Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. In long-term care facilities, many residents receive care for both chronic and acute respiratory problems, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, tracheostomy, and other pulmonary conditions. In some situations, that care meets the criteria for respiratory …
Respiratory therapy, coded at O0390D and O0400D, must meet definitions and complex instructions per the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual (RAI User’s Manual). AAPACN’s Skilled Respiratory Therapy MDS Coding Checklist tool delineates the requirements to validate that all required aspects have been met before coding the Minimum Data …
Is O0110O4, Central IV Access, coded for a resident with an implanted port if the port was not accessed during the look-back period? Question: Is O0110O4, Central IV Access, coded for a resident with an implanted port if the port was not accessed during the look-back period? Answer from Carol …
Question: If a resident had a weight loss and is on diuretics for congestive heart failure (CHF), is that enough reason to code yes to physician-prescribed weight loss regimen? Also, for dialysis residents who are expected to lose and gain weight with dialysis, do we code yes to this MDS …
The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual v8.0 and accompanying files are now available. These materials serve as an update to the specifications used to calculate quality measures that are included in the SNF QRP and will be effective beginning October 1, 2026. The …
Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. Accurate ICD-10-CM coding depends on provider documentation that clearly reflects the resident’s clinical condition. When documentation is incomplete or lacks specificity, clarification from the provider may be needed. In long-term care (LTC), diagnoses can affect code assignment as …
Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. The updates to the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual (RAI User’s Manual), version 1.20.11, are not defined by sweeping changes to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) itself. Instead, many of the revisions by the …
Question: How should A0310E be coded on a 5-Day PPS assessment for a Medicare Advantage (MA) resident returning after a hospital stay? Answer from Jessie McGill RN, BSN, RAC-MTA, RAC-CTA: On the 5-Day for a MA plan, A0310E is coded as NO, not the first assessment—since this assessment is not …
Question: Does crushing medications to facilitate swallowing count as a mechanically altered diet or difficulty swallowing in section K? Answer from Carol Maher, RN, GERO-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, CPC: No, crushing meds is not a mechanically altered diet. If the resident has no trouble swallowing meds due to them being crushed, …
Question: Can tracheostomy care be coded in section O when a resident no longer has a tracheostomy but still receives treatment to the tracheostomy site? Answer from Scott Heichel, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, QCP, ICC, IPCO: Is the stoma site closed or is it still an open tracheostomy? Cleansing …
