All the Buzz

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Person-centered care plan, is it real or is it yet another buzz word? Person centered care planning (PCP) is a process directed by the person who receives the support, along with their chosen group of people, to create a vision for their future and organize the services and supports they need to achieve their goals. PCP focuses on the person’s …

F 602 Freedom from Misappropriation and Exploitation

Angie SzumlinskiLegal, Medication, Training

§483.12 “Each resident has the right to be free from abuse, neglect, misappropriation of resident property and exploitation… [Another example of] misappropriation of resident property is the diversion of a resident’s medication(s), including, but not limited to, controlled substances for staff use or personal gain.” Opioid Stewardship Implication: Drug diversion constitutes misappropriation of resident property. As controlled substances, opioids are …

Bed Hold Policy

Angie SzumlinskiNews

I sat in on an interesting NADONA/PharMerica webinar on Survey Activity State by State: A Town Hall with DONs and Administrators and it was great! Thank you to the speakers and organizations for sharing this important information with us! There were several take aways, some shocking, one state had 55% of buildings cited for Accidents and Incidents (689) at a …

Who is Driving the Bus?

Angie SzumlinskiNews

There are not enough hours in the day or list-servs to sign up for to keep current with new information vital to the management of our post–acute care/senior living communities. On February 3, 2023, CMS announced updates to the LTCSP Survey Resources with an effective date of February 17, 2023. There were no memorandums or QSO memos sent to providers …

Nursing Home Regulations

Angie SzumlinskiNews

When I graduated from nursing school 40 years ago (yes, I was 3 years old), I said I would never work in a nursing home. My opinion of nursing homes was based on nothing other than rumor; they smell like urine, people sit in wheelchairs with food on their faces, everyone is tied down, you go there to die, etc. …

Woman with bandage on shoulder and CMS logo behind her

Vaccines and Survey!

Angie SzumlinskiNews

CMS has rolled out mandatory vaccine requirements for employees working in post-acute care settings. The regulation clearly states that communities must provide documentation that their employee vaccination rate is 100%, excluding exemptions and delays. So, what does this mean to you? Bottom line, if your center is cited for not meeting the 100% vaccine requirement for employees, you will likely …

Proposed Changes to HIPAA Privacy Rule

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, News

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a long-awaited proposed rule that would modify the HIPAA Privacy Rule. Among the changes proposed are: Dropping the requirement for healthcare entities to obtain and retain for six years patients’ signed acknowledgements of notices of privacy practices Reducing the time from 30 days to 15 days for covered entities to fulfill patient …

Changes in Nursing Home Regulations – Post COVID-19

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured, News

Dr. David Grabowski, a professor of healthcare policy at Harvard Medical School said in a recent article published in McKnight’s Senior Living, “I think we’re going to see some big, big changes going forward”. “COVID-19 has revealed the fragility of nursing homes’ business model and our underinvestment in high-quality, long-term care”, said Grabowski. The Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality …