From Data Elements to Quality Measures: CMS Training

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course that provides a high-level overview of how data elements within CMS patient/resident assessment instruments are used to construct quality measures (QMs) across post-acute care (PAC) settings. The course also discusses the relationship between these data elements …

Section GG Web-based Training Series From CMS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering an updated series of web-based training courses that provide an overview of the assessment and guidance to promote accurate coding of the post-acute care (PAC) cross-setting Section GG data elements. Each course contains interactive exercises to test your understanding. To …

Preferences and Routines: Use Section F to Collaborate on the Care Plan

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. …

Template for Care Area Assessment Summary Note

AAPACN’s Template for Care Area Assessment (CAA) Summary Note can help guide the interdisciplinary team members through how to determine and document rationale for the care plan determination by summarizing the underlying causes, contributing factors, risk factors, and other relevant considerations related to the assessment. This AAPACN resource is copyright …

CMS Patient Mood Interview (Patient Health Questionnaire PHQ-2 to 9) Video Tutorial

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a video tutorial for completing D0150, Patient Mood Interview (PHQ-2 to 9) and D0160, Total Severity Score. This video depicts two scenarios that demonstrate the coding of the PHQ-2 to 9 for the purposes of completing D0150, Patient Mood Interview (PHQ-2 to …

PPS Discharge Assessment: Why Is It More Important Than Ever?

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 …

FY 2025 Final MDS 3.0 Item Sets version 1.19.1 Effective Oct. 1, 2024

The final Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Item Sets version (v)1.19.1 are now available. The MDS Item Sets v1.19.1 will be effective beginning October 01, 2024. Items in sections A, B, D, GG, I, J, N, and O are affected. From https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/nursing-home-improvement/resident-assessment-instrument-manual

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) MDS Coding Explainer Video

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is offering a 4-minute, animated explainer video, Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) Items: Using Sources Other Than the Resident to Code for SNF providers. This video is intended to assist providers in accurately determining when the use of other sources is allowed for SDOH items: A1005. …

MDS Tools to Make the NAC’s Job Easier

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Jessie McGill, RN, BSN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, and Jennifer LaBay, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, QCP, CRC, curriculum development specialists for AAPACN, discuss AAPACN tools that make the nurse assessment coordinator’s (NAC’s) job easier. Additional Resources: