Is Survey Around The Corner? Is Your Eyeball On Your Policy And Procedure Manual?
June 9, 2023
When your survey is done, is there a collective sigh of relief at your agency? Is it because it was successful and you can continue as usual? Is it because you have so much to do and now you don’t have to be at the surveyor’s beck and call? Or, maybe your policy and procedure manual just got annihilated and you are going to have a huge plan of correction with an overhaul of your manual? The latter means we need to talk about fixing your manual and what way to do it.
Do I Buy An Online Manual Or Fix Mine?
Well, that truly depends on you and your business. If you only have a policy or two that gets cited, updating your manual may be a quick fix for your agency. This is normally the case if someone is routinely updating it and the manual is used to run your business. Ultimately, your agency needs to keep the document a living breathing manual or it will not serve its purpose.
If your policy and procedure manual is not typically updated other than for survey, then you need to consider buying a manual. Your rule of thumb should be if your agency has not updated the manual within the last 3 years, you should consider purchasing a new one. There are many benefits to purchasing on online manual:
- Customization: Pick a manual that allows you to fully customize policies to fit your operations. You should not buy a manual that doesn’t provide this option. You need to be able to prove to the surveyor how your agency complies with the regulation. If the policy is written a certain way and you don’t change it to meet how you operate, you will still be cited.
- Forms/ Documents: Certain online manuals also provide forms that coincide with the policies. This makes it easy for you to implement changes because forms are already generated. There is no reason to reinvent the wheel by making your own. Most of these forms allow you to place your logo and any specific personalization within the document.
- ·State Rules: Several vendors have incorporated specific state rules into manuals. For instance, Kenyon Homecare Consulting offers skilled, non-skilled and hospice manuals as well as ones that have incorporated California and Washington state rules. This eliminates the individual business having to go back in and add state rules to the manual.
- Consulting Services: Pick a vendor that also has consulting available should you need assistance in customizing your manual to meet your state rules or specific program rules. This makes the process easier especially if you are new to the policy writing and editing.
- Up-to-date: This is the biggest advantage. These manuals have been updated to include the rules you need. We have seen so many agencies over the last several years not keep up with COP changes and it cost them at survey and with compliance. These manuals are routinely updated with changes so when you purchase your manual it will have the current federal regulations.
Ultimately, you have to decide whether it makes sense to rewrite your manual with updates or purchase one that is currently up-to-date. At Kenyon Homecare Consulting, we offer customizable manuals for all service lines, accreditation, and incorporated with certain state rules. Please call at 206-721-5091 or contact us online before purchasing your manual so we can ensure you have chosen the correct one to meet your needs. We also offer consulting services to help incorporate your state rules should you need assistance.
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Attracting and Keeping Talent: Effective Solutions to Address the Silver Tsunami in Home Health Care
Silver Tsunami- by 2030, 1 in every 5 Americans will be of retirement age. With an unprecedented rise in chronic illness the demand for home health services is huge.
In 2026, the management of chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart failure moved away from a reactive "wait-and-see" model to a 24/7 proactive ecosystem. Driven by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) , technology is no longer just a tool for tracking data—it is a "co-pilot" for both patients and clinicians. By analyzing thousands of data points in real-time, AI can effectively turn the patient's home into a sophisticated clinical hub. 1. Predictive Analytics: Seeing the Crisis Before It Starts The most transformative use of AI in 2026 is its ability to identify subtle patterns that human clinicians might miss. Machine learning models now achieve 93% to 97% accuracy in detecting early signs of health deterioration , such as heart attacks or sepsis, often before symptoms even appear. Early Warning Systems: For patients with heart failure, AI can detect gradual weight gain or changes in respiratory rate that signal fluid buildup. Risk Stratification: Predictive models analyze years of electronic health records (EHRs), genomic data, and lifestyle factors to flag "high-risk" patients months in advance, allowing for preventive interventions that reduce emergency room visits by up to 40% . 2. The Evolution of Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) RPM in 2026 has moved beyond basic blood pressure cuffs. The integration of AI has created a "continuous monitoring" environment that is non-invasive. Contactless Vitals: Using ordinary cameras and AI-based analysis, systems can now estimate heart rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure trends without the patient needing to wear a single device. Smart Wearables: Devices like smart rings and biosensor patches continuously track glucose levels, inflammation markers, and heart rate variability . If a threshold is crossed, the AI automatically alerts the medical team or triggers an emergency response . Adherence and Engagement: AI-driven smart dispensers and virtual assistants ensure medication compliance by providing personalized reminders and alerting caregivers if doses are skipped. AI vs. Traditional Chronic Management (2026) Data Collection Traditional Care (Pre-2025): Episodic (at office visits) AI-Enhanced Care (2026): Continuous (24/7 real-time) Diagnosis Traditional Care (Pre-2025): Reactive (responding to symptoms) AI-Enhanced Care (2026): Proactive (predictive patterns) Treatment Traditional Care (Pre-2025): Standardized/Protocol-based AI-Enhanced Care (2026): Hyper-personalized/Precision-based Readmission Risk Traditional Care (Pre-2025): High (post-discharge gaps) AI-Enhanced Care (2026): Reduced by up to 38% 3. Combating Clinician Burnout with "Ambient AI." While patients benefit from better care, healthcare providers are using AI to solve the administrative "paperwork crisis." Ambient Scribing: AI "scribes" now listen to patient encounters and automatically generate clinical notes , reducing the time clinicians spend on documentation and allowing them to focus entirely on the patient. Triage and Workflow: AI systems triage incoming data from thousands of RPM devices, only alerting doctors to the cases that require immediate human attention. This allows small primary care practices to manage larger patient volumes more effectively . 4. Challenges: Ethics and the Digital Divide Despite these advances, the adoption of AI in 2026 faces significant hurdles. Data Privacy: Using synthetic data (artificial datasets that mimic real patient data) is becoming a standard way to train AI while protecting individual privacy. Algorithmic Bias: There is an ongoing effort to ensure that AI models do not widen existing healthcare disparities by being trained on non-representative data. Trust: Clinicians and patients alike must navigate the "black box" of AI, learning to trust recommendations while maintaining human oversight for critical medical decisions. In 2026, technology will have effectively moved chronic disease management out of the clinic and into the "smart home." While the human-doctor relationship remains central, AI provides an invisible safety net that will ensure a minor health fluctuation doesn't turn into a major medical crisis. If you are not educating all your staff, nurses, therapists, and yes, aides as well as using current AI-integrated EMRs, you are already far behind the curve. If you need assistance with education, Kenyon HomeCare Consulting has DSHS-certified, Online Chronic Disease Education . If you need assistance, call 206-721-5091 or email gkenyon@kenyonhcc.com . WE ARE HERE TO HELP!
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