CMS

CMS increases hours to 3.48 in final staffing rule

Nursing homes will be required to deliver 3.48 hours of daily of direct care per patient under a final staffing mandate issued April 22, 2024. A White House statement on the rule said that 3.0 hours must be split between registered nurses at 2.45 hours and 0.55 hours for certified nurse aides.

The rule also preserves a requirement proposed in September that requires facilities to have an RN onsite 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

KNOWLEDGE DATABASE

All ulcers are not the same: diabetic ulcers

Skin ulcerations. They can be painful for patients and terrifying for families. They bring to mind the image of bed sores, possibly caused by neglect and abuse. But, anyone who has a loved one in a healthcare facility should understand that not all ulcers are the same—and, perhaps somewhat reassuringly, most are not the result of negligence. Ulcers can and do happen, even in the presence of excellent clinical care.

There are a variety of skin ulcers. Most people know a bit about decubitus ulcers or pressure sores, also known as bed sores. Kennedy Terminal Ulcers (KTUs), another type of pressure sore, occur at the end of life. But, there are several other types of ulcers that are non-pressure-related, including venous stasis ulcers, arterial ulcers, and neurotrophic (diabetic) ulcers.

REGULATORY STANDARDS

Verify how well your facility is complying with regulatory standards with an internal audit

Excelas objectively reviews a sample of your records—no matter how big or small—to assess the criteria you specify. Our work will determine the following:

-The reliability of your clinical documentation
-Whether your documentation supports submitted claims
-The risk of non-compliance with regulatory requirements.

We can provide a brief summary of our findings, or simply pull out data points for your review.

INFECTION CONTROL

Excelas’ structured Timelines are an excellent way to document, preserve, organize, and present the actions your organization takes to address patient/resident and workplace safety

Two common concerns are Falls and Infection Control. Examine the data which can be quickly extracted, organized and presented to document compliance policies and practices.

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