If you missed Part 1 of our blog series, you can read the full post here. To recap, only the top 10% of skilled nursing facilities within a state receive a 5-star rating on the 5-Star Quality Rating System, and two-thirds of Functional Pathways’ clients have earned a 4- or 5-Star rating, with over 80% achieving a 4- or 5-Star rating for Quality Measures.

So, how does partnering with Functional Pathways make this kind of success possible?

Functional Pathways’ partnership with our clients leads to outcomes that are above industry standards through a combination of a tactical screening process, utilization of QM and MDS analytical software, and evidenced-based clinical programming. Our processes lead to decreased negative survey outcomes and positive census development data.

Why is this important? Because the Quality Rating System is used not only by consumers, but also by health care insurers and others.

According to the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living, the Quality Rating System is used by a number of users in addition to the traditional consumer, like health care insurers, investors, and state regulators. This highlights the importance of a 4- or 5-star rating, because they are used to determine reimbursements, loans, and payments.

A better rating not only means families and patients are more likely to choose your community, but it means your facility is less likely to face penalties and more likely to be successful financially.

CMS is continuing to raise the bar for quality measures, with threshold updates every 6 months. This makes it imperative for every facility to be in a constant state of improvement with their outcomes. Even facilities that currently have a 5-star rating cannot rest on their laurels; they must continue to seek out improvement and not grow stagnant in their operations.

With a strong collaboration between facility and therapy teams, achieving and exceeding those thresholds is not only attainable with Functional Pathways, but also sustainable.

Do you want your facility to exceed expectations and work towards becoming a center of excellence? Click here to schedule an appointment with Functional Pathways today.

Resources:

https://www.ahcancal.org/Survey-Regulatory-Legal/Pages/FiveStar.aspx#:~:text=The%20Five%2DStar%20Quality%20Rating,%2C%20Quality%20Measures%2C%20and%20Staffing.

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/CertificationandComplianc/downloads/brieffivestartug.pdf

Does your therapy provider help drive your Quality Measure Rating to 5-Star success? As the SNF and LTC industry moves away from fee-for-service and embraces value-based care, understanding how to achieve positive outcomes has never been more important. At Functional Pathways, our process of analyzing and improving Quality Measure performance has enhanced the clinical outcomes for our patients and clients.

Our facilities are better than the national averages in many reportable outcomes, and over three-fourths of our partner facilities are rated as 4- or 5-Stars for Quality Measures. Some of our results include:

• 81% of FP clients are 4- or 5-Stars for Quality Measures
• 65% of FP clients are 4- or 5-Star communities
• FP clients as a whole are 19% better than the national average in patient mobility improvement
• FP re-hospitalization average is 10% below national average
• Over 70% of clients have lower than national average for Falls with Major Injury

But what’s so important about being a 4- or 5-Star facility? Let’s take a look at what it means to achieve that designation in part one of this blog series, and part two will explore why FP clients are exceeding expectations.

The 5-Star Quality Rating System was created to compare nursing home quality based on health inspections, quality measures (QMs), and staffing. Health inspection ratings are dependent on the calculation of points extracted from results of nursing home surveys from the past three years, with recent surveys weighing more heavily in the calculation. Those results are used to rank nursing homes within their state, and the top 10% of those nursing homes get 5-star ratings.

Additionally, quality measure ratings are calculated based on a nursing home’s performance in long-stay ADL decline, mobility decline, catheter, high-risk pressure ulcers, physical restraints, urinary tract infections, moderate to severe pain, and short-stay pressure ulcers, and moderate to severe pain- delirium. “ADL decline” and “mobility decline” are ranked against other nursing homes in the state, and the other 8 quality measures are ranked against other nursing homes in the nation, with the top 10% of nursing homes receiving 5 stars.

Only the best facilities receive a 5-star rating, and only very successful facilities are even able to achieve a 4-star rating.

At Functional Pathways, we provide the resources and support necessary to make your community a center of excellence. Two-thirds of our clients rank among the best nursing homes in the nation according to the Quality Rating System, and we can help your community be next.

Schedule an appointment with us today to learn how we can help your facility exceed expectations.

Resources:

https://www.ahcancal.org/Survey-Regulatory-Legal/Pages/FiveStar.aspx#:~:text=The%20Five%2DStar%20Quality%20Rating,%2C%20Quality%20Measures%2C%20and%20Staffing.https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/CertificationandComplianc/downloads/brieffivestartug.pdf

Functional Pathways introduced the new Splash Board Clinical Reimbursement tool to our clients 12 months ago, and what a year it’s been!  Our PDPM management process has helped our clients:

• Increase revenue by $23 PPD and an average of $5,000 per month
• Boost reimbursement opportunities by 63%
• Improve patient outcomes from Max Assist to Stand-By Assist in 24 Days

Over 90% of our clients have seen significant improvement in their PDPM reimbursement through the use of our Splash Board process. The software captures CMI/CMG trends and benchmarks compared to national averages, identifies reimbursement opportunities in all five CMI categories (PT, OT, SLP, Nursing, and NTA), and highlights areas of revenue risks for Medicare Audits. Plus, all the reporting is real-time, so no waiting around for data!

In conjunction with RightTrack, FP’s Clinical Outcome platform, Splash Board has been an invaluable tool to measure therapy goals. It provides better detail into how facilities can improve the patient’s Goals Met and Progress to Goal by enhancing treatment strategies, using predictive analytics to ensure we provide the right care at the right time, and enhancing communication for care plans and discharge processes.

If you and your team want to maximize your reimbursement, ensure you are getting paid for the level of services you provide, and achieve the best outcomes for your patients call (888.531.2204) or email our experts at info@fprehab.com.

Robocall Scams

https://www.fcc.gov/covid-19-robocall-scams
Phone scammers are using robo calls to not only inform you of your car’s expiring warranty but also to offer you free home testing kits, vaccines, cures and financial relief.  Don’t fall for these scams.

Contact Tracing Scams

https://www.fcc.gov/fear-fuels-covid-19-contact-tracing-scams
Many states use text messaging for their initial contact tracing outreach.  Scammers will mimic those text messages but they will contain a link to websites that request social security and/or insurance information as well as payments for testing.  Long story short, do not click on a link in a text message from an unknown sender.

Text Scams

https://www.fcc.gov/covid-19-text-scams

Scammers can use links in text messages to install malicious code on your phone or launch a phony webpage to collect personal, health insurance, or financial information for use in other scams. COVID-19 text message scams offer cures, warnings about the need for a test, or “special offers.” Do not click on links in texts related to the virus, and check cdc.gov/coronavirus for the most current information.

One of the biggest questions right now is, “how do I clean my electronic device?” (Laptop, tablet, cell phone).  Cleaning an electronic device is actually pretty simple.  First, check the instructions that came with your device for directions on how to clean your device and what cleaners you should and should not use.

In general, the easiest way is to use a disinfectant wipe (Clorox, Lysol, etc.) to wipe down the device (see directions below from Lysol).  You can also use a disinfectant spray on a microfiber cloth to wipe down a device.  Remember to always spray the microfiber cloth and wipe down the device.  Never spray the device directly because the liquid has a greater chance of getting into the components of the device and damaging it.

Directions:

• Smartphones and Tablets:  Use a Lysol wipe to disinfect the entire surface. Finish by wiping the screen with a dry cloth
• Keyboards and Computer Mice: To clean your keyboard or mouse properly, first either turn off your computer or disconnect the keyboard and mouse from the computer. Next, use a vacuum with the correct attachment to remove all particles of food and dust. Then, use a Lysol wipe to wipe down the surface of your keyboard or mouse. Last, wrap a Lysol wipe around the tip of a Q-Tip or cuticle stick and circle the edges of each key to make sure that you reach every crack and crevice.
• Gaming Consoles and Remotes: For actual game consoles, use a vacuum to remove all dust and wipe down the surface with a Lysol Disinfecting wipe. For remotes, first disconnect the remote or remove the batteries. Use a dry cloth to remove all dust and crumbs and then swab the entire surface with a Lysol wipe. Again, wrap your wipe around a Q-Tip or cuticle stick and make sure to get the edges around the buttons.

How to Protect Your Electronic Information

Scammers and hackers are preying on everyone’s fears.  We are seeing an increase in the number of malicious, phishing, and scam emails and social media post.  Please watch the two videos below on what to watch out for and how to protect yourself from scams and misinformation.  If you are looking for information on Covid-19, please go to the CDC’s website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html) for more information, utilize the links contained there.  As always, please be careful when opening emails and clicking on links.  Here are two videos with more information:

Scammers seek profit by capitalizing off coronavirus fears

https://www.nbcnews.com/now/video/scammers-seek-profit-by-capitalizing-off-coronavirus-fears-80652869640

Secret Service says hackers are exploiting coronavirus fears in phishing email scams

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_esOEMDsyig