Five Star Quality Rating System State-Level Cut Point Tables Updated April 26, 2023

Posted in INDUSTRY NEWS, Long-Term Care

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The April 2023 State-Level Cut Point Tables can be found here. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has enhanced its Nursing Home Compare public reporting site to include a set of quality ratings for each nursing home that participates in Medicare or Medicaid. The…… Continue reading Five Star Quality Rating System State-Level Cut Point Tables Updated April 26, 2023

Frequently Asked Questions: CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Posted in COVID-19, Senior Living1 Comment

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Updated 04/26/2023: Based on current COVID-19 trends, the Department of Health and Human Services is planning for the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, to expire at the end of the day on May 11, 2023.…… Continue reading Frequently Asked Questions: CMS Waivers, Flexibilities, and the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Care Compare April Refresh of SNF QRP Data Now Available

Posted in INDUSTRY NEWS, Long-Term Care

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The April 2023 refresh of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC). The data are based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from…… Continue reading Care Compare April Refresh of SNF QRP Data Now Available

Home Health Quality Reporting Program: Care Compare Quarterly Refresh April 2023

Posted in Home Care, INDUSTRY NEWS

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The April 2023 quarterly refresh for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program is now available on Care Compare. For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) will be based on the standard number of quarters. For additional information on the COVID-19 public health…… Continue reading Home Health Quality Reporting Program: Care Compare Quarterly Refresh April 2023

FACT SHEET: Administration Announces Most Sweeping Set of Executive Actions to Improve Care in History

Posted in RESOURCES

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On April 18, 2023, President Biden announced “the most comprehensive set of executive actions any President has ever taken to improve care for hard-working families while supporting care workers and family caregivers.” The President’s Executive Order provides for numerous initiatives, including: Make child care and long-term…… Continue reading FACT SHEET: Administration Announces Most Sweeping Set of Executive Actions to Improve Care in History

Optional State Assessment (OSA) Item Set and OSA Manual Released

Posted in INDUSTRY NEWS, Long-Term Care

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare April 24, 2023 NOW AVAILABLE: Optional State Assessment (OSA) Item Set and OSA Manual The Optional State Assessment (OSA) Item Set, OSA Manual, and OSA Change History table are now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page.…… Continue reading Optional State Assessment (OSA) Item Set and OSA Manual Released

Frequent Testing Reduced COVID-19 Deaths in Nursing Facilities 

Posted in COVID-19, Senior Living

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare A recent study, published March 23, 2023 in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that nursing facilities who tested their staff frequently for COVID-19 had substantially fewer deaths from the disease among their vulnerable residents. During the COVID-19 pandemic, residents of skilled nursing facilities have been…… Continue reading Frequent Testing Reduced COVID-19 Deaths in Nursing Facilities 

HHS Cybersecurity Task Force Provides New Resources to Help Address Rising Threat of Cyberattacks in Health and Public Health Sector

Posted in RESOURCES

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On April 17, 2023, HHS issued this Press Release: On April 17, 2023, The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) 405(d) Program announced the release of the following resources to help address cybersecurity concerns in the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) Sector: Knowledge on…… Continue reading HHS Cybersecurity Task Force Provides New Resources to Help Address Rising Threat of Cyberattacks in Health and Public Health Sector