Instructor Bio:
Cat Armato is an experienced executive with 18 years in the home care and hospice industry. She has served in various roles during that time, including VP of operations and chief compliance officer for a nationwide provider. In 2012, Cat became a consultant. She has assisted multiple organizations with their compliance and quality efforts, from program assessment to full program development and implementation.
Cat has served as a compliance consultant for a large organization under a corporate integrity agreement. This multiyear, multisite project involved assessments of operations, quality of care, and clinical documentation. She has also provided clinical and claim reviews for more than 1,200 records of various providers, many with multiple billing periods.
Cat has experience providing guidance and support to providers and their legal counsel during investigations by Zone Program Integrity Contractors, Supplemental Medical Review Contractors, Medicaid Integrity Contractors, and Medicare Administrative Contractors, as well as investigations with the Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General. She also has extensive experience in due diligence evaluations.
Cat is a contributor/reviewer for multiple health care publications by Tina Marrelli, including Home Care Nursing (2017), Handbook of Home Care Standards (2018), Hospice and Palliative Care Handbook (2018), and A Guide for Caregiving (2017). She also served as assistant author for The Nurse Manager's Survival Guide: Practical Answers to Everyday Questions by Tina Marrelli.
Thorough pain assessments are a critical component of adequate pain management. Clinicians will learn how to conduct a verbal, physical, and functional pain assessment, barriers to pain management, population groups at risk of under-treatment,… Read Morearrow_right
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Pain Assessment and Management: Part II helps prepare the home care or hospice nurse to help manage pain medications. Common terminology related to pain management will be reviewed, including tolerance, dependence, and addiction. Managing… Read Morearrow_right
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26% of the national budget is spent on Medicare, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) estimates that our nation loses tens of billions of dollars each year… Read Morearrow_right
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Nursing documentation is the primary evidence that a nurse followed the standards of care and provides the nurse with credibility in a malpractice claim. This course reviews the legal implications of documentation and common errors found… Read Morearrow_right
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Fundamentals of Chronic Condition Management will prepare clinicians to form a successful partnership with their patients who are managing complex health conditions on a daily basis. This course provides an overview of chronic condition… Read Morearrow_right
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This course provides team members with the fundamental framework about effectively identifying, communicating, and documentation a change in a patient’s condition or status. One fundamental standard in home care and hospice is that the… Read Morearrow_right
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In a perfect world, everyone would complete their jobs flawlessly and without any management intervention or monitoring. The good news is that the skills of coaching and counseling are key to success in all organizations and that effective… Read Morearrow_right
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Video Runtime: 47 Minutes
Some important conversations are just hard, and many clinicians do not feel prepared to cover tough topics such as death and dying, suicide, fears, grief, and many others. Addressing…
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Video Runtime: 50 Minutes
Written advance directives are an opportunity for an individual to communicate their wishes and preferences for care at the end-of-life. Without these documents, it may be left…
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Video Runtime: 41 Minutes
A meaningful Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program is a Medicare condition of participation for hospices. This means it is required in order to participate…
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Video Runtime: 44 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 28 Minutes
On November 15, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services implemented new emergency preparedness requirements as a condition of participating in the…
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Video Runtime: 29 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 23 Minutes
On November 15, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services implemented new emergency preparedness requirements as a condition of participating in the…
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Video Runtime: 21 Minutes
Complaints and grievances can be a source of frustration, and as a result, there is a tendency to quickly resolve or completely ignore this negative feedback. This course looks at the value of this…
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Video Runtime: 30 Minutes
Hospice and palliative care team members give a lot of themselves to care for others. Unfortunately, giving so much can come at a high personal cost. The good news is that it is possible to avoid…
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Video Runtime: 15 Minutes
We make decisions based on the information we have at the time. Providing patients and their representatives with accurate information during the admission process is an important responsibility…
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Video Runtime: 13 Minutes
Patients and their representatives have a right to be informed of any financial liability related to their care and treatment. Patients are informed about this on admission and throughout the course…
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Video Runtime: 35 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 26 Minutes
The hospice comprehensive assessment is the first step in patient-centered care. By completing a focused assessment with all of the appropriate elements, the…
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Video Runtime: 45 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 30 Minutes
The clinical record is the most reliable source of information in ongoing medical care and quality improvement, defense of claims, and any legal proceedings.…
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Video Runtime: 36 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 24 Minutes
The hospice registered nurse case manager (RNCM) has several responsibilities beyond the direct care of the patient. The responsibilities of this role are often…
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Video Runtime: 17 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 16 Minutes
There is a lot of confusion regarding the hospice discharge and revocation. When is it a discharge, and when is it a revocation? What forms are needed for each?…
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Video Runtime: 20 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 15 Minutes
During the admission process, the election statement is frequently viewed by the hospice team as a technical requirement. While it is that, it is also part of…
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