OIG to Look at Medicare Part D Payments in SNF Stays and Nursing Home Background Checks (1/21)

Medicare Part D Payments During Covered Part A SNF Stay Medicare Part A prospective payments to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) cover most services, including drugs and biologicals furnished by the SNF for use in the facility for the care and treatment of beneficiaries. Accordingly, Medicare Part D drug plans should …

The NTA Component of PDPM: Best Practices for Accurate Scoring

Skilled nursing facilities now have more than a year of experience with the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), the updated case-mix classification system used in the Medicare Part A Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) that includes five case-mix-adjusted payment components: physical therapy (PT), occupational therapy (OT), speech-language pathology …

Don’t Delay Using Health Literacy in Your Care Planning and Discharge Planning Process

Mrs. Elderberry is ready to go home. It’s been five long weeks of rehabilitation following a broken hip from that clumsy slip on a rug. Home. She’s wondering if her son actually watered her house plants that she proudly kept vibrant for years. Home. The nurse called her attention back …

Comprehensive Diagnosis Collection Flow Chart Tool

ICD-10-CM coding plays a substantial role in the accuracy of Medicare reimbursement under PDPM. However, collecting this information often requires a lot of research and queries or clarifications with the resident’s physician. AAPACN’s Comprehensive Diagnosis Collection Flow Chart helps the NAC to communicate the time and effort it may take …

Get Back to Nursing Basics to Determine Skilled Services

With the rush to understand the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) under the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS), it’s easy to get caught up in meeting the technical criteria for payment—and not pay enough attention to the clinical criteria for meeting a Medicare skilled level of care, says …

Q&A: How do I code the primary diagnosis on the UB-04 for a Medicare Part A resident?

Question: When I received training for ICD-10 coding as it relates to billing, I was taught that the primary diagnosis code for long term SNF residents on a UB-04 claim would be their primary diagnosis for why they remain in the nursing facility. Therefore, if the primary diagnosis code was …

Q&A: Are we responsible for dental appointments (toothache) on our Medicare Part A residents or does the dentist bill the family?

Question: Are we responsible for dental appointments (toothache) on our Medicare Part A residents or does the dentist bill the family? Answer: Dental coverage is not part of the Medicare Part A program, so the cost is also not the facility’s responsibility. In other words, there is no dental money …

Q&A: How should diagnoses be listed on the UB-04 claim?

Question: I understand that the diagnosis in I0020B should be listed as the principal diagnosis on the UB-04 claim; however, should the remaining diagnoses be listed in order according to the main reasons the resident is skilled how we list the codes in I8000, to include the codes that are …

BMI Plays a Key Role From Reimbursement to Care Planning

As a screening tool to identify potential weight problems for adults, body mass index (BMI) has always been important to document, but it gained new importance as a reimbursement factor for Medicare Part A residents under the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM). Here’s what nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) need to know …

PDPM Case-Mix Group Conversion to HIPPS Characters Tool

The nurse assessment coordinator and team members can easily convert the case-mix groups achieved under the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) to the five-digit Medicare billing code by using the PDPM Case-Mix Group Conversion to HIPPS Characters tool.   For permission to use or reproduce this tool in full or in …