Overview What is the Data Validation Process? The Data Validation Process evaluates the accuracy of quality measure data elements derived from the Minimum Data Set (MDS), which are used in the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) and Quality Reporting Programs (QRP) for assessing quality of care and measuring …
Current Submission RequirementsAs of April 1, 2026, fileSpecVersion 4.10.0 is REQUIRED for all Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) file submissions. Old versions (2.00.0, 2.00.3, and 4.00.0) are no longer accepted. Any files submitted using these versions will be rejected. You must use fileSpecVersion 4.10.0 for all submissions. Daily Hours LimitVersion 4.10.0 …
The AAPACN Podcasts—LTC DON Chat and LTC NAC Chat—offer tips, strategies, updates, advice, and breaking news on the most important topics in long-term and post-acute care. Regular hosts and AAPACN staff members provide their own best practices and insights, as well as a breakdown of updates and regulations. They also …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a Web-Based Training that provides the latest information about the respecification of the Falls with Major Injury (FMI) Quality Measure (QM) for the Post-Acute Care (PAC) Settings. The training provides an overview of the legacy and respecified FMI Measure, discusses …
Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. As winter gives way to spring, many are relieved to leave behind icy sidewalks and the inevitable steady number of fall-related injuries that come with them. Yet in long-term care, fractures do not simply disappear with the snow; …
CMS created the Five-Star Quality Rating System to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily. The Nursing Home Compare Web site features a quality rating system that gives each nursing home a rating of between 1 and 5 stars. Nursing homes with 5 stars are considered …
Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. In the Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) and Consolidated Billing Proposed Rule for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027, officially published on April 7, 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes some earth-shaking …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the fiscal year (FY) 2027 SNF PPS Proposed Rule. Stakeholders have until June 1, 2026, to submit comments on the proposals. The following is a high-level overview of the proposed changes. CMS proposed to: Additional details can be found on …
This quick reference tool helps interdisciplinary team members accurately distinguish between traumatic and pathological fractures for ICD-10-CM and MDS coding. It provides side-by-side guidance on coding rules, 7th character use, section I diagnosis coding (including I8000), and MDS item J1900C (falls with major injury). Use this tool to improve coding …
Question: A resident admitted after hospitalization is completing therapy but developed an unstageable pressure ulcer during the SNF stay. Can Medicare Part A continue for skilled nursing, even though the condition was not part of the qualifying hospital stay? Answer from Carol Maher, RN, GERO-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, CPC: The rule …
