Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS issued a Press Release this afternoon after this morning’s posting of QSO-22-15-NH & NLTC & LSC: “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking steps to continue to protect nursing home residents’ health and safety by announcing guidance that restores certain minimum standards…… Continue reading CMS Returning to Certain Pre-COVID-19 Policies in Long-term Care and Other Facilities
BREAKING NEWS: Update to COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Specific Providers
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Just a few minutes this morning (April 7, 2022), CMS issued QSO-22-15-NH & NLTC & LSC. CMS is ending the specific emergency declaration blanket waivers for SNFs/NFs, inpatient hospices, ICF/IIDs and ESRD facilities listed below. The termination of these blanket waivers will have no effect on…… Continue reading BREAKING NEWS: Update to COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Specific Providers
The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “Nursing homes play a unique dual role in the long-term care continuum, serving as a place where people receive needed health care and a place they call home. The 1986 Institute of Medicine report Improving the Quality of Care in Nursing Homes identified a range of…… Continue reading The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality
CMS Revises Guidance for the Interim Final Rule – COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On Tuesday, April 5, 2022, CMS posted revised guidance for COVID-19 HC Staff Vaccination for all providers participating in Medicare and Medicaid programs. Just as it did late in 2021 and early 2022, in response to the 2 multi-state lawsuits and the 3rd challenge from the…… Continue reading CMS Revises Guidance for the Interim Final Rule – COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination
Updated Care Compare Five-Star Technical Users’ Guide – April 2022
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS posted the updated Technical Users’ Guide (35 pages) on April 5, 2022. April 2022 Revisions – Quality Measure Rating Threshold changes Effective with the April 2022 refresh, CMS is implementing the planned, regular increases to the Quality Measure (QM) rating thresholds, increasing each rating threshold…… Continue reading Updated Care Compare Five-Star Technical Users’ Guide – April 2022
Implementing a Staff Vaccination Program in Your Nursing Home
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “COVID-19 vaccines help protect nursing home residents who are vulnerable to illness and death if they become infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. Healthcare staff who are vaccinated also have a lower risk of getting COVID-19 or spreading the virus that causes the illness to…… Continue reading Implementing a Staff Vaccination Program in Your Nursing Home
Attention Home Health Providers: April 2022 Refresh Information
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare (CMS) had previously identified an issue in the iQIES system that may have affected your HHA’s Services Provided values that are displayed on the HHA Provider Preview reports that were distributed in iQIES on 02/23/2022. Moreover, we had previously asked HHAs to review the Services Provided…… Continue reading Attention Home Health Providers: April 2022 Refresh Information
New Optional Event-Level COVID-19 Vaccination Forms in NHSN
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The NHSN Vaccination Team provided two webinars on Tuesday, March 29th and Thursday, March 31st to review the new (optional) Event-Level COVID-19 Vaccination Forms. These are the new and improved versions of the Excel Data Tracking Worksheets. These worksheets are available in the NHSN application for…… Continue reading New Optional Event-Level COVID-19 Vaccination Forms in NHSN
Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum Rescheduled
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Just 2 days ago, I reported this Open Door Forum scheduled for tomorrow – April 7th. This morning, CMS has notified providers that it has been rescheduled: **THIS HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED TO APRIL 20TH, 2:00PM – 3:00PM.** The next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door…… Continue reading Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum Rescheduled
Modified Sections of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI)
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The new and modified sections of the IRF-PAI, effective October 1, 2023 proposed for the IRF QRP in the FY 2023 IRF PPS Proposed Rule (CMS-1767-P), can be found in the Downloads section on the IRF-PAI and IRF-PAI Manual webpage. The direct link to the draft…… Continue reading Modified Sections of the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI)
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