"From Brink of Disaster to Profitability"

Come see Pat Boyer and Laura Fowler, Administrator at Kingston Medical Center present at AAHSA, November 11th at 8am.

At the presentation learn about the process of an operational assessment and what one facility had to do in order to stay in business.

New Infection Control Guidelines: F441-The Revised Guidelines & What You Need to Know

Long term care facilities have a greater risk of infections due to the age and co-morbidities of the residents. It is the facilities responsibilities to identify, treat, control and contain infectious diseases. With the revision of F441 the regulations better define what steps should be taken to prevent infections and the scope of the Infection Control program in terms of oversight, components of the program, policies and procedures, reporting, surveillance, prevention, control of transmission, recognition and containment of outbreaks. Programs should include a disaster preparedness plan and define how the facility will respond to the situation. Surveillance is one of the key components in an infection control program and the regulations require it be done on a daily basis not retrospectively. Surveillance will assist to identify potential outbreaks and monitor infection control practices within the facility.

With the flu season fast approaching it is imperative to have the latest information about N1H1 and the influenza. Do you need to have an N-95 respirator and if so when should it be used? The CDC has not released the specific guidance related to the N-95 and H1N1. Facilities will continue to vaccinate residents for the flu and will also vaccinate against H1n1 when the vaccine becomes available.

There are many components to the Infection Control program to assist facilities with education, surveillance, containment and infection control practices. By designating a person and/or committee your program can and will be successful. Come and join us at http://boyerandassociates.webex.com for the webinar September 2, 2009 from 1-3pm (CST).

Kristin Lueschow, RN, RRT,WCC
Clinical Operations Consultant

Supporting WAHSA

Boyer Supported WAHSA This Weekend by Buying a Weekend Getaway at Lake Artubus

The getaway was a wonderful opportunity to sit down as a team and plan for the year. With all of the new regulations, MDS 3.0 and RUGs IV we want to make sure that we are able to get to all who need assistance. WAHSA and WHCA are partnering to offer MDS 3.0 and RUGs IV training to several different locations across Wisconsin. The training will be a day and a half and pack in the need to know information. A manual will be offered to all facilities to take back to have as a reference.

The ABC's of Medicare: ADR, RAC & ZPICs/Heat

July 30th from 10-12 (CST) online at http://boyerandassociates.webex.com

This class addresses the current trends in CMS Pre-Payment Medical Review (ADR), Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) and Program Integrity monitoring (Heat/ZPIC). These national programs of Medicare Contracted Review are affecting all facets of care provision within Long Term Care and Outpatient providers. In order to respond to CMS medical review requests, facilities need to understand the timelines, data to provide, documentation and claim processing to be successful!

Survey Readiness & The ABC's of Medicare: ADR, RAC, & ZPIC/Heat,

Quality of Life & Environmental Changes: What this Means to Your Facility

Welcome Kristin Our New Wound Care Consultant!!

Behind the Scenes of the Five Star Quality Rating Program

Today was the last day to attend a very informational seminar "Behind the Scenes of the Five Star Quality Rating Program" presented by WHCA. The tour started in Eau Claire traveled to Appleton and ended in Brookfield, WI. There was great attendance at all of the locations. Many attendees were very interested in figuring out why they received the rating they did by the state surveyors. This class also focused on how to be proactive in improving a facility's survey score.

As there are three different sections to a state survey- health survey, staffing, and quality measures. Pat Boyer described to the audience how to calculate their scoring in each section by providing a case study and then giving the audience the time to try it on a worksheet.

After having time to work through sample problems the class was presented with more information to help make the best of a survey situation.

Adminstrator Breakfast with Michael Peer, CPA

Understanding Financial Statements without being an Accountant

June 23rd, 2009 @ 7:30am we had our monthly Administrator Breakfast series. We enjoyed a continental breakfast for the first 15 minutes. Michael Peer, CPA from Kolb & Co was the guest speaker. He spoke on the basics of accounting principles. Explaining the four financial statements; Balance Sheet Income Statement, Statement of Cash Flow and Statment of Changes in Equity in detail. After his 30 minute presentation he took questions from our attendees. The attendees had really great questions that provoked great discussion among the group.

Thank you to all who attended and we look forward to seeing you in September!

Welcome Joy Jordan!!

Last month, Boyer & Associates was pleased to add Joy Jordan to our staff. Joy comes to us with extensive experience in the compliance world. Joy has most recently been a Federal surveyor and passed the SMQT (Surveyor Minimum Qualification Test in 2007. Joy will be assisting clients with compliance concerns and education. In addiiton, Joy will be coordinating our efforts at the Boyer Executive Development Center. Please join me in welcoming Joy and come by to meet her at the upcoming WHCA and WAHSA conferences.