<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Path Forged Consulting, LLC]]></title><description><![CDATA[Strengthening compliance with real-world insight; reducing risk, streamlining workflows, and driving measurable, system-wide performance improvement]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/blog</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 16:45:46 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Reacquainting?]]></title><description><![CDATA[One of the hidden costs of treating compliance like a visitor is the time spent reacquainting. Because apparently, in healthcare, we have plenty of time for that. Time to remember where the policy lives. Time to re‑interpret language we haven’t seen since last year’s training. Time to figure out how this process was meant to work — not how it actually does. All of this happens, of course, during an already full day. Short staffing. High census. Competing priorities. But sure — let’s pause and...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/reacquainting</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69eb899904fc81dfe25924b3</guid><pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:21:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_30c73c02f48e4f9da3f9aae54cc0dce9~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Compliance as Family]]></title><description><![CDATA[My clinical background taught me this early: If a policy can't survive a busy shift, it won't sustain compliance. At the bedside, culture carries systems under pressure - not binders, not reminders, not after-the-fact corrections. That's why compliance works best when it's embedded as culture: familiar, integrated, and grounded in real workflows. This is what I mean by Compliance as Family - where policy quietly supports practice long before anyone calls it "compliance." Where does compliance...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/compliance-as-family</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69e77ad70294e8c3f3ee063a</guid><pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:32:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_0a68610da9bd4622b9eeb8c514cc7576~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Professional development - agriculture-style]]></title><description><![CDATA[No conference. No webinar. Just me, the open road, and watching the back end of a grain truck for 10+ hours. For context: my husband needed a new grain truck, found a used one 8 hours away, and—logistics being what they are—we had to get it home. That grain truck represents a part of farming that’s easy to overlook if you don’t live and breathe it. I know, because before I married a farmer, I overlooked it too. The same thing happens in the compliance world. In fact, many of the most...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/professional-development-agriculture-style</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69dd084c09d9af91c1e858e5</guid><pubDate>Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:22:36 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_5a756a694208407ba1670af1176034fd~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Slow and Steady]]></title><description><![CDATA[Ah—springtime in Iowa. One of my favorite smells is the scent of a freshly cultivated field.  (In other words, I love the smell of new dirt in the spring.) To get that fresh‑dirt smell, the tractors must move from field to field using the roads. Moving s-l-o-w-l-y. Often with a line of cars patiently (or not-so-patiently) waiting to pass. On a two‑lane highway. With a double‑yellow line and very short passing zones. If you know, you know. ... That slow, steady pace is exactly what came to...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/slow-and-steady</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d988f846e8409f60b20ebb</guid><pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:36:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_300000eae1ee46e99325c2c683c11b2b~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[AKS: Not exactly an “easy button” moment]]></title><description><![CDATA[My husband has one of those red buttons in his office — you push it and it proudly announces “that was easy.”   A great reminder that some parts of our work are simple. The Anti‑Kickback Statute (AKS) is not one of them.   Every time I teach or review compliance programs, AKS comes up. Not because people are trying to be sneaky, but because it’s one of those regulations that looks clean on paper and gets messy fast in real life.   Take one SNF–hospital situation I saw years ago:   A “friendly...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/aks-not-exactly-an-easy-button-moment</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69cd38b2cf5ec76e297081ea</guid><pubDate>Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:27:28 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_9fcebd830b744f0c8eb7986b043ced34~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Habits]]></title><description><![CDATA[ The Habit of Systems Most people think systems slow them down. You and I know the truth: a well‑built system gives time back. I’ve always been a creature of habit. And yes, I’m one of those people who will write a task down just to cross it off. (Go ahead and roll your eyes — I’ll be over here happily checking boxes.) Before EMRs, my “brain sheet” was my lifeline. Neat boxes. Clean lines. Everything in its place. ·       Patient name, age, diagnosis in the top left ·       Diet and feeding...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/habits</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b99a783df4a8950cf5ef38</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:17:25 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_56a2ad58ae934df795f5cc0eab2cc8ea~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[That’s How We’ve Always Done It.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Because “that’s how we’ve always done it” isn’t a justification. It’s a warning sign. That phrase grates for a reason. Not because change is easy—it rarely is—but because unexamined routines in healthcare can quietly turn into risks. I get teased by my husband and son for rearranging systems just to see if they work better, but in care settings, regular evaluation isn’t tinkering. It’s responsibility. For years, psychotropic, antipsychotic, and anticonvulsant medications have been used...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/that-s-how-we-ve-always-done-it</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b999e4e70c44b8bdd37a6b</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:15:09 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_8f426aa4de984ce0adb78936a4da8ecb~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[My WHY]]></title><description><![CDATA[My WHY. I had a plan. God had a different plan. Freshman year of college, a car accident changed everything.  No visible injuries — just two seatbelt bruises. But my brain bounced inside my skull. Traumatic Brain Injury. Six months in the ICU, inpatient rehab, and outpatient recovery. That experience changed my major, my career, and my calling. March is Brain Injury Awareness Month. Today, I'm sitting in my hotel room at the Brain Injury Association of Iowa's 34th Annual Conference — and the...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/my-why</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b9994e2ed53b993db91b68</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:12:50 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_7602fdda46cc4d1792c600c45e4cdf6f~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Not the Favorite Child]]></title><description><![CDATA[I probably won’t get the “Favorite Child” award. I am ok with that because it means that I’ve pushed my parents into thinking about uncomfortable topics. My parents had their will and end-of-life documents completed awhile ago. But, things changed when my brother, the executor began having som his own health issues. Which prompted me to have the conversation that, likely, took me out of the “Favorite Child” spot. Life is constantly changing, much like the residents in a nursing facility....]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/not-the-favorite-child</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b998505303a105b06c5486</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:09:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_78438cba6d9b4d12b8e56c26b61448d5~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Because I said so...]]></title><description><![CDATA["Because I said so" isn't good enough. Not for my newly-turned-10-year-old. Not for your nursing facility team either. My son recently questioned why he needed to wash up for dinner after helping on the farm. I could have pulled out the classic Gen X parenting card I inherited from my Boomer parents. Instead, I gave him context. Clean skin. No bacteria. Simple WHY. Problem solved. Here's where compliance comes in: The OIG's Nursing Facility Compliance Program Guidance identifies "Appropriate...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/because-i-said-so</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b997b0bcb9fb0e96f2ee58</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:05:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_f17cd2ceaefb487b99a45f57f0a4b9df~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Quality of Care/Life]]></title><description><![CDATA[The OIG’s Industry Segment-Specific Compliance Program Guidance (ISPG) for Nursing Facilities is a 59-page document that describes: ~  Risk areas for nursing facilities ~  Recommendations for mitigating those risks ~  Important info nursing facilities should consider in their compliance and quality programs While the document states use of the word “should” is used to present voluntary, non-binding guidance, implementing the “should” items will be of great benefit to the facility. The main...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/quality-of-care-life</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b996de9f707efd84e20582</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:03:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_b9c32366c124440f814978676b72612e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[OIG Compliance Guidance]]></title><description><![CDATA[A recent article from Skilled Nursing News discussed the OIG’s Nursing Facility Industry Segment-Specific Compliance Program Guidance, specifically addressing the Medical Director requirements and QAPI projects. Quick history lesson: The OIG began publishing Compliance guidance in 1998, impacting hospitals and nursing facilities. This continued for the next 10 years, expanding into areas such as pharmaceuticals. In 2023, the OIG began a modernization initiative to update the compliance...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/oig-compliance-guidance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b995d39f707efd84e202b8</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:58:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_b9c32366c124440f814978676b72612e~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_720,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[2-Midnights]]></title><description><![CDATA[§  The Two-Midnight rule is a Medicare policy for determining inpatient admissions on Medicare Part A. Basically, it states that inpatient admissions are payable if the admitting physician expects the patient to require a hospital stay that crosses two midnights. So, what happens to a patient who has a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, has an inpatient admission, recovers more quickly than expected, and is discharged prior to the completion of two midnights? While these scenarios can be audited...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/2-midnights</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b994b09f707efd84e1ff3e</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:51:56 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_0baad88dc8d74f63afa4521f61bf6da4~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[New Year]]></title><description><![CDATA[Many people set a New Year’s goal of losing weight and exercising more. BUT… What if we shifted our thinking to setting a goal to age well? That’s how I started 2025. I had watched my grandparents grow old and am now watching my parents age – I see which habits impacted their health and wanted to do things differently. (I’m also closer to 50 years-old than 30 and want to keep up with my 9 y/o son.) Almost a full year later, I feel better. I’ve increased tone and strength. I can beat my son...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/new-year</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69b9931bfde2f1f6ed288fa1</guid><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:48:55 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_4109630a262b4502b63c1ae907a53ac1~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Maintaining independence]]></title><description><![CDATA[(My favorite pic of Grandma in her wedding dress.) The panicked phone call from Aunt Joyce came on a Thursday afternoon in September. Grandma’s oxygen level was low and was staying in the hospital overnight so home oxygen could be arranged the next day.  Grandma was fiercely independent and Aunt Joyce was stuck in the crosshairs of making sure Grandma was safe and discussing (read: arguing) with Grandma for what help was needed. Grandma and I were close with the type of relationship where...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/maintaining-independence</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a65324a1cf5821abc89299</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 03:20:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_d31511b15061423c858e0f5aabaa7a1b~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_800,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Balancing advocacy and compliance]]></title><description><![CDATA[The elderly mother of a friend had a procedure for her pacemaker. (The scheduled procedure is usually same-day surgery with, maybe, an overnight observation.) The procedure went smoothly and the mother stayed overnight for observation.  My friend called me a few days later, upset and concerned that her mother had not been admitted to the hospital and was ‘in observation’.  Her mother is in her late 80’s, lives alone, multiple co-morbidities, including insulin-dependent diabetes. My friend was...]]></description><link>https://www.pathforgedconsulting.com/post/balancing-advocacy-and-compliance</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69a650e32b1318a24853e8ac</guid><pubDate>Tue, 03 Mar 2026 03:20:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/4a7a84_eb02a120811e410b80fbbf81c2e25ebc~mv2.jpeg/v1/fit/w_800,h_600,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>Rachel</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>