The Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting final rule adopts the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed three-pronged, comprehensive staffing approach for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing facilities (NFs) as part of the federal requirements for …
The director of nursing services (DNS) in a nursing home often is presented with a newly hired nurse practitioner (NP) or other advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) as a fait accompli (i.e., a done deal), but no matter who is hiring the NP, the DNS should get involved and ask …
Increasingly, nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), also known as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), work either directly for or closely with nursing homes to improve resident care outcomes—as do physician assistants (PAs). That growth may accelerate as providers transition to more value-based payment models amid the ongoing …
COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage, and Rates of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19–Associated Hospitalization Among Residents in Nursing Homes — National Healthcare Safety Network, United States, October 2023–February 2024 Weekly / April 18, 2024 / 73(15);339–344 Summary What is already known about this topic? Nursing home residents are at increased risk for severe COVID-19. …
Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and other interdisciplinary team members can breathe a little easier as they look ahead to the Oct. 1, 2024 implementation of the MDS version 1.19.1 item sets. The MDS 3.0 Item Set Change History for October 2024 v1.19.1 in the Jan. 12, 2024 release of the …
See the section “Enhance Enrollees’ Rights to Appeal a Medicare Advantage Plan’s Decision to Terminate Coverage for Non-Hospital Provider Services” for details on expedited determination changes for Medicare Advantage residents. Contract Year 2025 Medicare Advantage and Part D Final Rule (CMS-4205-F) On April 4, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & …
A survey finding of noncompliance with the Medicare and Medicaid requirements of participation may soon be a little more difficult for nursing homes to navigate without significant financial burden. In the March 28, 2024 Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) proposed rule, the Centers …
In the March 28, 2024 Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) doesn’t propose the dizzying number of changes that ended up in the FY 2024 SNF PPS final rule. However, nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) …
Almost all nursing homes are currently staffing-challenged, and that has a direct impact on the quality of the documentation available to support MDS coding, points out Brenda Sowash, RN, RAC-CT, director of clinical assessments, standards, and practices for Trinity Health Senior Communities in Livonia, MI. “Nursing staff have to prioritize …
The nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) who also serves as the primary Medicare nurse doesn’t always complete either the physician certification/recertification process or the beneficiary notification process for Medicare residents, says Scott Heichel, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, IPCO, QCP, ICC, director of clinical reimbursement for LeaderStat in Powell, OH. Heichel will …
