Properly washing hands and performing hand hygiene is an essential skill every healthcare worker (HCW) must possess. The AAPACN Hand Hygiene Competency Tool can assist nurse leaders documenting achievement of competence with this skill.
Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) work in a unique role. They have the responsibility of managing the MDS but are often not in supervisory position over the interdisciplinary team members that complete portions of the MDS. When issues arise, from untimely completion of MDS sections to missed documentation that could impact …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced they would be conducting audits on MDS coding of residents with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. With the increased scrutiny of this diagnosis, nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and interdisciplinary team (IDT) members should validate the accuracy of the schizophrenia diagnosis and …
When new employees see their leader is invested in their success, including proficiency in their job performance as well as becoming a part of team, the odds of retaining the employee increase dramatically. AAPACN’s Retaining Talent: Check-In with New Employee Template will guide leaders to check in with employees over …
Since the Medicare program is heavily monitored for improper payments to protect the Medicare Trust Fund, it is likely your facility will experience a medical review by a Medicare contractor. The AAPACN Medicare Medical Review Contractors Overview tool provides a summary of the different types of Medicare contractors that may …
While completing MDS assessments, nurse assessment coordinators can monitor for regulatory compliance during the chart review. If compliance issues arise, leadership should be notified to correct them. NACs can utilize AAPACN’s Medical Record Alert Sheet to communicate compliance issues identified during the MDS/RAI process to clinical leadership, the administrator, or …
It is important that a resident’s bed is in good working condition to maintain safety and provide the highest quality of care for the resident. Utilize AAPACN’S Bed Safety Guide to ensure each bed in the facility is in good working condition. For permission to use or reproduce this tool …
CMS has announced the retirement of section G, activities of daily living with the MDS item set version 1.18.11, which goes into effect Oct. 1, 2023. To prepare for this change, nurse assessment coordinators can begin to update care plans. Rather than utilizing section G-specific terminology, care plans should be …
The new nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) may be overwhelmed with the numerous tasks required of the position. To ease some of this burden, AAPACN developed the Sample Task List for the Nurse Assessment Coordinator tool to assist the new NAC in organizing key daily and weekly tasks to manage the …
AAPACN’s Laboratory Test Tool provides useful knowledge to nurses regarding the most widely ordered laboratory tests. Areas of knowledge include components of each test, reasons the physician may order the laboratory test, if the resident needs to be fasting for the test, and items that should be reported to the …
