Staffing Mandates

Angie Szumlinski News

CMS is actively involved in a study, physically in nursing centers across the country to determine what minimum staffing numbers should look like. The study is suspected to be an effort by CMS to support their goal of minimum staffing requirements. The outcomes of the study won’t be available until April but are rumored to come out earlier so AHCA/NCAL, …

The State of Nursing

Angie Szumlinski News

Nurse.org posted an anonymous survey in 2021 that was awarded the Gold Award for the Digital Health Awards, Best Media/Publications Article, Spring 2022! Congratulations to them and to all the nurses who took the time to share their experiences and feelings regarding the state of nursing. Nearly 1500 nurses participated in the survey, and they were asked about real issues …

Holidays, Viruses, and Capacity

Angie Szumlinski News

Let’s face it, they just don’t mix! There are some dire projections out there including what some are calling the risk of a “tripledemic!” Just what we need, right? Cases of RSV are rising quickly in young children, filling ICU beds, in fact, most hospitalizations today are related to RSV and not COVID. Why? Because we have weakened our immunity, …

Ending the Temporary Nurse Aides

Angie Szumlinski News

As the world turns, I shake my head, yes, this is going to be an “opinion blog”, sorry! If you recall, back in April 2020, CMS issued a waiver that allowed centers to utilize temporary nurse aides. If you also recall, this was in the throws of COVID-19 when staffing was challenged. Hmmmm…..isn’t staffing challenged today as well? So, in …

Staffing and Rapid Tests

Angie Szumlinski News

Staffing challenges have become the “norm” in post-acute care, there just aren’t enough caregivers to go around. Is this due to the pandemic? Maybe, maybe not, but whatever the cause, we are all struggling to staff our centers with competent, caring staff. Hopefully, we can avoid the “warm body syndrome” where we hire employees to “fill positions” versus hiring employees …

Hand signing a contract

Reviewing Staffing Agency Contracts from an Insurance Perspective

Christina Nechiporchik News

Staffing shortages continue to dominate the industry rendering it difficult for post-acute care providers to maintain consistent levels of staff and quality care. To ease the staffing burden, providers are requesting assistance from staffing agencies. While this is an efficient solution, providers should try and avoid some common pitfalls when it comes to signing staffing agreements. Reviewing the indemnification and …

Negotiating Agency Contracts

Christina Nechiporchik News

Staffing shortages continue to dominate the industry rendering it difficult for long-term care providers to maintain consistent levels of staff and quality care. Most providers are watching their staff quit the industry entirely or switch over to temporary staffing agencies to make more money. To ease the staffing burden, providers are requesting assistance from staffing agencies. While this is an …

Nursing Home Strike Teams Funding

Angie Szumlinski Featured, News

On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which included $250 million allocated Medicare and Medicaid funding for the implementation of nursing home strike teams. AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services on June 11, 2021, urging …

OIG Exclusion List

Angie Szumlinski Compliance, Featured

In the year of the pandemic, many of us struggled with staffing and continue to be challenged, however, it is important that we not skip important steps in the hiring process such as checking the OIG exclusion list. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has the authority to exclude individuals and entities from Federally funded health care programs for …

Physician Collaboration in Nursing Homes

Angie Szumlinski News

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the danger in approaching nursing home care as simply long-term housing for the elderly. Research has shown that strong staffing coverage is a key indicator of a facility’s ability to keep COVID-19 outbreaks in check, and geriatricians have called for a larger role in shaping nursing home policy and operations. In the second part of Skilled …