Introduction to the SNF QRP Web-Based Training From CMS (8/21)

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course for those who are new to the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP). This course is designed to provide a general overview of the program as well as a variety of links and resources …

5 Things NACs Can Practice Every Day to Improve Their Role

Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs), or MDS coordinators, have an important and challenging role in skilled nursing facilities (SNF). From managing the MDS/RAI process, creating individualized care plans for residents, identifying significant changes, ensuring accurate reimbursement with the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), keeping track of Quality Measures and Five Star, and …

TIP: CMS Scheduled Care Compare Refresh with Revised Discharge to Community Measure Data

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) discovered an error in the calculations for the Discharge to Community measure and will be updating the Care Compare website with the corrected data on Sept. 29, 2021. The data will be based on claims submitted during the FY2018-2019 reporting period (Jan. …

Summer Heat and Care Planning

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MT, AAPACN vice president of education and certification strategy and Jessie McGill, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, discuss heat-related risks to residents, what to consider when care planning, as well as the impacts that heat- and exposure-related conditions have on MDS coding.

The Art of Interviewing Potential Candidates for Employment with Sherry Thomas

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MT, AAPACN vice president of education and certification strategy discusses the art of interviewing potential employees with Sherry Thomas, BS, RN, QCP, IPCO, director of clinical services at LeaderStat.

Interview Template Tool

Nurse leaders want to hire candidates with the right characteristics and talents necessary to be successful in their jobs. AAPACN’s new Interview Template Tool allows the nurse leader to customize the desired characteristics and talents, based on the specific needs of the role, and provides behavioral-based questions to ask the …

CMS Online Training Courses: (1) Improving LGBTQ Health Care Quality and (2) Achieving Health Equity (7/21)

Improving Health Care Quality for LGBTQ People (Contact Hours 70 min.) Learn to identify sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) terminology to build trust with LGBTQ patients and recognize health disparities that impact many older LGBTQ adults. Recognize evidence-based questions to more accurately obtain SOGI data, and processes for maintaining data in …

OIG: COVID-19 Had Devastating Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries in LTC During 2020 (6/21)

(OEI-02-20-00490) This data snapshot showed the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Medicare beneficiaries in U.S. nursing homes in 2020. It provides objective, standardized data based on Medicare claims for beneficiaries in nursing homes throughout the country. Until this data snapshot, data on the number of nursing home residents …

COVID-19 Diagnosis Coding Guidance Timeline for Auditing Claims Diagnosis Coding Tool

Recently, CMS resumed medical reviews for Medicare claims for dates of service after March 2020; however, it may be difficult for facility staff to audit COVID-19-related diagnoses due to how frequently guidance was updated from February 2020 through January 1, 2021. AAPACN’s COVID-19 Diagnosis Coding Guidance Timeline for Auditing Claims …