About

About MDSCentral

The long-term care industry will face major changes in the near future, such as implementation of the MDS 3.0 and RUG-IV. These changes mean more training for your staff, changes to facility processes, and adopting a resident-centered model of care. MDSCentral is here to help your facility overcome the challenges of adapting to an ever-changing industry.

This site is your place to ask questions, get the latest long-term care and MDS news, and find resources to make your job easier.

• Looking for industry news? Wondering what to expect from the MDS 3.0? Click on the News tab. We’ll keep you updated on new regulations, provide analysis of long-term care issues, and let you know when CMS releases more information about the MDS 3.0.

• Have a specific question? Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown will answer selected questions in our Ask Diane section.

• Need tools to improve your facility’s current processes? Check our Resources page for a variety of forms, special reports, and other helpful tools.
• Looking for quick updates about the day-to-day happenings in the long-term care industry? Follow MDSCentral on Twitter.

Meet the long-term care team

Adrienne Trivers
Adrienne is a managing editor in HCPro’s long-term care market. In this position, she edits books, moderates audio conferences, assists in product development, and edits the monthly newsletter CNA Training Advisor. In her free time, she enjoys traveling and going on road trips with her husband and Mini Schnauzer.

Diane Brown
Diane is a long-term care educator, consultant, editor, and author with more than 25 years of operational experience in health care. In her current role at HCPro, she develops quality educational programs, serves as a consultant to facilities, and investigates new opportunities for business development. She is a regulatory specialist, lead instructor for HCPro’s Five Star Quality Bootcamp—Long-Term Care Version, and instructor for HCPro’s Medicare Boot Camp®—Long-Term Care Version. Her strong leadership, problem-solving, and team-building skills communicate possibilities, define innovative solutions, and motivate for outcome. She frequently lectures on MDS, SNF PPS, documentation, survey compliance, Medicare, and other health care topics.

Elizabeth Petersen
Elizabeth is the executive editor of HCPro’s long-term care and rehab markets. She has written articles, edited books, and moderated audio conferences on a range of clinical, regulatory, and reimbursement issues affecting nursing homes. She also works with pharmaceutical and medical device companies to better understand and message nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Elizabeth lives with her husband, son, and basset hound and is a semi-retired rugby player and coach.

Frosini Rubertino, RN, CRNAC, C-NE, CDONA/LTC
Frosini is a registered nurse with over 30 years of experience in the health care industry. Former president of an Ohio-based long-term care consulting and education firm, and a former member of the Arkansas Healthcare Association’s Education Committee, she is currently a clinical services consultant with an Arkansas-based clinical consultant group. As an HCPro faculty member, she brings her experience in risk management, regulatory compliance, clinical systems, and education into the classroom for the Medicare Boot Camp® – Long Term Care Version course.

Justin Veiga
Justin, the newest member of the long-term care team, contributes articles to Billing Alert for Long-Term Care and produces the CNA Training Advisor. He is also responsible for two of the group’s free e-newsletters, Contemporary Long-Term Care Weekly and the Long-Term Care Nursing Assistant Trainer. A lifelong Boston sports fan and former sportswriter, Justin lives in Massachusetts and enjoys spending time with family and friends.

MacKenzie Kimball
MacKenzie is an associate editor in the long-term care market at HCPro. She writes articles, moderates audio conferences, edits PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, and manages MDSCentral. MacKenzie is a lover of the arts and, in her free time, enjoys painting, writing poetry, and improving her photography skills.

Ronald A. Orth, RN, NHA, CPC, RAC-CT
Ron is a registered nurse with over 25 years experience in the health care field with 12 of those years in the long-term care industry. Ron serves as the lead instructor for HCPro’s
Medicare Boot Camp® – Long Term Care Version course. Ron is also president of Clinical Reimbursement Solutions, LLC a Wisconsin based consulting firm. Ron assists long-term care facilities by providing consulting and educational services related to Medicare regulations, billing, and compliance.

Meet our guest bloggers

Brian Garavaglia, PhD
Brian is a long-term care administrator, gerontologist, consultant, author, and educator. He has 27 years of experience in healthcare, especially in dealing with older adults in the long-term care setting. He is a nursing home administrator in Michigan and is also affiliated with, and teaches at, colleges and universities in Michigan and Arizona. He is married and has three children. He continues to enjoy advancing the interests of long-term care and the older adult population.

Glenda Hynes, RN, RAC-CT
Glenda is a senior clinical consultant at Landview Therapy Resources. She is a long term care clinical specialist with extensive industry experience and proven expertise in clinical reimbursement including MDS, PPS, and case mix. As a consultant and business owner Glenda has assisted skilled nursing centers nationally by providing consulting and educational services related to Medicare regulations, case management, survey processes, billing, and compliance. Glenda has over 25 years experience in senior care leadership and operations. Glenda’s presentations on Medicare regulations, PPS, MDS, and other topics of interest to the long-term care industry have been featured throughout the United States.

HCPro’s long-term care consulting

Our team of experts have years of experience in the long-term care industry and can bring their expertise to your facility to provide solutions to your greatest challenges. We can provide you with the practical, customized solutions you need to ensure your organization is as efficient, compliant, and profitable as possible.

Bring an HCPro consultant to your facility for assistance in any of the following areas:

• MDS 3.0/RUG-IV preparation and modeling
• Survey readiness
• Medicare compliance audits
• Documentation improvement
• Medicare billing and coding training

Call 877/207-4036 or email epetersen@hcpro.com to learn more about bringing an HCPro consultant to your facility.

About HCPro

With more than 20 years of experience, HCPro, Inc., is a leading provider of integrated information, education, training, and consulting products and services in the vital areas of healthcare regulation and compliance. The company’s mission is to meet the specialized informational, advisory, and educational needs of the healthcare industry. To accomplish this mission, HCPro provides this specialized information in a variety of products, including magazines, newsletters, books, videos, audioconferences, training handbooks, e-mail newsletters, and online courses.

As an acknowledged industry authority in healthcare regulation and compliance, HCPro focuses on providing its clients assistance and expertise in the areas of long-term care, accreditation, medical staff affairs, credentialing, privileging, medical record management, regulatory compliance, nursing, quality/patient safety, infection control, and workplace safety.

In addition, HCPro is a pioneer in the delivery of Web-based information, resources and content on “The Business of Healthcare” to managers in the healthcare industry. HCPro developed a series of unique Internet-based solutions, including Web sites, online information centers, electronic product distribution, electronic site licenses, and strategic distribution alliances.

Through The Greeley Company, HCPro provides seminars and consulting services to healthcare professionals.

Our Mission

HCPro’s mission is to:

• Meet the specialized information, advisory, and education needs of the healthcare industry
• Learn from and respond to our customers with services that meet or exceed the quality they expect
• Help our customers achieve success for their organizations
• Create a work environment that embodies teamwork, embraces challenge and celebrates accomplishment

HCPro, Inc.

200 Hoods Lane

Marblehead, MA 01945

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