News, Skilled Nursing Facility

SNF fined $100,000 for resident fall off commode

The California Department of Public Health fined Redwood Springs Healthcare Center, a skilled nursing home in Visalia, $100,000 for a patient death. The 176-bed nursing home  received the most severe penalty possible under state law from the California Department of Public Health, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The 81-year-old resident, who had documented weakness in legs among other issues, was left unattended on a chair commode and fell and hit her head. She died less than …

Home Health, News

CMS to hold special open door forum on the IMPACT Act

Brought to you by Home Health Line.
CMS has announced plans to host a special open door forum 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST July 25 to update providers about the IMPACT Act.
“This conference call presentation will provide an update on the recent SPADE activities including progress on national field test data collection, early feedback from providers participating in the beta data collection and upcoming stakeholder engagement activities that will help stakeholders remain engaged and informed …

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CMS seeks public comment on new proposed Medicare application process

CMS announced plans to streamline the Medicare application process for providers by making changes to the Medicare enrollment application to make applying for eligibility a smoother process. According to Modern Healthcare, changes will include removing duplicate fields, adding new specialty codes for physicians and non-physician practitioners and questions with “Yes/No” check boxes. The order of questions will also be rearranged to allow the form to have a more logical order.
Another goal of these changes is …

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CMS releases new reference guide for home health quality reporting program

Brought to you by Home Health Line.
A recently released reference guide provides key information about the home health quality reporting program.
On July 16, CMS released a quick reference guide that includes guidance ranging from frequently asked questions — like how to verify submissions and submission deadlines for HHCAHPS data — to helpful links and additional resources.
CMS publishes the quality measures home health agencies must report by Oct. 1 each year.
Related link: Find the quick reference …