How the Director of Nursing Services Can Support the MDS Process

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) determines Medicare and often state Medicaid reimbursement; prompts initial and MDS-assessment-based care planning; provides data that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses to calculate Quality Measures (QMs) included in the Five-Star Quality Rating System, Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) program, …

Behavioral Health: Eight Ways to Boost Compliance—and Help Residents—Under F740

F740 (Behavioral Health Services) is not a frequently cited F-tag so far in calendar year (CY) 2023, according to QCOR data posted on Aug. 13, 2023. However, the consequences can be severe—surveyors often issue this citation at the level of immediate jeopardy (IJ) when it does occur. Specifically, F740 is …

Section GG Data Collection Tool

AAPACN has updated the Section GG 3-Day Data Collection Tool to include all of the new self-care and mobility items effective Oct. 1, 2023. This AAPACN resource is copyright protected. AAPACN individual members may download or print one copy for use within their facility only. AAPACN facility organizational members have …

Finalized RAI User’s Manual: Eight Key Points to Know

In preparation for the upcoming Oct. 1, 2023, implementation of the also-just-updated v1.18.11v5 MDS item sets, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual version 1.18.11 and a draft-to-final change table. Highlights of these revisions include the …

Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Frequency Report Website

Effective August 21, 2023, MDS 3.0 Frequency data will be available from a new location on the data.cms.gov website (https://data.cms.gov/quality-of-care/minimum-data-set-frequency). This new website replaces the previous MDS 3.0 Frequency Report webpage which was decommissioned on August 1, 2023. Users will find very similar information on this new website to that …

CMS iQIES MDS FAQs

Table of Contents 1. Launch/Help Questions 1.1 Will iQIES have the same spec version at launch as QIES (version 3.00.1 including Errata Version3.00.8)? _____________________________________________ 1.2 How do I register for iQIES? 1.3 Whom can I reach out to if I have questions related to iQIES? 2. User Role Questions 2.1 …

Infusion Therapy: Solve These Clinical and Documentation Issues to Provide Better Care

Infusion therapy services are so inherently complex that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) identifies “intravenous or intramuscular injections and intravenous feeding” and “enteral feeding that comprises at least 26 percent of daily calorie requirements and provides at least 501 milliliters of fluid per day” as two of …

Effective Business Case Development for Budget Wins and Better Care Outcomes

The phrase “budget development time” often elicits moans and groans from facility leadership. During this process, leadership usually asks the director of nursing services (DNS) if he or she has any requests of items to include in the budget. Often, the DNS makes a list of nursing department wants and …

The DNS’s Role in the Annual Budget

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss the director of nursing services’ (DNS’s) role in the annual budget.