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 …

Q&A: Does the primary diagnosis that physical therapy and occupational therapy use need to match the primary ICD-10 code used by nursing?

Question: Does the primary diagnosis that physical therapy and occupational therapy use need to match the primary ICD-10 code used by nursing?     Answer: Often confusion stems from the terms used across different disciplines. Therapists use medical and treatment diagnoses, while the SNF uses other terms, such as admission diagnosis, …

Q&A: How will the 30-day window rule work under PDPM with the new Interrupted Stay Policy?

Question: Under RUG-IV PPS, if the resident returns to a skilled level of care within 30 days the reason for skilled care would have to be something that was present/treated during the first qualifying hospital stay or developed during the skilled period. How does that work with PDPM and the Interrupted …

Section GG Under PDPM: Issues to Discuss With Your NAC

To date, the accuracy of section GG (functional abilities and goals) hasn’t mattered from a payment perspective. Section GG doesn’t affect payment under the RUG-IV case-mix classification system, and the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) only penalizes providers financially for failing to meet the data submission threshold …

Responding to ADRs Tool

An Additional Development Request or Additional Documentation Request letter can cause a lot of stress in the SNF if there’s not a process in place to respond to it. Use this Responding to ADRs Tool to help your team more confidently approach medical reviews.  For permission to use or reproduce this …