Changes in patient acuity change the case-mix or “expected” hours used to determine staffing stars. That’s not news for anyone who reads this blog. The problem is the relationship is difficult to tease out. This is because CMS does not publish the exact criteria they use to select assessments that are included in calculating acuity… Continue reading How does case-mix drive staffing ratings?
Blog
Staffing Navigator™ – A Case Study
In today’s posting I am going to explain how to use Staffing Navigator™ to diagnose and troubleshoot a staffing issue that is causing problems in a 5 Star Rating. This post will also explain staffing cut points which can be confusing. If you haven’t already, download Staffing Navigator™. It’s free in the app stores. Hypothetical… Continue reading Staffing Navigator™ – A Case Study
Introducing: Staffing Navigator™!
Today we’re introducing a new software tool: Staffing Navigator™! This tool is intended to help operators understand how acuity, number of residents, nursing rates and mix (RN, LPN and CNA) work together to determine your staffing stars. Additionally you can use Staffing Navigator™ to: Determine the ideal mix of RN, LPN and CNA to achieve… Continue reading Introducing: Staffing Navigator™!
CMS Releases 2020 Proposed Rule – The Highlights
As you may be aware, on April 19th CMS released the FY 2020 SNF PPS Proposed Rule that sets forth the proposed updates to FY 2020 beginning Oct 1, 2019 . As you know, CMS finalized the Patient Driven Payment Model in last year’s final rule, so the proposed rule contains mostly expected revisions related… Continue reading CMS Releases 2020 Proposed Rule – The Highlights
5 Star Staffing Cut Points – Beware
CMS released the long-awaited update to Nursing Home Compare. While we’re all pouring over the data and analyzing the changes, one thing has gone largely unnoticed: CMS also changed the staffing cut-points. (upward of course) Be sure to check the latest version of the manual. For reference, here is the latest:
CMS has updated the PDPM website… Again!
As we in the SNF world eagerly anticipate the 5-Star and the SNF FY 2020 proposed rule this month, the revised RAI Manual in May and the SNF FY 2020 Final Rule in July, on April 4th, CMS updated the PDPM Website… again! Things are really moving at a breakneck pace. You may feel like… Continue reading CMS has updated the PDPM website… Again!
PDPM Navigator™ Version 0.1.1 Released
On April 4th CMS released updated information about PDPM. On Friday evening we released an updated version of PDPM Navigator™ to include those changes. Pro users will notice that all ICD-10 codes have been updated, including default clinical categories, speech and NTA codes. The latest version of PDPM Navigator is 0.1.1. A Word About Updates… Continue reading PDPM Navigator™ Version 0.1.1 Released
PDPM, Staffing & STRIVE
There is a problem on the horizon. Under PDPM, the staffing study used to determine how many nursing hours to expect for a given RUG level will not longer work. That study, called STRIVE, was originally done between 2005 and 2009. The data from that study is used to estimate how many nursing hours (RN,… Continue reading PDPM, Staffing & STRIVE
5 Star Staffing Ratings
We’re getting a lot of inquiries about 5 star ratings. It’s understandable because of the changes coming in April. One question we’re getting asked is “What would it take to improve my staffing rating?” or “How can I get another star?” In this post we’re going to take a look at that, using the new… Continue reading 5 Star Staffing Ratings
PDPM Navigator Lite™ – Free in the App Store!
We’ve decided to offer a lite version of our PDPM Navigator™ to everyone FOR FREE! PDPM Navigator Lite™ does everything that our website PDPM Calculator does (and more) but it does it all on your phone. You can use it wherever, whenever, however. No internet is required after the install. How do you get it?… Continue reading PDPM Navigator Lite™ – Free in the App Store!