Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. In today’s skilled nursing facility (SNF) landscape, the director of nursing services (DNS) is critical not only in overseeing resident care but also in supporting the organization’s financial stability and regulatory compliance. Both goals require a strong understanding …
Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. The Oct. 1, 2025, update to the definitions of “fall” and “major injury” in the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual (RAI User’s Manual) has left many nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) with questions about what …
Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. Mandates to notify or inform the resident and/or their representative about an array of clinical and service issues are woven throughout the resident rights F-tags and other surveyor guidance in Appendix PP, “Guidance to Surveyors for Long-Term Care …
F641, Accuracy of the Minimum Data Set (MDS), remains one of the most frequently cited F-Tags during surveys, for good reason. The MDS is a critical foundation of resident assessment, care planning, reimbursement, and quality measurement. When the assessment is inaccurate, everything that flows from it is at risk. The …
When a resident’s Medicare Part A skilled stay ends, two types of resident notification processes may be required under the Beneficiary Notices Initiative: the standard denial process and the expedited appeal process. In the standard appeal process, the Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (SNF ABN) is an …
The SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment/Analysis, and Recommendation/Request) tool is a standardized, structured communication framework that has been consistently promoted by such quality-focused organizations as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, the American Society for Quality, and the Joint Commission to improve communication in multiple …
Effective communication is essential for safe person-centered care. But even the most dedicated caregivers can face significant challenges when language barriers arise. As resident demographics shift and the post-acute care workforce has grown more diverse, communication with both residents and coworkers whose native language is not English can be daunting. …
In the cadence of long-term care, few diagnoses demand as much coordination, patience, and understanding as Parkinson’s disease (PD). This progressive neurological disorder affects every aspect of a resident’s life, from movement and mobility to cognition, communication, and emotional well-being. For the director of nursing services (DNS), ensuring that nurses …
Understanding and accurately coding E0800, Rejection of Care, is essential both to reflect the resident’s behavior patterns and to ensure the care plan captures both the resident’s behaviors and his or her preferences. Misinterpreting rejection can lead to coding errors that distort the resident’s needs and obscure opportunities for effective …
In long-term care, maintaining a resident’s functional independence is both a clinical and regulatory priority. The Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Quality Measure (QM), “Percent of Residents Whose Need for Help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) Has Increased” reflects one of the most essential goals in skilled nursing: to …
