According to the Alzheimer Society, almost 40 percent of people over the age of 65 experience some form of memory loss. When there is no underlying medical condition causing this memory loss, it is known as “age-associated memory impairment,” which is considered a part of the normal aging process. Read more
Your body was designed to move and WANTS you to exercise! The good news is that beginning an exercise program at any age has many benefits. Read more
In October 2016, all skilled nursing facilities will be submitting a new admission and discharge MDS for all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries. The purpose of the new admission and discharge assessments is to gather information for the quality reporting program (QRP). Specifically, there is a new MDS Section GG that required for only your Med A patients at admission and discharge. No other payers are included in this quality measure. Read more
The goal of rehabilitation is to help an individual heal physically and mentally and achieve their highest level of independence possible. Physical Therapists (PT), Occupational Therapists (OT), and Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) all work together to help individuals overcome obstacles and accomplish normal tasks of daily living. These therapists work on an individual level, which is beneficial for a range of conditions/diseases, ages and abilities. Read more
Maintaining good physical balance is important to all of us, especially those over 55. We know that when our balance is jeopardized, even slightly, we lose confidence in our abilities. This fear of falling and general loss of balance are more likely to result in a fall that causes minor or major injuries. So, what exactly is balance and how does it work? Read more
Facts About Stroke
According to the numbers provided by the American Stroke Association, someone in the US has a stroke every 40 seconds. As the third leading cause of death in the United States, strokes most commonly occur in individuals over the age of 65.
Did you know almost 2 million brain cells die every single minute a stroke is left untreated? As a matter of fact, lack of proper treatment is the main reason why strokes are considered one of the leading causes of long-term disabilities in the United States. While strokes are alarming medical concerns that could cause disabilities and even put one’s life on the line, in reality, they are largely treatable and preventable. Read more
Hot weather is dangerous! As the temperatures increase, older adults are more prone to harmful effects. As we age, it becomes more difficult for our bodies to adjust and react to sudden changes in temperature. Dehydration, heat exhaustion and heat stroke are all a serious concern for the elderly. It is important to know the warning signs and take steps to prevent heat-related illnesses. In fact, about 40% of heat-related fatalities in the U.S. are among people over 65, according to The University of Chicago Medical Center.
I love stories, don’t you? I love that magical point when you cannot put down a book or when you realize you’re holding your breath at the edge of your seat ready to explode to aid the protagonist (main character) over the climactic struggle towards the end of the movie or book. Whether it’s the classic struggle between good vs. evil, the growth of a character through struggle and adversity, or the saying “goodbye” for the final time, we get to join a character in an adventure that is outside of our own. Read more
Did you know your bones are alive? Bones are made of living, breathing cells growing tissue. Throughout life you will continue to lose bone and make new bone. After age 30, your bone loss actually speeds up. As you continue to age, you can end up losing more bone than you’re forming. Osteoporosis happens when you lose too much bone or make too little bone or both. Read more
The Q4FY15 release of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) with statistics through September 2015 is now available for download through the PEPPER Resources Portal. To obtain your SNF’s PEPPER, the Chief Executive Officer, President, Administrator or Compliance Officer of your organization should:
- Review the Secure PEPPER Access Guide.
- Review the instructions and obtain the information required to authenticate access. Note: A new validation code will be required. A patient control number or medical record number from a claim for a traditional Medicare FFS beneficiary with a “from” or “through” date in September 1-30, 2015 will be required.
- Visit the PEPPER Resources Portal.
- Complete all the fields.
- Download your PEPPER.
The SNF PEPPER will be available to download for approximately two years.
Revised in this release: The “Therapy RUGs” target area has been discontinued.
About SNF PEPPER
PEPPER is an educational tool that summarizes provider-specific data statistics for Medicare services that may be at risk for improper payments. Providers can use the data to support internal auditing and monitoring activities. PEPPER is distributed by TMF® Health Quality Institute under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.