lwconsulting

Practical Guidance for Health Care Governing Boards on Compliance Oversight

A health care governing board has a variety of responsibilities and roles that are key to the compliance program. These responsibilities ensure that the organization can evaluate and, if needed, respond to any issues of inappropriate activity. The Association of Healthcare Internal Auditors (AHIA), the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA), the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA), and the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) developed guidance to…

Mock Infection Control Surveys: Would Your Housekeeping and Laundry Services Pass Muster?

LW Consulting, Inc. (LWCI) has completed numerous Mock Infection Control Surveys to assess the effectiveness of a facility’s infection control plans through the COVID-19 pandemic. When conducting these surveys, we found that most facilities have developed high-level policies and procedures required to ensure the safety of their residents but are frequently missing some critical components of these policies and procedures. We are excited to share the findings of these Mock Infection Control Surveys to help…

Alarms or No Alarms in Nursing Homes? That is the Question

When I informed my nursing staff that we were going to remove position change alarms, fear and panic set in. My staff looked at me in disbelief. They asked me if I was crazy. “Tell me, do alarms really keep our residents safe?” I asked my staff. “Too often the alarms do nothing more than tell us that our residents are already on the floor. How much time do you spend running into a resident’s room…