Don't Make These Mistakes about Medications (August 9, 2004)
The plan of care plays an important role in demonstrating compliance with regulations and supporting the delivery of Medicare services. Here are a few tips for avoiding some common mistakes in...[MORE]

Be Careful about a "Way Around" (August 2, 2004)
Homecare list serve discussions frequently tackle questions about the initial assessment visit and OASIS. Be Careful: Look at this recent exchange...[MORE]

More Tips for Handwashing Compliance (August 2, 2004)
Health care providers must be more conscientious about handwashing. Here are some more tips to promote compliance...[MORE]

Compliance Efforts Go Astray (July 26, 2004)
In an effort to be compliant, this agency became even more noncompliant...[MORE]

Avoid Mistakes and Save Thousands - Mistake #31: False Manifestation (July 19, 2004)
The diabetic patient has an ulcer on his foot, which the physician states is a pressure ulcer. The clinician notes diabetes as the principal diagnosis followed by leg ulcer as the first pertinent. A few months later, the agency received a downcoding for this claim. What happened?...[MORE]

No Simple Answers in PPS Care Planning (July 12, 2004)
The Prospective Payment System (PPS) has caused providers to look at efficiency and effectiveness. The objectives: positive financial and patient outcomes through controlling utilization of services while meeting the patient's needs. Providers seek out tools, tips, techniques — anything that can help the staff plan and delivery efficient services that the patient truly needs. In this quest, however...[MORE]

6 Tips for Handwashing Compliance (July 12, 2004)
We know that health care providers are not as fastidious about handwashing as they should be. And that creates a challenge for you. What can you do to achieve better compliance in this very vital area of homecare delivery? Here are six tips...[MORE]

Surgical Wound Q&As Clarify OASIS Issues (July 6, 2004)
The OASIS data on surgical wounds contribute to two important outcome-based quality improvement (OBQI) reports: 1) improvement in the status of surgical wounds and 2) improvement in the number of surgical wounds. To ensure fair and accurate reporting, clinicians must...[MORE]