The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a revised Special Focus Facility (SFF) Program policy memo QS0-23-01-NH and updated the monthly SFF posting. These revisions are meant to increase the requirements for completion of the program and enforcement for facilities that do not demonstrate improvement.
Save $200 on Gero Nurse Prep and Become a Gerontological Nurse Leader!
The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s Gero Nurse Prep course significantly increases RNs’ gerontological nursing competency test scores. Registrant’s can save $200 on Gero Nurse Prep through November 15, 2022 with promo code ROP3GNP (all caps).
Specifically designed for registered nurses working in long term care, this curriculum provides comprehensive online training that leads to board certification in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for RNs.
Research released by AHCA/NCAL in 2019 found compelling reasons to consider the Gero Nurse Prep course and ANCC Board certification for RNs. Nursing facilities with at least one ANCC Board certified RN experienced:
- Two fewer deficiencies on average (5.71 citations versus the 7.55 national average)
- Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations (1.60 versus the 2.27 national average)
- More stars — nearly twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility (50% versus the 28% national average)
- Significantly lower re-hospitalization rates
- Significantly lower rates of off-label use of antipsychotics
- Significantly higher average SNF Value Based Purchasing scores (44.17 versus 34.42 for the nation)
Your Path to Gerontological Nursing Competency – on sale now!
Does your organization need to demonstrate Gerontological Nursing Competency? Dr. Heidi Keeler, lead faculty for the Gero Nurse Prep course, points the way.
AHCA/NCAL’s Gero Nurse Prep course significantly increases RNs’ gerontological nursing competency test scores. Registrant’s can save $200 on Gero Nurse Prep through November 15, 2022 with promo code ROP3GNP (all caps).
Specifically designed for registered nurses working in long term care, this curriculum provides comprehensive online training that leads to board certification in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for RNs.
Research released by AHCA/NCAL in 2019 found compelling reasons to consider the AHCA/NCAL’s Gero Nurse Prep course and ANCC Board certification for RNs. Nursing facilities with at least one ANCC Board certified RN experienced:
- Two fewer deficiencies on average (5.71 citations versus the 7.55 national average in last cycle)
- Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations (1.60 versus the 2.27 national average)
- More stars — nearly twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility (50% versus the 28% national average)
- Significantly lower re-hospitalization rates over the previous six years
- Significantly lower rates of off-label use of antipsychotics over the previous five years
- Significantly higher average SNF Value Based Purchasing scores (44.17 versus 34.42 for the nation). Higher SNF VBP Score = Higher Medicare Part A reimbursement rates.
Read more at https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/AHCA-NCAL-Offers-Fall-Sale-on-Gero-Nurse-Prep.aspx
AHCA/NCAL Offers Fall Sale on Gero Nurse Prep!
AHCA/NCAL’s Gero Nurse Prep course significantly increases RNs’ gerontological nursing competency test scores. Registrant’s can save $200 on Gero Nurse Prep through November 15, 2022 with promo code ROP3GNP (all caps).
Specifically designed for registered nurses working in long term care, this curriculum provides comprehensive online training that leads to board certification in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for RNs.
Research released by AHCA/NCAL in 2019 found compelling reasons to consider the AHCA/NCAL’s Gero Nurse Prep course and ANCC Board certification for RNs. Nursing facilities with at least one ANCC Board certified RN experienced:
- Two fewer deficiencies on average (5.71 citations versus the 7.55 national average in last cycle)
- Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations (1.60 versus the 2.27 national average)
- More stars — nearly twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility (50% versus the 28% national average)
- Significantly lower re-hospitalization rates over the previous six years
- Significantly lower rates of off-label use of antipsychotics over the previous five years
- Significantly higher average SNF Value Based Purchasing scores (44.17 versus 34.42 for the nation). Higher SNF VBP Score = Higher Medicare Part A reimbursement rates.
Read more at https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Blog/Pages/AHCA-NCAL-Offers-Fall-Sale-on-Gero-Nurse-Prep.aspx
A Simple Fall Prevention Strategy Comes to Light
Reducing the number of falls in long term care facilities is a goal for everyone. Current strategies to reduce falls typically include complex, multicomponent interventions requiring significant resources, staff time, and resident education. To be sure, these measures help mitigate the risk and reduce the number of falls at nursing homes and senior care facilities; but there is one novel approach that has been theorized over the last decade that has been recently validated through research and come to light.
Read more by going to https://www.providermagazine.com/Topics/Guest-Columns/Pages/2022/A-Simple-Fall-Prevention-Strategy-Comes-to-Light.aspx
New Bivalent Booster Handout
Find out the What’s, Why’s, When’s and How’s of the bivalent booster shot in this handout from AHCA/NCAL.
https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Documents/GetVaccinated/GETVAX-bivalent-handout.pdf
Gero Nurse Prep will be at the AHCA/NCAL Convention!
We are exhibiting at the AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo, October 10 – 11, 2022, at the Music City Center in Nashville. Come visit us at booth 516 and find out how Gero Nurse Prep can help you demonstrate gerontological nursing competency.
Want to know more now? Visit our website at https://www.geronurseprep.com/
Creating a Path to Emergency Preparedness
“Death Toll in Kentucky Floods Rises to 28 as Area Braces for More Rain.” This headline from late July is all too common. Crises—natural disasters, active shooter situations, the pandemic, power grid issues, and more—are increasingly becoming the norm. While long term care facilities must have disaster preparedness plans, it’s time to revisit these and make them flexible enough to address whatever situation comes your way.
Read more at https://www.providermagazine.com/Monthly-Issue/2022/SeptOct/Pages/Creating-a-Path-to-Emergency-Preparedness.aspx
Provider shares ‘telewellness playbook’ to address resident mental health
As resident mental health and well-being top the list of challenges for affordable senior housing providers, one operator is sharing its playbook on a successful telewellness program.
Davis Park, vice president of the Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing, shared the success of the organization’s technology-based behavioral health program on Wednesday during a LeadingAge membership call.
CDC Program Expands Free COVID-19 Testing to Assisted Living, SNFs, and ICFs
Skilled Nursing Facilities, intermediate care facilities (ICFs) and assisted living centers can access free COVID-19 testing for staff and residents through December 31, 2022. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Operation Expanded Testing (OpET) program expanded access to free testing nationwide to now include skilled nursing facilities, ICFs and assisted living communities, which previously targeted schools, shelters, and correctional facilities.