CDC: Health Workers Report Harassment, Symptoms of Poor Mental Health, and Difficult Working Conditions

More than double the number of health workers reported harassment at work in 2022 than in 2018. This may include threats, bullying, verbal abuse, or other actions from patients and coworkers that create a hostile work environment. This finding has important implications for health worker mental health, according to a …

Lessons From TPE Audits: How the DNS Can Lead Toward Better Skilled Documentation

In May 2023—after the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program determined that skilled nursing facility (SNF) Medicare Part A services have been “a top driver” of the overall Medicare fee-for-service improper payment rate since the switch to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) on Oct. 1, 2019—the Centers for Medicare & …

The Significant Change in Status Assessment: Key Issues Related to v1.18.11 and Beyond

The Significant Change in Status Assessment (SCSA) was not a major focus of the revisions in the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual v1.18.11. However, some of the v1.18.11 MDS coding changes could have an outsized impact on the SCSA process if nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) fail …

What the DNS Needs to Know About Drug Regimen Review

Over the past few years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has placed increasing emphasis on drug regimen review (DRR) aka medication regimen review (MRR). Since 2018, skilled nursing facilities have captured one type of DRR/MRR in item N2001 (Drug Regimen Review) on PPS 5-Day MDS assessments for …

MDS v1.18.11 Is Here: How to Double-Check Efficiency for Long-Term Success

Now that the MDS version 1.18.11 item sets and the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual v1.18.11 are in play, there are still steps that nurse assessment coordinators can take to ensure that MDS processes are as efficient as possible under the new system. These include the …

Implement the New and Revised Resident Interviews on the MDS: How to Be Ready for Oct. 1

Most of the changes in the MDS version 1.18.11 item sets and the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual v1.18.11 are resident-driven, says Jennifer LaBay, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, QCP, CRC, a curriculum development specialist with AAPACN. “More than ever, resident interviews are the primary source of MDS …

Behavioral Health Education and Training: How to Ensure Staff Can Meet Resident Needs

The guidance to surveyors in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual addresses behavioral health education, training, and competencies under two separate F-tags: Did the facility have sufficient staff who provide direct services and implement non-pharmacological interventions to meet the behavioral health care needs of the resident, as determined by …

Oct. 1, 2023 Will See Performance Period Data Collection for Five SNF VBP QMs

The key takeaway of the Fiscal Year (FY 2024) Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) final rule, published on Aug. 7, 2023, is that the director of nursing services (DNS) will need to hit the ground running on Oct. 1, 2023, with a systematic, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary approach …

Need Behavioral Health Training Help? Check Out the COE-NF

The Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF), which opened its online doors in December 2022 thanks to a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is a centralized hub where any Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home can access trainings, tools, and …