Building a Strong Advance Care Planning Program: A PATHTalks with Key Strategies for Success
Advance Care Planning (ACP) is one of the most meaningful and complex responsibilities in post-acute and long-term care. When done well, ACP ensures that residents’ values and preferences guide care decisions throughout their journey. When done inconsistently, it can lead to confusion, conflict, and care that does not align with what residents want most. Organizations...
Prioritizing Performance Improvement Projects (PIPs): A PATHTalks Episode for Strengthening Quality Outcomes
In today’s complex long-term care environment, leaders often ask: How many Performance Improvement Projects (PIPs) do we need? Which ones do we prioritize? And how do we implement them effectively? PIPs are one of the most powerful tools in the QAPI framework, yet they are also among the most misunderstood. PIPs aim to improve care...
Advance Care Planning for Residents with Dementia: New PATHTalks
Advance Care Planning (ACP) takes on added complexity when supporting individuals living with dementia. In post-acute and long-term care settings, leaders are increasingly called upon to guide teams through conversations that balance clinical realities, resident dignity, and family emotions. ACP is not simply a regulatory requirement; it is a foundational element of person-directed care that...
Advance Care Planning for Residents with Dementia
Kathleen T. Unroe, MD – Cornelius and Yvonne Pettinga Professor of Medicine, Research Scientist, Indiana University Center for Aging Research Susan Hickman, PhD, Geropsychologist – Director and Senior Investigator, Investigative Science Division, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute Advance Care Planning (ACP) takes on added complexity when supporting individuals living with dementia. In post-acute and...
Understanding the Significance of F-761: New PATHTalks
Medication safety is a key predictor of quality outcomes in skilled nursing facilities. However, F761 – Labeling and Storage of Drugs and Biologicals has risen into the Top 10 most cited deficiencies nationwide, indicating a significant risk for organizations across In our latest PATHTalks episode, our Director of Regulatory and Consulting Services, Nancy Foss, explores why...
Integrating QAPI With Direct Line Staff
Insights from Calvin Reynek, RN, IP-BC, AS-BC, CADDCT, QAPI-BC, Nurse Consultant – Pathway Health In long-term and post-acute care, QAPI (Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement) is often talked about as a meeting, a task, or a regulatory requirement. However, QAPI is fundamentally a culture that requires full engagement from every department and every staff member,...
Understanding the Significance of F-761: Key Considerations
Insights from Nancy Foss, RN, BSN, Director of Regulatory and Consulting Services Medication safety is one of the strongest predictors of quality outcomes in skilled nursing facilities. Yet, F761 – Labeling and Storage of Drugs and Biologicals has climbed into the Top 10 most frequently cited deficiencies nationwide, signaling significant risk for organizations nationwide. Why...
New PATHTalks: Understanding the LEGACY Leadership Model
Post-acute and long-term care leaders are navigating unprecedented pressure, from staffing instability and regulatory scrutiny to reimbursement constraints and rising expectations. While many of these challenges feel external and uncontrollable, one truth consistently emerges: sustainable success is rooted in leadership. Strong leadership does not eliminate complexity, but it does create teams capable of navigating it....
Managing Quality Measures Through the MDS Process: A PATHTalks Episode
Quality Measures (QMs) are central to how organizations are evaluated, reimbursed, and perceived by regulators, payers, and consumers. While many leaders associate QMs primarily with the MDS department, successful performance requires a far broader, interdisciplinary approach rooted in clinical practice, documentation accuracy, and operational leadership. At the center of this work is the MDS process,...
Leadership Culture: New PATHTalks Episode
Culture is one of the most talked-about concepts in post-acute and long-term care and one of the most misunderstood. Leaders often describe the culture they want, but culture is not defined by intention alone. It is defined by actions, consistency, and what leaders choose to reinforce or allow every single day. In care environments shaped...