Summer usually is a time for nursing home residents to experience social outdoor activities and meals. It could mean attending barbecues, picnics, parades, outdoor concerts, or baseball games, gardening or birdwatching, doing outdoor crafts, or even just taking the air on the patio or another outside space. However, summer fun …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not propose any changes to the previously adopted quality measure (QM) sets for either the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) or the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing program (SNF VBP) in the Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment …
After a resident falls, staff need to identify appropriate, resident-specific interventions that can help ensure a fall does not reoccur. AAPACN’s Post-Fall Intervention Planning Guide is designed to promote this process through an analysis of risk factors and ensure consistent implementation of evidence-based practices. This AAPACN resource is copyright protected. …
Falls remain one of the most persistent and expensive challenges in long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) settings. For the director of nursing services (DNS), the responsibility to decrease fall risk while maintaining resident dignity and autonomy is a delicate balance. Conventional approaches, such as checklists, environmental modifications, and routine assessments, …
Question: When should I set an assessment reference date (ARD) for a Significant Change in Status Assessment (SCSA) after a resident elected hospice? Answer from Scott Heichel RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, QCP, ICC, IPCO: The completion date for the SCSA is the “determination date +14 days.” The ARD can be …
Question: I know that McGeer criteria must be met when coding a UTI that develops in-house during the SNF stay, but what is required when a resident is transferred to the hospital and returns to the SNF with a documented UTI diagnosis (e.g., listed on the discharge summary and on …
Question: The Five-Star Preview Report for July 2025 still shows the standard survey from three years ago. I thought the third survey would no longer be used? Answer from Carol Maher, RN, GERO-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, CPC: CMS has stated that the third survey would be shown on the Care Compare …
In this LTC NAC Chat podcast episode, 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, senior curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, discuss key findings from the 2025 AAPACN NAC Work Study and Salary Report. Additional Resources: Nurse Assessment Coordinator …
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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) noted in the FY 2026 SNF PPS Final Rule, “After consideration of the public comments, we are finalizing our proposal to remove four standardized patient assessment data elements (one item for Living Situation (R0310); two items for Food (R0320A and R0320B); and …
Written by Kristine Martinez, BSN, RN, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, QCP, DNS-CT, MDS Consultants Often, section K on the minimum data set (MDS), along with the associated care area assessments (CAAs) and care planning are delegated to the dietitian to manage. However, when reviewing a comprehensive MDS, it becomes clear that section …
