QRM Buzz Podcast

Have you ever wondered what a good SNF “outcome” looks like? Join QRM's Mark Hyder and Megan Ussery in the latest episode of the #BuzzPodcast as they discuss crucial elements to achieve optimal results.

Three Stars? Five Stars? What's the difference? ⭐❓ Join Mark Hyder and Megan Ussery in the newest episode of the #BuzzPodcast as they delve into the intricacies of the #CMS 5-Star Program and discuss what the ratings mean for #LTC providers.

Gain valuable insights into the impact of the MDS coordinators' contributions and their indispensable role in maintaining a thriving healthcare environment.Tune in now to elevate your understanding of the pivotal work undertaken by these professionals.

Join QRM's Mark Hyder for a captivating conversation with Advion Executive VP, Cynthia Morton, as they discuss the recent CMS updates and Cynthia's response to the hypothetical scenario: "If you stumbled upon a genie in a bottle and granted 3 wishes for the SNF industry, what would you wish for?" Check it out now!

This week's episode of the #BuzzPodcast is all about the newly revised Quality Measure User's Manual. Clinicians, administrators, and operators, are you ready to navigate these crucial updates?Stay informed and tune in!

Are your morning meetings less than inspiring?

Change is difficult, but sometimes we're so focused on it, we can overlook the basics. Join QRM's Mark Hyder and Megan Ussery as they discuss some of the important SNF fundamentals you don't want to forget.

In this week's episode of the #BuzzPodcast, Mark Hyder discusses changes to MDS Section J with QRM's Stacey Hallissey and Megan Ussery. Enjoy this “pain-free” discussion about rating resident pain. Tune in to learn how you can stay ahead of this critical issue!

In the latest episode of the #BuzzPodcast, Mark Hyder is joined by QRM's Director of Reimbursement, Megan Ussery, and Sr. VP of Integrity and Quality Improvement, Stacey Hallissey, to discuss CMS's move from the PHQ-9 to the PHQ-2 to 9 assessment model.

In this week's episode of the #BuzzPodcast, QRM's Mark Hyder and Megan Ussery explore the important topic of "Changes in Skin Integrity Post-Acute Care" and shed light on the newly released Standardized Pressure Injury Prevention Protocol (SPIPP) checklist.Are these changes leading us to embrace a "back to the basics" approach to skin integrity? Tune in now to gain insight and decide for yourself!

In this episode of the #BuzzPodcast, Mark Hyder and #QRM's Chief Strategy Officer, Susan Krall, discuss the recently introduced CMS-mandated CoreQ survey; a new development for many in the #SNF community. Tune in to discover the ins and outs of this requirement!

In this week's episode of the #BuzzPodcast, #QRM's Mark Hyder and Ashley Duggan delve into the challenging yet significant topic: Documentation! The recently mandated 5-claim review for CMS MACs brings documentation to the forefront. Listen along to gain valuable insight into how this critical form of communication can ensure accuracy, compliance and efficiency.

In this episode of the #BuzzPodcast, Mark Hyder spends time with QRM's VP of Employee & Corporate Resources, Beth McCarty, discussing how HR departments can help provide organizational structure and support to keep their teams moving forward and meet business objectives.

Join Mark Hyder, QRM's VP of Reimbursement Strategy, as he discusses all the "Buzz" around CMS's newly mandated 5-Claim Audit with Ashley Duggan, QRM VP of Medical Review, and Stacy Grondel, QRM Director of Clinical Reimbursement. Get ready for these audits with the QRM Team!

In this episode of the Buzz Podcast, Mark Hyder spends time with QRM CEO, Freda Mowad, discussing the constantly changing SNF landscape, current issues facing providers, and some of the strategies that help leaders keep moving their teams forward.

In the latest episode of the #BuzzPodcast, QRM's VP of Reimbursement Strategy & Education, Mark Hyder; Director of Reimbursement, Megan Ussery; and Sr. VP of Integrity & Quality Improvement, Stacey Hallissey discuss the impact of the upcoming proposed CMS changes to Section GG, the potential impact on various payment & quality reporting systems, and provide tips to prepare your team.

In the latest episode of the #BuzzPodcast, QRM's VP of Reimbursement Strategy & Education, Mark Hyder; Director of Reimbursement, Megan Ussery; and Sr. VP of Integrity & Quality Improvement, Stacey Hallissey discuss the impact of the upcoming proposed CMS changes from a compliance perspective.

In the latest episode of the Buzz Podcast, QRM's VP of Reimbursement Strategy & Education, Mark Hyder; Director of Reimbursement, Megan Ussery; and Sr. VP of Integrity & Quality Improvement, Stacey Hallissey enter the QM Corner to discuss quality measures focusing on preventing falls with major injury.

Introducing the newest series of the Buzz Podcast covering all things MDS! Led by our team of MDS and Section GG pros, this series will explore a variety of topics to equip your entire IDT with the knowledge, tools, and resources necessary for a smooth transition on October 1st. Tune in to the first episode as QRM's VP of Reimbursement Strategy & Education, Mark Hyder, and Director of Reimbursement, Megan Ussery, dive into the upcoming proposed CMS changes and share their views of what may be expected. As you prepare for the upcoming changes, this is worth a listen!

In this episode of the Buzz Podcast, Ryan sits down with Shay Akshay, a PTA and DOR out of California. They discuss what career capital is, what the modern career for a therapist assistant looks like, and how QRM is helping him achieve his goals for his team. This is an episode you wont want to miss.

In this episode of the Buzz Podcast, we sit down with QRM Regional Operations Director, Brett Seely, as he shares insight on the success he's found with Section K Capture under the PDPM model at the facilities he oversees. Learn how PDPM has put the speech component front and center, what Section K involves, the importance of the interdisciplinary team in the modern-day SNF and much more.

In this episode of the Buzz podcast, Ryan sits down with Kris Brown, Project Coordinator for QRM. We explore the back end of what keeps the Hive Machine that is QRM moving smoothly and fluidly for our clients.

In this episode of the buzz podcast, your host, Ryan Blue sits down with Matt Cameron, one of QRM's divisional vice presidents to discuss his passion for long-term care programming. This is an episode you definitely won't want to miss.

In this episode of the Buzz Podcast, Ryan discusses the ins and outs of what makes QRM's marketing team magic including how they started, their service offerings, SEO, and what sets them apart from the rest! Contact the QRM Marketing Team with inquiries at marketing@qrmhealth.com

In this episode of the buzz podcast, your host Ryan Blue, Sr. Quality Clinical Education Specialist for QRM sits down with Saousan Ramadan, a Regional operations specialist to discuss the impact she has seen in the field regarding how education and IDT collaboration makes all the difference for her patient's and clients alike.

Today we speak with Freda Mowad, CEO of QRM about the unique aspects of the QRM process and how it is truly, therapist focused. This 100th episode of the podcast is surely one you won't want to miss.

In today's episode of the Buzz Podcast Ryan Blue celebrates OT Month. He is an occupational therapist by trade and discusses the role an OT plays in the SNF setting. Additionally he describes the differences between short stay and long stay residents when it comes to interventions and how OT's make a difference. See below for his referenced scientific literature. American Occupational Therapy Association. (2014). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain & process (3rd ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(Suppl. 1), S1–S48. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.682006 Jette, D. U., Warren, R. L., & Wirtalla, C. (2005). The relation between therapy intensity and outcomes of rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 86, 373–379.

Today we dive into the Nursing Component with our director of clinical reimbursement Megan Ussery. We specifically look at key insights involving Extensive Services, Special Care High, and how to best maximize your reimbursement for these categories.

In this episode of the Buzz Podcast, Ryan speaks with Ashley Duggan, QRM's VP of Medical Compliance and review to explore the service offerings and unique touch QRM brings to their clientele.

In this episode, Ryan sits down to discuss how QRM Regionals bring success to their clients through the lens of Kristen Posey, one of QRM's lead Regional Managers. It's an episode you won't want to miss.

In today's episode we meet with Trish Williams to discuss documentation audit trends and pitfalls. We discuss the following topics: What to look for in a documentation audit that will cause a denial of payment for services provided by the therapist in the event of a payer review of documentation. We will start with the evaluation and go through the necessary information needed to support the level of clinical services provided throughout the POC. Additionally, we review some common denial reasons that are easily preventable.

The “What If” podcast series continues with the question: what if every patient received telehealth services during their rehab episode? In this episode, we'll unpack “What if” and “Why Not”.

What if your rehab team could design and own the prevention and maintenance programs for every long-term care patient they served? Check out this episode in the “What if” series to find out more!Register here for the our on demand event mentioned in this episode: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/2001950510588822791

The dreaded drama triangle describes 3 toxic roles unknowingly played in presence of conflict. But what if it didn't have to be this way? What if the conflict could be controlled and resolved with a shift in roles and mindset?

New Year means new intentions and new goals. In 2022, we shift our approach to GG goal setting to a more modern and patient-centered approach.

Ryan joins the pod today to discuss our newest QRM clinical program to address your post-COVID population. You won't want to miss this one…. We figured out sound effects!!!

We've got some great trends to share for Section GG self-care and mobility outcomes in 2021! In fact, we achieved the average expected scores for both in May June and July this year. Determine who you would like to nominate as your GG Champion who will be your community's designated expert on scoring methodologies, coding, and documentation for GG in 2022!

Megan joins the pod to share our QRM community PDPM trends from 2021 using QAI (Quality Assistive Insights) info in DataIQ. She takes us through each PDPM component and shares multiple great trends which are directly related to our QRM educational focus areas this year! Way to go QRM teams! She also pointed out what we will be working on together next year to address our trend opportunities. If you didn't get a chance to hear about QAI from our partners at DataIQ, listen to this roundtable Friday's with Freda podcast episode: https://www.qrmhealth.com/podcast/episode/797537b6/fridays-with-freda-roundtable-with-data-iqReach out to Megan for any MDS questions using her MDS hotline: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=5QGdE4AYhEOO6Z2CGrlQTmicn3cArCpDgA-bFVoc1FJUQTZMWkRNM1o0VldCSVQ4OU5RV1RKQTQ2UyQlQCN0PWcuAnd, if you need a PDPM refresher, register for Megan's most recent webinar training on PDPM with a case study: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/8231716322231967752

Trish Williams joins the pod today to discuss her MICRO goals system for short-term goals. In her experience with reviewing and defending rehab documentation denials, she's identified a pattern of goal setting behavior which contributes to unmet, unrealistic goals which may trigger a denial for payment post service. Use the MICRO goals acronym when setting short-term goals: Measurable, Incremental, Current, Realistic, Objective. This will set you and your patients up for success!

This week, the QRM team has gotten together for our annual summit and holiday party. It's the first time we've been able to do this in person so it's been really exciting and inspiring. We've been able to discuss our industry's challenges and how we will face them together as a community in 2022. One of the summit educational sessions addressed the daily challenges of a DOR and how to overcome them. Listen to this episode for an overview of A Day in the Life of a DOR and check out the on demand video: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/1581592920446248460

In today's episode, Ryan reviews QRM's Fall Reduction Program specifically targeting a long-term care nursing home population where 50% of residents experience a fall each year. He discusses some of the challenges nursing home providers face when designing fall reduction programs like: how to address the frequent faller, what to do for the high level resident who hasn't not yet fallen, and how to transition fall programs effectively. Here is link to Ryan's webinar on the community-based fall program STEADI and a link to the CDC's website for STEADI resources:https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/7237971115534454027https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/

Ryan Blue joins the pod today to discuss the occupational therapist's role in the identification and treatment of swallowing problems. Under a conventional model of care, you may have used an SLP to treat dysphagia but what if you could expand the roles of other disciplines to address swallowing needs? And when you have no other option, what if you had to come up with an alternative solution that doesn't include an SLP because you simply do not have access one? Ryan shares an alternative solution to address dysphagia under the OT scope of practice. If you want to learn more, check out his 1 hour webinar on this topic - Register for the on demand video here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/6195855093841411587

Have you ever felt like you can't get all the important things you need to do done? You are not alone! There are times that it feels like EVERYTHING is important and it's impossible to get all of it done! The good news is, the statement "Everything is Important" is a painful paradox. While it might seem true, it simply can't be true because of a tricky constant variable: time. Time simply doesn't allow us to do all of the things therefore, we must prioritize and do what is really important first. Good news - the pain paradox has a solution and it's all up to you! 4 Power Prioritization Strategies:1. Plan what is important and DO IT2. Set goals - BIG dreams and Mini Wins3. Hold Systems Accountable4. Take out the TrashIf you're interested in The Liar Paradox, here's a YouTube video to enjoy:https://youtu.be/4Q3bLv8a4Y8

Megan Ussery joins the podcast for part 2 of her 2 part Skilled vs. Unskilled series. In this week's episode she focuses on skilled documentation to support skilled services (check out Episode 81 for a review of skilled services). She offers a few simple strategies to enhance your documentation and support the skilled services provided:1. Document point of service or right after a service is provided2. Document services which address the primary reason for SNF and primary medical diagnosis 3. Document patient response to services and interactions with other health care professionals4. Don't document unskilled, repetitive, redundant information. Instead, say more with less words

Special guest alert! In this episode, Chris Eamiguel and Derek Gay from Data IQ sit down with Freda and Haylie from QRM to discuss the evolution of QAI - Quality Assistive Insights. QAI is a complete, easy to use, real-time analytics platform which offers meaningful information to improve operational and patient outcomes. Check out this video on how QAI started: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dataiq-llc/videos/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Acompanies_company_index%3B3426395d-0bda-4bf2-b2af-ed800a183291

Megan Ussery joins the pod today for part 1 of a 2 part series on what defines a skilled level of care and the necessary documentation to support it. Resources discussed in today's episode:Chapter 8 Medicare Benefit Policy Manualhttps://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/bp102c08pdf.pdfQRM MDS Helpline:https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=5QGdE4AYhEOO6Z2CGrlQTmicn3cArCpDgA-bFVoc1FJUQTZMWkRNM1o0VldCSVQ4OU5RV1RKQTQ2UyQlQCN0PWcu

Ryan Blue joins the pod today to share a smooth and simple program he created to address the LTC needs of 4 patient groups: Fall Risk, Incontinence, Dementia, Post-COVID syndrome. This program was created in an effort to make LTC patient identification, assessment, and intervention as easy and streamlined as possible for our healthcare industry that is struggling with workforce retention.

Telehealth extenders, facilitators, e-helpers: Call them what you will, but those helping a therapist during Telehealth assessments are a critical part of the health care process. Ryan Blue joins the pod to share his strategies on how to best support and utilize extenders for your telehealth visits. Check out his webinar on Telehealth & Remote Visits: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3178430148832135695And here's a link to a $10 smart phone lanyard similar to what he discussed today: https://www.amazon.com/Gear-Beast-Universal-Compatible-Smartphones/dp/B01KYCQDUO/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=1DHXH885C3KY9&dchild=1&keywords=cell%2Bphone%2Blanyard&qid=1634679925&sprefix=phone%2Blandyard%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-1-spons&smid=A3IOU7TBTL62TF&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFGSUM0T1NDT1pUVjMmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3MjYxNjgzVUJJNEpLWEZKTlg3JmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5NTY4NzVHVFAzWlJTTTBTODkmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

Megan Ussery, RN, RAC-CT (Resident Assessment Coordinator - Certified) joins the podcast today to share her experiences as an MDS coordinator and how discusses important this role is in your facility. She recently read an article (link below) which describes the alarming spike in MDS coordinators are leaving long-term care. This is a problem!! Megan wants for all of us to thank an MDS coordinator today and offer them support. She offers her MDS hotline as a layer of support (link below) and invites MDS coordinators to check out her monthly webinar series - MDS QIEs to Success. We've included the link to this month's webinar below. Thank you MDS for all you do!!McKnight's Article - https://www.mcknights.com/news/coordinator-turnover-threatens-to-cut-into-reimbursement-survey/Megan's MDS Hotline - https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=5QGdE4AYhEOO6Z2CGrlQTmicn3cArCpDgA-bFVoc1FJUQTZMWkRNM1o0VldCSVQ4OU5RV1RKQTQ2UyQlQCN0PWcuMDS QIEs To Success: Solving the Diagnosis Puzzle - https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/7025824744248220934

Ryan and I recently hosted a telehealth webinar which was very well attended and sparked some great questions. In this podcast episode, we will review those questions and share our excitement about the future of telehealth!Register below to view our telehealth webinar training:https://www.gotostage.com/channel/067e8b9b6c394fd09c2d13c0f9ac1ffe/recording/81ec26d8ac0445f99e2af73ff25f790d/watch

I got to chat with Becca Smith, VP of Reimbursement with Caraday Healthcare, at the THCA 71st Annual Convention and Tradeshow this week! She inspired our pod today which covers the new and modern flexibility under the 1135 for therapy assistants to deliver skilled maintenance therapy services! Skilled maintenance programs are not new or modern but have historically required a qualified clinician for delivery (an evaluating PT, OT or SLP). The modern ability for assistants to deliver maintenance therapy allows for skilled therapists to observe and monitor for signs and symptoms of silent hypoxia prevalent in our contemporary post-COVID population. And, if you listen to entire episode, you'll get a chance to meet my sweet dog, Zia - she just can't help herself sometimes!