Harmony Healthcare Newsletter
Consultants for the Long Term Care Industry
MEDICARE, MEDICAID, MDS 3.0, COMPLIANCE, PPS RUGs III and THERAPY OPERATIONS Enhance Quality Patient Care and Increase Reimbursement.
Circulation: 10,300 Long Term Care Professionals
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FREE Revenue
Analysis of Your Facility.
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Increase Your Medicare Part A Reimbursement, Case Mix & Length of Stay!
Prevent Denials....
Identify Areas of Opportunity to
Increase Revenue
Identify Non-Compliant Charting
Identify Strategies to Provide the Best Care to Your Patients.
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Look for us at These Upcoming Seminars and Trade Shows:
IHCA-Peoria, IL: September 8-11
VHCA-
Richmond, VA: September 16
RI Healthcare Association
September 30
ChemRX- Albany, NY: October 2
AHCA/NCAL- Nashville, TN: October 5-8 |
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| Harmony Employment Connections Corner
Do you have Open Positions you are Looking to Fill?
Are you Actively Looking for a New Position?
Email us to Help You Fill Your Openings or Help You Find an Available Position.
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MDSC Positions Available:
*Boston/North
*Tennessee/South
MDSC Staff Available:
MA * RI * NY * TN * TX
Administrators
Available:
ME * NH * MA
Other Open Positions
*Central MA:
RN LTACH Documentation Specialist
*Colorado/NE: MDSC, RN, LPN & RCS
*Full Time SNF PT Positions Available:
Melrose, MA
Harwich, MA
Brewster, MA
DON
Uxbridge, MA
MMQ Nurse
SNF OT
North of Boston, MA
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Notes from the desk of our CEO Kris Mastrangelo |
Does Your Team Monitor Patients in the Medicare 30 Day Window?
Monitoring patients within their Medicare Part A 30-day window can be a challenge, and without daily involvement of a full-time MDS Coordinator, the trial increases. It is critical that facility staff have an understanding of this process in order to communicate changes in patient status for the MDSC and Medicare Team to review. The 30-day window is in place to allow a beneficiary access to remaining skilled Medicare Part A days after a period of non-skilled level without requiring another 3-day qualifying hospital stay. In order to re-access benefits, a patient's new condition must be related to a condition or problem for which care was originally received during the 3-day hospital stay or during the SNF stay following the 3-day hospital stay. Please refer to the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 8, Section 20.1.
The following scenarios are an indication that a patient be reviewed for a potential return to a skilled level of care:
- Indication of daily or more frequent monitoring of vital signs, description of lung or bowel sounds and skin conditions, deficiencies in nutritional status and hydration, mental status and mobility related to the instability or probable changes in condition.
- Documented changes in the patient's vital signs, nutritional status, skin condition, etc. that reflect "instability". Lack of changes in physical condition does not, in and of itself, preclude the need for observation and assessment.
- Documentation must support that there is a reasonable probability for changes in the patient's conditionRepeated modifications in the treatment plan as a result of changes in the patient's condition.
- Onset of a new condition, diagnosis or problem that requires nursing assessment, monitoring or interventions.
- Weight loss
- Changes in skin integrity.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of reasons a patient may be clinically appropriate for review to return to a skilled level of care.
The process of reviewing patients within the 30-day window should be a major focus of the facility Medicare Part A progam.
What are the greatest challenges you face daily in your facility? Email us, we want to know.
Become RAC-CT certified!
Harmony Healthcare Hosts the AANAC MDS Certification Program in September, 2008.
Join us and Rena Shephard, AANAC founding Chair and Executive Editor, for this 3-day program.
We are now accepting registrations.
Space is limited.
Check out our Education Schedule listed below. |
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HARMONY UNIVERSITY |
September 18, 2008
Therapeutic Handling, Execution and Documention in a SNF
8:30 AM to 3:30 PM EDT
Join our team of speakers for a day dedicated to exploring manual handling techniques for the most challenging patients in the SNF. The course will offer an overview of strategies for enhancing therapy service delivery with emphasis on identifying treatment techniques appropriate for the Medicare Part A and Part B beneficiary.
Course Contents:
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Anatomy Overview/Review
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Upperbody, Trunk, Lower body, Cardiac system and Respiratory System
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Rehab Case Management
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Evaluation, Observation and Assessment
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Therapeutic Techniques
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Maintenance Therapy
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Restorative Nursing
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Range of Motion
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Equipment Options
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Part B Program Development
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Medicare Skilled Guidelines
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Cognitively Impaired Patient
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Goal Setting
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Commonly Denied Treatments
September 25, 2008
MMQ, MDS, PPS: A United Front
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM EDT
This course will offer an overview of clinical reimbursement and regulatory requirements in addition to training on the key core components for MDS, MMQ and PPS. Learn how facility policy, procedures and documentation can be tailored to meet requirements for all three systems.
Course Contents:
September 30 - October 2, 2008
AANAC MDS 3-Day Certification Program
Harmony Healthcare International is excited to annouce that we will be hosting RENA SHEPHARD, Co-founder of AANAC for the AANAC RAC-CT Certification Program on September 30th, October 1st and October 2nd.
Please join us for this exciting event.
We are currently accepting registrations
For inquiries, to Signup for Seminars, Complete list of Seminars or to Request a Brochure Containing a Full Description and Seminar Fees:
Contact Sue at: 1-800-530-4413, Ext. 21
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Sincerely,
Elisa Bovee
Director of Education and Training
Harmony Healthcare
1-800-530-4413 x20 | |
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