This session will explore CMS expectations for continence care, restorative nursing programs, and documentation to support interventions. Participants will learn strategies to ensure residents receive appropriate bowel and bladder management that enhances quality of life, reduces infection risks, and meets regulatory requirements.

This session will review both CMS expectations and Ohio’s updated reporting rules, including preventive interventions, staff training, and post-incident investigations. Participants will analyze real-world examples of elopement-related citations and learn how to strengthen their facility’s protocols to protect residents, maintain compliance, and meet both federal and state requirements.

This session will review the most recent QSO memos and CDC recommendations, highlight common reasons for immunization-related citations, and provide strategies to ensure your vaccination program is both survey-ready and aligned with current federal guidance. Participants will also discuss best practices for overcoming vaccine hesitancy among residents and staff.

Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP) have become a critical component of infection prevention and control efforts in long-term care settings, directly impacting compliance with F880. As F880 remains a top-cited F-tag, failures to implement or maintain EBP protocols are frequently cited during surveys. This session will examine the CMS expectations for EBP implementation, highlight the difference between Standard Precautions and EBP, and explore how surveyors assess compliance with these critical guidelines. Participants will gain practical insights into how to integrate EBP seamlessly into their daily infection control practices, protect residents from multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), and ensure their facility’s policies and practices align with CMS requirements.

Through the LeadingAge Ohio Reimbursement Collaborative, we help providers prove that it's not only possible to achieve high quality ratings and strong reimbursement—it’s strategic. High quality and high case mix aren’t mutually exclusive. This collaborative shows how aligning core strategies can strengthen both, because quality and reimbursement should work hand in hand.

Avoidable falls are a major focus of regulatory scrutiny, with F689 ranking as the third most frequently cited F-tag in Ohio and the eighth most cited Immediate Jeopardy deficiency. Surveyors consistently find that many fall incidents could have been avoided with proper assessments, interventions, and monitoring practices. This session will explore the regulatory expectations under F689, discuss the difference between avoidable and unavoidable falls, and examine why many facilities are cited for Immediate Jeopardy related to falls. Participants will learn practical strategies to enhance fall prevention programs, reduce risks, and align documentation and care practices with CMS expectations.

The topic of water management programs under F880 (Infection Prevention & Control) is rapidly emerging as a major area of concern in Ohio’s long-term care surveys, where F880 is currently the most frequently cited deficiency. Recent trends indicate that failures to properly develop, implement, and maintain effective water management programs are a key reason for these citations, placing residents at risk for serious waterborne illnesses like Legionella. This session will provide an in-depth look at the regulatory expectations for water management plans, highlight common pitfalls leading to citations, and discuss best practices for maintaining a compliant program that addresses potential waterborne pathogens. Participants will learn to proactively evaluate their facility’s water management strategies and integrate them into their broader infection prevention and control program to meet CMS standards and ensure resident safety.

The updated CMS guidance reinforces the role of QAPI in identifying and addressing health equity concerns within long-term care facilities. Facilities are now expected to incorporate feedback mechanisms to assess whether they effectively meet the needs of diverse populations, including individuals with disabilities, limited English proficiency, and varying cultural or ethnic preferences.

On-Demand Webinar: Ensuring the accuracy of resident assessments is a growing priority in the revised State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix PP, with strengthened surveyor guidance for evaluating compliance. Surveyors are instructed to identify patterns of inaccurate coding that may impact payment, care planning, or quality reporting, with citations issued at a minimum of pattern or widespread scope when noncompliance is found.

Join LeadingAge Ohio President/CEO Susan Wallace and Director of Operations Molly Homan for an informative session on making the most of your membership.