SNF QRP Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual V8.0, Change Table, Risk Adjustment Appendix File, Imputation Appendix File, and HCC ICD-10 Crosswalks

Billing and Reimbursement / DNS / MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC / Post-Acute Care News / QAPI and Quality Initiatives

 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 …

Five-Star Technical User’s Guide Plus Claims-Based Measures Appendix (Updated)

DNS / NAC / Post-Acute Care News / QAPI and Quality Initiatives / Survey and Regulatory Compliance

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 …

Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) Resources From CDC

DNS / Infection Control / Post-Acute Care News

CDC’s Emerging Infections Program (EIP), published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, highlights an increase in an urgent antimicrobial resistance (AR) threat in the United States, carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE). Enterobacterales (a group of bacteria that includes E. Coli and Klebsiella spp.) cause infections in healthcare settings and communities—including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, …

Skilled Nursing Facilities: Download Your FY 2025 PEPPER

Administrator / Billing and Reimbursement / DNS / NAC / Post-Acute Care News / QAPI and Quality Initiatives

CMS released the FY 2025 Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) for skilled nursing facilities. Your PEPPER helps you review your billing data to make sure claims are accurate. Use it to: How to Get Your PEPPER  Authorized officials (AOs), access managers (AMs), and staff end users (SEUs) …

Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) Policy Manual V2.8

Administrator / DNS / Post-Acute Care News / Survey and Regulatory Compliance / Workforce Solutions

This manual provides general background and information about the submission requirements, such as sample submission screens, submission deadlines, and definitions of job categories. Note: Changes from the previous version of this policy manual are identified in red/italics. September 2026 An updated PBJ Policy Manual and PBJ FAQ sheet have been …

CMS QSO Memo: PBJ Transition to iQIES

Administrator / DNS / NAC / Post-Acute Care News / Survey and Regulatory Compliance / Technology and IT

REVISED: Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) Transition to iQIES Memo # QSO-26-12-NH REVISED Posting Date 2026-09-11 Fiscal Year 2026 Downloads From https://www.cms.gov/medicare/health-safety-standards/quality-safety-oversight-general-information/policy-memos/policy-memos-states-cms-locations/payroll-based-journal-pbj-transition-iqies

SNF VBP Program: Measures, Scoring, and Reporting CMS Training

Administrator / Billing and Reimbursement / DNS / NAC / Post-Acute Care News / QAPI and Quality Initiatives

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training that provides an overview of the SNF VBP Program. The SNF VBP New Measure Training reviews recently adopted quality measures (QMs), their role in the SNF VBP Program, and how these QMs may impact program performance assessment, program …

Standard LTCSP and Risk-Based Survey (RBS) Resources: Surveyor Tools Updated

DNS / NAC / Post-Acute Care News / Survey and Regulatory Compliance

This ZIP file contains resources for surveyors conducting initial surveys under the Long-term Care Survey Process (LTCSP) and the Risk-Based Survey Process (RBS). It is a one-stop shop containing a multitude of reference materials that are provided to the surveyors going into facilities, including, for example, a document detailing their …