Effective Business Case Development for Budget Wins and Better Care Outcomes

The phrase “budget development time” often elicits moans and groans from facility leadership. During this process, leadership usually asks the director of nursing services (DNS) if he or she has any requests of items to include in the budget. Often, the DNS makes a list of nursing department wants and …

The DNS’s Role in the Annual Budget

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss the director of nursing services’ (DNS’s) role in the annual budget.

BIMS MDS Coding Video Tutorial Updated

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering an updated video tutorial to assist providers with guidance application and interview strategies for the cognitive assessment known as the Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) found in the MDS 3.0 RAI v1.18.11, effective October 1, 2023. This video tutorial …

OSA Crash Course: Keys to Navigating this Medicaid-Only Payment Assessment

In a number of Medicaid case-mix states, the MDS v1.18.11 item sets won’t be the only MDS item sets that are implemented on Oct. 1, 2023—a fact that should temper some excitement about certain MDS items, such as section G (Functional Status), “going away,” suggests Scott Heichel, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, …

How Will October 2023 MDS Changes Impact PDPM and Medicare Payment?

Many changes are coming to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) effective Oct. 1, 2023. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the draft of the Long-Term Care Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) User’s Manual version 1.18.11 in April with a final manual expected in August. Several of the MDS …

Medicare Managed Care Basics: Critical Intel for the DNS

Data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shows that, as of January 2023, half of all Medicare beneficiaries are now enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, according to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation report. Additional CMS data released in June 2023 indicates that although the number of …

SNF QRP: SNF Discharge Function Score Technical Report

This report presents the Discharge Function Score measure specifications. Section 2 provides an overview of the measure and a high-level summary of the key features of the measure that are described in detail in the remaining sections of the document. Section 3 describes the methodology used to construct the Discharge …

CMS Section GG Training Videos: GG0130A, GG0110, GG0170C, GG0130B, Decision Tree for GG0130/GG0170

Video Tutorials Available to Assist with Coding Specific Section GG Items The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is releasing a series of short videos to assist providers with coding select Section GG items on the OASIS, IRF-PAI, LTCH CARE Data Set, and the MDS. These videos, ranging from 4-12 …

Medicare Medical Review Contractors Overview

Since the Medicare program is heavily monitored for improper payments to protect the Medicare Trust Fund, it is likely your facility will experience a medical review by a Medicare contractor. The AAPACN Medicare Medical Review Contractors Overview tool provides a summary of the different types of Medicare contractors that may …

Q&A: We have a resident that is in our facility for skilled services under Medicare Part A. The family took the resident out for a funeral, and she did not return within 24 hours. Is this a Medicare Part A discharge?

Question: We have a resident that is in our facility for skilled services under Medicare Part A. The family took the resident out for a funeral, and she did not return within 24 hours. Is this a Medicare Part A discharge? Answer from Jeff Taylor: This would not be a …