Long-Term Care Survey Alert
SURVEY & CLINICAL NEWS TO USE
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Get ready for the revised F309 survey guidance to go into effect on March 31.
The objective of the pain investigative protocol is to determine whether the facility has managed the resident's pain to support his or her "highest practicable level of physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being, in accordance with the comprehensive assessment and plan of care."
Some good news: "There's no 'smoking gun' in this guidance, unlike F314 [for pressure ulcers], which was so extensive and had so much clinical information," says Rena Shephard, MHA, RN, RAC-MT, C-NE, president and CEO of RRS Healthcare Consulting in San Diego, and founding chair and executive editor for the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators. "The guidance to surveyors is ... basically saying that facilities need to implement the nursing process, which is the same process that all clinicians use: assessment, problem identification, nursing diagnosis, planning interventions, implementation and evaluation."
Even so, facilities will likely have specific vulnerabilities to receiving deficiencies at F309 in certain areas of pain management, Shephard and other experts warn (for details, see the nextLong-Term Care Survey Alert).
Plavix plus a proton pump inhibitor may not a good combination make. In fact, the Food & Drug Administration recommends healthcare providers "re-evaluate the need for starting or continuing treatment with a PPI, including Prilosec OTC, in patients taking clopidogrel" (Plavix). The federal agency is working with the makers of Plavix to conduct studies that will shed more light on how genetic factors and other drugs (especially the PPIs) may impact the blood thinner's effectiveness.
Long-Term Care Survey Alert
- PAIN TREATMENT:
Sharpen Pain Management SafetyWith These 5 Tips
Make sure these meds lead to relief, not adverse drug events. What you don't know [...] - MANAGEMENT:
Ditch the Turf Battles: Put Your Staff on Common Ground in Resident Care
6 ways to promote positive staff relationships. In the quest to achieve optimal outcomes, facilities [...] - LEGAL TRENDS:
Risk Manage Nursing Board Licensure Investigations and Actions
Prevent and handle this career-threatening event. Picture this: A nursing board investigator gives you a [...] - TOOL:
Get to the Root Cause of ADL Decline With This Assessment Checklist
Evaluation of Resident ADL Decline or Failure to Improve ADL Function 1. Has the resident [...] - SURVEY MANAGEMENT:
Be Strategic About Revealing Quality Assurance Efforts
Find out how to assuage surveyors' concerns, not create them. Surveyors are on the scene [...] - READER QUESTION:
Should you handle medical privacy for psychiatric care differently than LTC?
Question: Our facility is going to offer psychiatric services to certain residents with mental health [...] - MDS CORNER:
Give Your MDS Software a Checkup for Coding Section M (Skin Condition)
CMS says to be aware of this potential glitch. If you ever blame your software [...] - SURVEY & CLINICAL NEWS TO USE
Get ready for the revised F309 survey guidance to go into effect on March 31. [...]