Are you ready? The expanded regulatory requirements for nursing facility assessments included in the CMS minimum staffing standard final rule are effective August 8, 2024....
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What’s new: Melissa Green has been named the director of the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification’s (OLC) division of long term care (LTC) services....
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New resource: The AHCA Quality and Regulatory team created this consolidated list of currently available regulatory resources including various tip sheets, guides, webinars, online education...
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ICYMI: The VDH Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) recently provided VHCA-VCAL with an updated list of LTC supervisors. Please make note of the updated...
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[caption id="attachment_169849" align="alignright" width="393"] Use this QR code to access the SMART Questionnaire.[/caption] Send your latest 2567s and cover letter to Mary Chiles so they can be uploaded...
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What’s new: Mary Chiles has posted the newest SMART report recapping the survey and deficiency results the Chiles Healthcare Consulting team shared at the February 29...
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Send your latest 2567s and cover letter to Mary Chiles so they can be uploaded to VHCA’s Survey Management Analysis Resource Tool (SMART). Share feedback on your survey using...
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Did you know? Facility assessments are mentioned more than 100 times in the CMS State Operations Manual and F838 – Facility Assessment – specifically outlines...
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What’s new: CMS released Admin Memo: 24-05-NH to identify the FY2024 and FY2025 areas of focus and guidance on how CMS staff will conduct Federal...
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Beginning November 10, Ruthanne Risser (ruthanne.risser@vdh.virginia.gov) will temporarily serve as the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification LTC Director. The agency has also shared an...
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Did you know? Facility assessments are mentioned more than 100 times in the CMS State Operations Manual and F838 – Facility Assessment – specifically outlines...
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What’s new: CMS recently updated several surveyor resources that can be found in the Survey Resources folder on the CMS Nursing Homes CMS Nursing Home Requirements of Participation...
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Last August CMS finalized changes to the requirements for the director of food and nutrition services and created an additional pathway for the director to...
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What’s new: AHCA has added new resources to ahcancalED and AHCA's Survey Preparedness page to assist members in areas that have either been identified as focus areas by...
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CMS updated the Infection Control Critical Element pathway related to the end of the Healthcare Provider Vaccine Mandate announced May 31, 2023. The pathway was...
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So much has changed over the past three to four years: the regular survey cycle was disrupted by the pandemic, CMS rolled out the Long...
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Keep in mind: CMS updated guidance in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual, effective October 2022, regarding F758: Psychotropic Drugs and expanded examples on...
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Area of focus: Even as the COVID-19 public health emergency has ended and some regulations have been rolled back, facilities still need to educate visitors...
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What’s new: CMS has released updates to several survey resource documents, including the Entrance Conference form and the Infection Prevention, Control, and Immunization Critical Element (CE) pathway....
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CMS released QSO-23-10-NH updating the enhanced enforcement policy for infection control deficiencies implemented early in the pandemic. The new memo strengthens enforcement efforts for noncompliance...
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When surveyors arrive, it’s vital to efficiently provide them with the information they need to review your organization. With the proper protocols and systems in...
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What’s new: Mary Chiles has posted the newest SMART report recapping the survey and deficiency results the Chiles Healthcare Consulting team shared at the February...
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Don’t miss VHCA-VCAL’s most popular education program of the year when we take a deep look at survey trends across the state. Register for Getting...
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Register now for the day-long program on February 22. You will have an opportunity to meet the new leaders at the VDH Office of Licensure...
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What’s new: On January 18, CMS issued QSO-23-05-NH, which outlines updates to the Nursing Home Care Compare website and Five Star Quality Rating System. The updates...
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As of October 24, 2022, surveyors will be using the updated Phase 2 and Phase 3 CMS Requirements of Participation (ROP) guidance to identify skilled...
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CMS finalized changes to the requirements for the director of food and nutrition services as well as physical environment. The agency posted a revised advanced...
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What’s new: Kesia Gwaltney, PhD has joined the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) as the agency’s new long term care division director. The...
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CMS has issued QSO-22-19-NH, which includes new and updated surveyor guidance for Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the Requirements of Participation. The memo addresses:...
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CMS has released QSO-22-18-ALL to announce it is rescinding the QSO-22-10-ALL memo from January 25, 2022. The January memo noted surveyors performing federal oversight who were not fully vaccinated or who...
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CMS has released QSO-22-17-ALL, providing new information on how CMS will survey for compliance of the staff vaccination requirement. CMS survey oversight of the staff vaccination...
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CMS posted updates and revisions to the nursing facility survey tools, including the entrance checklist on April 7. The tools may be downloaded from the...
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While planning and response efforts over the last two years were focused on clinical issues, fire safety and life safety code compliance remain critical...
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CMS has issued memo QSO-22-10-ALL to all State Survey Agency Directors, requiring onsite surveyors - including CLIA and Life Safety surveyors - to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19...
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CMS made updates to the Long-Term Care Survey Process Procedure Guide effective January 27, 2022. These updates include: Mandatory facility task assignment and review of...
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Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is an approach to care that requires specific staff competency and a system of care delivery that provides the necessary support...
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Mary Chiles has posted the newest SMART report recapping the survey and deficiency results the Chiles Healthcare Consulting team shared at the January 18 education program. The...
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CMS has issued memo QSO-22-10-ALL to all State Survey Agencies, requiring onsite surveyors, including CLIA and Life Safety surveyors, to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or...
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The agenda for the January 18 education program, Examining and Learning from 2021 Surveys is now available. In addition to the analysis of the 2021...
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Sign up today for the Examining and Learning from 2021 Surveys program on January 18. Mary Chiles, RN, RAC-CT and the Chiles Healthcare Consulting team...
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CMS has released changes to the guidance for COVID-19 survey activities and increased oversight in nursing homes in QSO-22-2-ALL. CMS is announcing steps to assist State Survey...
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Are you using VHCA’s Survey Management Analysis & Resource Tool (SMART) to stay on top of survey results and trends? If you’re not sure how to get...
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The use of agency or contract staff has exponentially increased as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. Don’t forget that during your licensure survey, personnel records will...
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AHCA/NCAL offers two online programs in conjunction with Healthcare Academy®. Both programs incorporate a digital competency platform to allow for documentation of live skills demonstration....
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Are you using the newest version of the CMS Entrance Conference Worksheet to prepare for your surveys? CMS updated the checklist with a version dated...
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CMS issued QSO-21-20-NH formally noting that the agency removed a 2017 memo from its guidance repository that instructed CMS locations (formerly “Regional Offices”) to impose...
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CMS has recently rescinded its July 2017 guidance that civil monetary penalties (CMPs) should be imposed for prior non-compliance on a per-instance basis only. CMS posted the rescission on...
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Are you using VHCA’s Survey Management Analysis & Resource Tool (SMART) to stay on top of survey results and trends? If you’re not sure how...
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In September 2020, CMS clarified that providers could use actual emergencies resulting in the activation of their emergency plan to offset the need for an annual full-scale,...
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Now that the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) has resumed annual health inspections, life safety inspections will be conducted within a 14-day window...
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Have you had a survey recently? Share feedback on how it went using our new SMART Questionnaire. Your input helps us understand the survey environment...
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Using SMART, we have analyzed the top 10 survey deficiencies cited over the past year in both standard surveys and the COVID Focus surveys. Of...
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[caption id="attachment_135843" align="alignright" width="349"] Use this QR code to access the SMART Questionnaire[/caption] As the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) has resumed normal...
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Kourtney Hales-Richards has joined the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) as the agency’s new Long Term Care Division Director. Hales-Richards, a former surveyor,...
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VHCA-VCAL has been working with our partners at Chiles Healthcare Consulting, LLC (CHC) to upgrade and modernize the Survey Management and Analysis Resource Tool (SMART)....
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On January 7, the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) announced it will use contract surveyors to assist with catching up on standard survey...
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In QSO-20-31-All (Revised 01/04/2021), CMS has released updated guidance on the frequency of focused infection control (FIC) surveys as well as providing FAQs regarding health,...
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VHCA-VCAL received an update from Kim Beazley, deputy director of the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC), on nursing home surveyor testing for COVID-19....
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CMS issued a Quality, Safety & Oversight (QSO) memo, QSO-20-35-ALL, to states instructing them to return to normal survey process as soon as resources in...
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Next week the Health Quality Innovation Network (HQIN) will host the second session in its Office Hour Series to help nursing facilities be infection control...
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The Health Quality Innovation Network (HQIN), the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Virginia, is hosting an office hours series to support survey readiness and help...
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The Daily Progress published a letter to the editor from VHCA-VCAL President and CEO Keith Hare describing the close oversight the VDH Office of Licensure...
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According to AHCA, some members have begun to receive notices in CASPER rescinding the F884 citation and civil monetary penalty (CMP) they were given for...
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On May 21 VHCA-VCAL is hosting a webinar on the CMS and CDC COVID-19 Surveys. Presenter Mary Chiles of Chiles Healthcare Consulting will review the...
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In QSO-20-29-NH, CMS established two new F-Tags for COVID-19 reporting. The agency has also updated the survey tools. Facilities should begin using the revised “COVID-19...
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QSO-20-20: Prioritization of Surveys describes the new COVID-19 Focused Survey for Nursing Homes and includes a COVID-19 Self-Assessment, which nursing facilities should complete. VHCA-VCAL has...
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Currently there are no waivers allowing SNFs to vary from the Life Safety Code (LSC) or the Health Care Facilities Code (HCFC) during COVID-19. Life...
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Mary Chiles has posted the newest SMART report recapping the survey and deficiency results the Chiles Healthcare Consulting team shared at the January 15 education...
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2019 was a tumultuous year for survey outcomes. Virginia’s nursing facilities have witnessed an increase in the number of deficiencies and more deficiencies with higher...
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CMS wants to ensure that state survey inspectors are adequately determining SNF compliance with federal regulations. In a recent memo, the agency said it is...
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a memo summarizing the inflation adjustments to the civil monetary penalty (CMP) amounts that may be imposed...
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Read the newest SMART report to find out what the Top Ten deficiencies for the current survey year under the new Long Term Survey Process (LTCSP)...
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CMS has issued a memorandum on the Survey Process for Reviewing Home Dialysis Services in a Long Term Care (LTC) Facility. The memo, QSO-18-24-ESRD covers...
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final version of the revised policies on the immediate imposition of federal remedies. The...
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Analysis of SMART data from 78 surveys conducted between December 1, 2017 and February 28, 2018 show that the top cited F-Tag is F-Tag 880-Infection...
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Have you been wondering what F-Tags are being cited under the Requirements of Participation? Recent upgrades to SMART, our Survey Management and Analysis Resource Tool,...
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued an update to the provider training module on the Long Term Care Survey Process (LTCSP). Updates...
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Nursing centers in Virginia have seen an increase in citations in recent months because they did not provide written notice to the resident’s representative when...
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Since Gov. Ralph Northam signed HB 879 into law on March 23, 2018 surveyors from the Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) can again conduct...
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Are you signed up to use the electronic plan of correction process (ePOC) to receive your CMS-2567s electronically and submit your POCs electronically? The ePOC...
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Language was added to HB 879, the bill addressing the frequency of nursing facility surveys, to put it effect as soon as it is signed...
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Follow these quick links to documents and resources to help you navigate the new Long Term Care Survey Process (LTCSP), including the latest update to...
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Kathaleen Creegan-Tedeschi, Director of the Long Term Care Division of the Office of Licensure and Certification shared data on the top 10 citations at Virginia...
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We want to hear from you about how Phase 2 of the Requirements of Participation (ROP) and the new Long Term Care Survey Process are...
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Registration is now open for the January 30 education program, Lessons Learned from 2017 Surveys Are Valuable in the New Blended Survey Process, in Richmond. ...
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On December 22, 2017 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new Survey and Certification (S&C) Memorandum addressing the instances in which...
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has published the new Long Term Care Survey Process (LTCSP) Initial Pool Care Areas, specifically, the interview...
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued provider training module on the long term care survey process. The new survey process takes...
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has posted new resources on its Requirements of Participation website related to long term care surveys: the LTC...
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The Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) has interpreted a bill passed during the 2017 General Assembly session in such a way that some nursing...
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S&C Memo 17-34-All provides important information on how acceptable Plans of Correction (POCs) should be formatted. The Delaware Health Care Facilities Association has shared its...
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On July 7, the Survey and Certification Group (S&C) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued memorandum S&C: 17-37-NH, "Revision of Civil...
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Recent reports have highlighted the fact that Legionnaires’ disease kills 25% of those who are infected while getting treatment or residing in a health care...
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On June 13 VHCA-VCAL staff Keith Hare, April Payne, and Matt Mansell traveled to Philadelphia to meet with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...
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On May 12 CMS issued a Survey and Certification (S&C) Memo on substandard quality of care (SCQ) and clarification of notice before transfer or discharge...
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On March 10 CMS published a revised version of Survey and Certification (S&C) Memo 17-19-NH explaining that the agency was issuing a re-release of Appendix...
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Registration is now open for the February 28 education program, 2016 Survey Analysis - Emphasizing Resident Safety. Preliminary analysis of 2016 surveys in Virginia clearly...
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The latest S&C Memo from CMS advises that long term care providers should consider cyber security when developing and reviewing their emergency preparedness plans. S&C...
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CMS has issued an advance copy of the revisions to the State Operations Manual (SOM) Apprendix PP and F-Tags to conform them to the new...
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Registration is now open for the December 7 education program, Infection Prevention & Control: Tune Up Your System. How you implement infection prevention and control...
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The Virginia State Fire Marshal has provided VHCA-VCAL with a copy of its 2012 Life Safety Code Update presentation that highlights the changes that will...
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The Long Term Care Division of the Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) sent VHCA-VCAL two advisories this week to forward to members about the...
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Protecting resident privacy and prohibiting mental abuse related to photographing or recording residents in any manner that would demean or humiliate them is the subject...
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a revision to its Survey & Certification (S&C) Memo 16-31-NH updating Chapter 7 of the State Operations...
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We learned that last Friday, July 22, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an advanced interim revision to the State Operations...
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VHCA-VCAL staff has learned that one of the 10 national Infection Control Pilot Surveys occurred this month in Virginia. Thanks to the facility, we were...
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At the most recent joint meeting of the Quality of Care and Regulatory Committees, members discussed elopement and the need for administrators to understand how...
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Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS), in cooperation with AHCA/NCAL, is conducting its annual studies of home care, hospice, and rehabilitation salary and benefits. All...
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New analysis of 31 nursing center survey results from 2016 is available as part of VHCA’s SMART program. Mary Chiles of Chiles Healthcare Consulting who...
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Submit your latest survey results to SMART, VHCA’s Survey Management and Analysis Resource Tool. SMART is designed to help VHCA members view and analyze current...
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Nursing centers can now access their new Five-Star Ratings through the CMS QIES system. This report includes a preview of data for each center on...
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VHCA has recently learned of instances when two nursing facilities that underwent Minimum Data Set (MDS) focus surveys were cited for D-level deficiencies and were...
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AHCA has shared the news from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that the percentage of nursing center surveys that were deficiency-free increased...
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In a letter to nursing facility administrators dated March 28, Director of the Division of Long Term Care Services in the Office of Licensure and...
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a new Survey and Certification Letter: Exit Conferences - Sharing Specific Regulatory References or Tags...
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The Office of Licensure and Certification’s Long Term Care Division is encouraging all facilities to sign up for the electronic plan of correction process (ePOC)...
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