The Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) process begins with the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment and ends with the resident-centered comprehensive care plan. In the MDS, section F focuses on the resident’s preferences for customary routines and activities, asking scripted questions about how the person rates the importance of these items. …
Direct skilled services under Medicare Part A often are easy to identify because these services involve specific, complex caregiver-to-resident actions. Their “inherent complexity” means that they can “be performed safely and/or effectively only by or under the general supervision of skilled nursing or skilled rehabilitation personnel,” explains the Centers for …
The development, management, and evaluation of the resident care plan is the OBRA backbone of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) process for all residents regardless of payer source, so it may surprise some nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and directors of nursing (DNSs) to learn that care plan management and evaluation …
Since the start of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) in October 2019, the International Classifications of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) has been thrust into the forefront of daily tasks for the nurse assessment coordinator (NAC). ICD codes were always applied in long-term care (before 2015, ICD-9-CM codes were …
Protecting and supporting the nursing home workforce is not optional—it is the daily work of managers and leaders, says Patricia McGaffigan, RN, MS, CPPS, senior advisor for safety at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), president of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety, and co-chair of the National Steering …
F-tag 689 (Free of Accident Hazards/Supervision/Devices) was the No. 1 tag cited at the immediate jeopardy (IJ) level in 2023—and remains at the top halfway into 2024, according to QCOR data accessed on June 30, 2024. In many ways, F689 is a catch-all tag, says Angie Szumlinski, LNHA, RN, GERO-BC, …
Everyone loves a good mystery. Many like to watch their favorite mysteries on television or read a good thriller. However, mystery and suspense should not be a part of the facility assessment review. The final staffing rule released in April 2024 requires all facilities accepting Medicare and Medicaid payments to …
Think about individualization like the almost endless variations of coffee drinks available these days. With an extra pump of this or a drizzle of that, we enjoy endless ways to individualize our order. Beyond coffee, we all have our own routines and ways to complete different tasks, from what we …
Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) will soon begin preparing the interdisciplinary team for the finalized MDS 3.0 version 1.19.1 item set changes, as well as the revised coding instructions in the yet-to-be-finalized Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual v1.19.1 (RAI User’s Manual), that will go into effect on …
Skilled nursing facility (SNF) staff must understand the intricate guidelines that regulate Medicare Part A coverage for SNF stays. Several technical requirements must be met before a resident qualifies for a Medicare Part A SNF stay. For example, the resident must have benefit days available, meet the 3-day qualifying hospital …
