While calendars may be changing, one thing remains the same—we have to continue doing our best to empower teams with the tools and resources they need to deliver the highest level of patient care possible. And if 2020 taught us one thing, it’s that having a firm foundation rooted in command and control of the…
2021 comes with increasing availability of effective COVID-19 vaccines, but skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) continue to face significant operational challenges: 65 percent are already operating at a loss and just 34 percent believe they’ll survive this year.1 Why? Rising costs combined with falling revenues are part of the problem. The expected physician fee schedule adjustment…
The good news for therapists in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) is that they are now facing a lower pay cut in 2021 than expected. Adjustments to help rehab therapists during the COVID-19 crisis were included in the Consolidated Appropriations and COVID-19 Relief Act of 2021, signed December 27, 2020, that reduced the overall pay cut originally…
This year has caused many unpredictable changes to occur, and the changing environment at skilled nursing facilities has been no exception. As noted by Skilled Nursing News, the Coronavirus completely changed the way SNFs interacted with third parties – in many cases, existing supplier and provider partnerships evaporated overnight when lockdowns began.1 And so, many…
Functional outcomes scores for rehab therapy and quality reporting data reported by skilled nursing facilities (SNF) are now open to the public. On October 28, 2020 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) ‘refreshed’ the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data reported on Nursing Home Compare (NHC). And on December 9, 2020, CMS refreshed…
With each new patient welcomed into a skilled nursing facility (SNF), a therapist must complete a new patient registration form. From a patient’s strengths and weaknesses to the ultimate objective for their plan of care, every detail is recorded to track functional improvement over time. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to gather those…
While skilled nursing facilities typically provide long-term care for individuals, there is another aspect of care that may also require thoughtful consideration: a person’s mental health. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety affects up to 40 million adults in the U.S. every year, and depression affects up to 15 million Americans…
Whether it’s an extended first wave or the cresting second wave that is now consuming the nation, there’s no doubt that case numbers are continuing to rise.1 This is especially concerning for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) since data collected during the pandemic makes it clear that mortality rates in care facilities are higher than state-level…
As COVID cases trend upward in skilled nursing facilities1, organizations can benefit from infection prevention plans capable of reducing transmission without eliminating visitation. With pandemic priorities rapidly evolving, however, SNFs may be best served by a practical prevention plan designed to both meet current challenges and facilitate future changes. SNF Statistics At-a-Glance For SNFs, patient…
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), telehealth claims have risen more than 8,000% during the pandemic as compared to April of last year.1 While telehealth services are gaining traction in the medical field, there is one area where it’s still trying to find its footing: skilled nursing facilities. With the ever-changing times…