Nashville-based Medalogix has released new software to track when and why a recently discharged person might need further home healthcare—and tracks it all through the electronic health record. Read More »
Accountable Care Organizations have spent the past four years struggling to achieve the goals that set them apart. But ACOs still don't have the one thing needed for success: data interoperability. Read More »
Few long-term care providers have embraced the data analytics revolution more than HealthSouth, the nation's largest rehabilitation hospital chain. Will its accomplishments serve as an example of what technology can do for long-term care providers in the bundled-payment world? Read More »
A community hospital software vendor will expand to the post-acute care market following a definitive agreement to acquire Healthland Holding Inc. and its affiliate American HealthTech, a provider of electronic health record software to more than 3,300 skilled nursing facilities. Read More »
The new skilled nursing facility regulations under the IMPACT Act are coming. Has your facility adopted the best processes and attitudes to maximize reimbursement? Policy experts explain why sticking to the old status quo on processes won't be good enough. Read More »
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has created a form-based process to receive complaints about certified products that aren’t performing as expected, including electronic health records (EHRs). Read More »
How detailed and integrated are your clinical records? Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Briarwood, N.Y., has spent the past few years creating an electronic health record (EHR) system that knows its residents almost as well as the staff does. Read More »
What does “cross-discipline team care” really mean? The 2015 OPTIMA Award winning site has created a model for reducing hospitalizations by involving every staffer—from physicians and nurses to the housekeeping staff—in the endeavor of quality care for an extremely high-acuity resident population. Read More »
This year's OPTIMA Award winner, Silvercrest Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, Briarwood, N.Y., has slashed its hospitalizations despite having one of the highest acuity rates in its region. Long-Term Living's Pamela Tabar spent two days visiting the site and learning how the SNF is using collaborative care teams, customized electronic documentation and early-intervention tools to keep its unique resident population out of the hospital. Read More »
The organization has added several new items to its free resources to help providers choose the best electronic health record technologies and best medication management tools for their needs. Read More »
Getting staff on board with a new electronic health record (EHR) can be daunting. A Connecticut provider shares how concerted training efforts with its EHR system vendor helped ensure a smooth transition for staff and residents. Read More »
An Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology task force has created a roadmap to improve identification and sharing of information on health IT-related safety events. Read More »
In response to requests from the provider community, CMS is releasing additional guidance that will aim to allow for flexibility in the claims auditing and quality reporting process Read More »
Performance-based reimbursement requires an efficient approach to documentation and data collection. Between readmission penalties and the IMPACT Act of 2014, the data we use to demonstrate quality outcomes is quickly becoming the currency of our business. Success in the changing reimbursement models means we need to take a data-driven, proactive approach to improving care and quality of life in nursing homes.The Affordable Care Act of 2010 resulted in a provision to develop standards we now know as “QAPI” programs or Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement programs.QAPI is the foundation.Click here to read more. Read More »
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued various documents related to the electronic submission of staffing and census information in an effort to promote greater accountability for long-term care facilities. Referred to as “Payroll Data Submission – Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) Reporting,” this new reporting structure will be mandatory effective July 1, 2016.Read on to learn about the goals of PBJ, what these additional requirements mean to providers, how to approach and implement the changes, and how to address the challenges that must be considered.Click here to read more Read More »
In preparation for the shift to value-based reimbursement, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has indicated that the new Minimum Data Set (MDS) Focused Survey will be expanding nationwide this year in effort to incent providers to focus more on individualized care planning and person-centered care.Read on to learn what areas will be under the most scrutiny in the new survey process, what you can do to prepare, and some target areas for deficiencies.Click here to read more Read More »
The thought of managed care worries many providers. We face uncertainty in how we’ll be paid, and feel anxious we’re not managing operations well enough to capture all of the revenue for the care we’re providing. In this piece, we’ll explore the basics that will ensure you’ve built the right foundation to survive managed care, while positioning your organization as a preferred provider.Read on to learn how to maximize your efficiency and reimbursement in managed care.Click here to read more. Read More »
Understand what the changes to the Five-Star Rating System mean to your organization.Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has changed the way it calculates the Five-Star Rating System for all facilities serving Medicare and Medicaid residents across the US. Two new Quality Measures were added for psychotropic treatment, the thresholds for Quality Measure scoring were changed to raise performance expectations, and the staffing algorithm was adjusted to award four stars only to those who achieved a score of four in either or both of the RN and Overall Staffing measures.Read this article to gain perspective on the specific changes that have been made to the rating scale, the effect it is having on the long-term care industry, how it is impacting payment models, and how to address referral partners about the change.Click here to read more. Read More »
A new report to Congress from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology details several examples of electronic health records developers and health systems blocking the sharing of health information between one other. Read More »
During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, two-thirds of the deaths were people over the age of 65. Learning how to successfully plan for disaster or catastrophic events shouldn't be done in hindsight – a solid, effective plan should be put in place to protect both your residents and your data in order to continue providing care.Protecting the vital information needed to take care of residents is often overlooked as a critical element of a disaster plan, and it’s important to think about how that information will be accessed during an emergency situation. It could be a matter of life and death.Read on to learn some best practices your long-term care facility can use to prepare for disaster.Click here to read more. Read More »
A new global membership community for senior care stakeholders and technology companies is counting large corporations and advocacy organizations among its inaugural members. Read More »
In this final installment of the three-part series, we will look at the future of health information technology and its impact on senior care.It is estimated that one-fifth of the U.S. population will be 65 or older by 2030, and new residents most often present with a higher level of acuity than they did ten years ago, requiring different experts on the care team to manage the needs of one person. In this capacity, technology becomes a critical ingredient for success.Read on to gain an understanding of where to start in the technology implementation process, what questions you should be asking, and just how supportive technology is in the quality and operational objectives of senior care.Click here to read more. Read More »
Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems have improved the quality of care and the efficiency of caregivers in long-term living facilities across the nation. With only a 50% adoption rate, the long-term care industry continues to lag behind the adoption rates of other care industries.In this second installment, we’ll examine some of the widely accepted best practices for adoption of today’s electronic health record systems (EHR). Read more to learn about the benefits of EHR adoption in a long-term care facility, the top reasons for adoption, and where to start in the process.Click here to read more. Read More »
