On January 24, 2024 our colleague and friend, Steve Levenson, MD, CMD, died at his home in Towson, MD. He was 73 years old.

Dr. Levenson was the author of four books and over 80 articles on long-term care. He served as the president of the American Medical Director’s Association from 2006 to 2007, and throughout his extensive career worked as medical director and regional medical director for long-term care facilities throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Most recently, he worked at the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in the Office of Health Care Quality. Steve was a contributing author and advisor for MED-PASS for over 25 years.

It’s been another busy year at MED-PASS! We are thrilled that in 2024, we are looking for even more ways to keep you informed about everything changing in the Long-Term Care industry - including new digital access to select manuals and other reference material.

Is it impossible for your facility to coordinate a training session that works for everyone’s schedule? Our self-study packets provide you with a convenient, efficient, and self-paced way to learn about an important topic in long-term care. Each packet includes instructions, a concise course, added resources, a competency test, and more!

According to the National Library of Medicine, "Seasonal influenza infection outbreaks are a significant problem in LTCFs both in terms of morbidity and mortality for individuals as well as putting additional strain on already overburdened health services." Get prepared for flu season with up-to-date policies, consent forms, and more!

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: "For the 2023–24 season, clinicians should offer RSV vaccination to adults aged ≥60 years using shared clinical decision-making as early as vaccine supply becomes available and should continue to offer vaccination to eligible adults who remain unvaccinated." In response to this need, MED-PASS now offers the Informed Consent for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccine!

This reference card (updated August 2022!) will help you MDS professionals quickly and accurately class medications according to the most up-to-date MDS standards. This product is one of many reference materials available through MED-PASS.

To keep in line with CMS Guidelines, MED-PASS has updated its Vaccination of Staff policy and corresponding paperwork. CMS revisions include reviews of noncompliance levels, guidance to surveyors, and an appraisal of hospitalization statistics in regards to the continuing severity of COVID-19.

In June CMS released advanced Phase 3 guidance that is proposed to go into effect October 24th.  MED-PASS is working to provide updates as soon as the deadline hits.  Whether you need to purchase newly updated policies and procedures or are a current subscriber, MED-PASS has you covered!

Both the LTC RAI MDS and the Comprehensive LTC RAI User's Manual have been updated.  Be sure to check out the most recent updates to keep your MDS Coordinator ahead of the curve.  Both manuals include a flashdrive to ensure easy access to your content.

This will help you establish facility and state policy regarding reserving a resident's bed while outside of the facility. Provide this form upon admission, upon transfer or therapeutic leave, and if any changes are made to the state or facility policies regarding this matter.