flu over eight flu seasons (2010-11 through 2017-18)…… Continue reading CDC Study Finds Sudden, Serious Cardiac Events Common in Adults Hospitalized with Flu

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The PEPPER Team has updated the maps that display the PEPPER retrieval rates for PEPPERs accessed via the PEPPER Resources Portal for each state/territory. Percentages reflect the PEPPER release that was completed July 29, 2020, for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), critical access hospitals (CAHs), hospices, and long-term…… Continue reading Have You Accessed Your PEPPER Report?

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “The real risk is that we’re going to have two circulating respiratory pathogens at the same time.”  This is the statement made by Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to Time magazine last month.   He went on to say…… Continue reading Cue the Theme Music from “Jaws” … Flu Season is Right Around the Corner

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The ABN, Form CMS-R-131, and instructions have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for renewal.  Due to COVID-19 concerns, CMS is going to expand the deadline for use of the renewed ABN, Form CMS-R-131 (exp. 6/30/2023).  At this time, the renewed ABN…… Continue reading Medicare Part B Only ABN Updated Form Requirement Delayed to 1/1/2021

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Sunday, July 26, 2020, (marked) the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. HHS Secretary Alex Azar released the following statement commemorating the occasion: “The Americans with Disabilities Act was a landmark achievement in upholding the rights of Americans with disabilities and…… Continue reading HHS Marks the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The FY 2021 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting have been posted a bit earlier than usual this year.  The 126-page document provides the guidelines for diagnosis coding.  These guidelines are to be used from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021. Note: This (document)…… Continue reading FY 2021 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting Posted