Articles and Blogs

In November 2011, the Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) initiated a study regarding the use of atypical antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes.  The findings from the study indicated these types of drugs were being overprescribed to high-risk nursing home residents suffering from dementia; were being prescribed for uses not approved by the FDA; and... READ MORE

In a transmittal issued on April 5, 2013, CMS provided guidance on survey activities that will be affected by the sequestration cuts.  The transmittal provides guidance on several areas that will have an immediate and potentially negative effect on nursing homes and post-acute care providers.  These changes will affect the survey process as conducted by the state survey... READ MORE

On March 19, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”) Final Rule regarding notification and relocation requirements for closing a long-term care (“LTC”) facility was published in the Federal Register. Under the new requirements, 60 days prior to the closure of an LTC facility, the administrator must provide written notice to the... READ MORE

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”), in the March 8, 2013 Memorandum, issued new guidance specifying those tasks that can and cannot be delegated in skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”) and nursing facilities (“NFs”).  Physicians who improperly assign tasks to non-physician practitioners (“NPPs”) jeopardize the SNFs’ and NFs’ compliance with federal and state... READ MORE

In 2003, two fires in long-term care facilities resulted in 31 resident deaths. As a result of these two events, CMS analyzed the fire safety precautions in place in these facilities and determined that resident safety could be greatly improved by requiring that all long-term care facilities have automatic sprinkling systems installed throughout the... READ MORE

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has published their annual Work Plan for 2013. The Work Plan continues to identify compliance risk areas that subject Medicare and Medicaid providers to audit and enforcement initiatives. The Work Plan specifically targets skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), hospices, and home health agencies (HHAs). For all types of... READ MORE

On September 27, 2012 CMS issued revised feeding tube interpretive guidelines to the State Operations Manual (“SOM”). While the actual federal regulation did not change, the SOM changes the interpretive guidelines, which can be found in Appendix PP of the SOM. READ MORE

On September 14, 2012, CMS published a Survey and Certification letter addressing “Hand in Hand: A Training Series for Nursing Homes.” This training is in response to Section 6121 of the Affordable Care Act, which requires that CMS ensure that nurse aides receive regular training on caring for residents with dementia and prevention of... READ MORE

On May 30, 2012, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (“CMS”) announced the Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes (Partnership) in order to transform the current focus of treatments and services provided to nursing home residents suffering from dementia and dementia-related illnesses. More specifically, this initiative promotes two goals: (1) resident-centered... READ MORE

Since 2005, a group of associations known as the Long Term and Post Acute Care (LTPAC) Health Information Technology Collaborative (the Collaborative) have hosted the annual LTPAC Health IT Summit to discuss and advance health IT issues for long LTPAC providers.  Following the Summit, the Collaborative publishes a Road Map that identifies the progress... READ MORE