Thursday, Sept. 3 – Day 3
*All times are listed in Eastern Daylight Time. This schedule is subject to change.
10 – 10:05 am | Welcome and Opening Remarks
Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, Chief Nursing Officer, AAPACN
10:05 – 11:20 am | 3.1 – Documentation with Purpose: Supporting MDS 3.0 Quality, Compliance, and Outcomes
Tammy Cassidy, RN, BSN, LNHA, RAC-MT, CEAL, Ohio Health Care Association
Accurate supporting documentation is essential to ensure that MDS 3.0 assessments are reproducible, compliant, and reflective of the resident’s clinical status. In this session, the speaker will review Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements for reproducible assessments, explore how CMS, state agencies, Medicare and Medicaid contractors, and other payers verify MDS coding through audits and reviews, and examine the regulatory, financial, and clinical consequences of insufficient documentation. You will learn to recognize common documentation pitfalls, apply best practices that strengthen medical record support for MDS coding, and understand the critical role of the interdisciplinary team in documentation accuracy. Following this session, you’ll be able to:
- Explain the CMS requirement that MDS 3.0 assessments be reproducible and describe how federal and state agencies, Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs), Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs), and other payers verify that MDS coding is supported by documentation in the medical record
- Identify the clinical, regulatory, financial, and quality consequences of insufficient supporting documentation, including survey deficiencies, payment recoupment, ongoing audits, fraud and abuse concerns, impact on quality measures and resident care planning
- Discuss documentation best practices, common documentation pitfalls, and how to implement strategies to strengthen medical record support for MDS 3.0 coding
- Summarize how the entire interdisciplinary team is responsible for accuracy of supporting documentation, and how their collaboration can lead to improved resident outcomes
11:35 am – 12:50 pm | 3.2 – Violent Behaviors and Staff Safety
Michelle Stuercke, RN, MSN, DNP, MPH, LNHA, QCP, TCM Consulting & Management, AAPACN board member
Maintaining a safe environment is the goal of every skilled nursing facility. However, despite all actions taken, residents sometimes do have catastrophic reactions to situations. When this occurs, the risk of injury to the resident involved, surrounding residents, and staff increases. During this session, the speaker will focus on early identification of behaviors, interventions at each step of escalation, ways to keep staff safe when residents become violent, and how to help both staff and residents recover. Following this session, you’ll be able to:
- Recognize the steps in escalation
- Discuss interventions to employ when residents start to become violent
- Summarize three ways to manage a resident who is presenting a violent behavior
12:50 – 1:45 pm | Afternoon Break
1:45 – 3 pm | 3.3 – Conquer CMS Data Validation Audits
Stacy Grondel, RN, BSN, RAC-MT, QCP, Brickyard Healthcare
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just launched a new SNF Provider Data Validation Audit and providers need to be prepared. In this session, the speaker will provide a practical overview of the new CMS Validation Audit process, including what providers can expect before, during, and after an audit. You will learn documentation best practices, common audit findings, response strategies, and proactive steps to strengthen compliance and minimize risk. Whether you are an MDS professional, administrator, quality leader, or reimbursement specialist, this session will help your organization become audit ready. Following this session, you’ll be able to:
- Explain the purpose and components of the new CMS SNF Provider Data Validation Audit process
- Describe the audit timeline, provider responsibilities, and required documentation
- Recognize common documentation and coding deficiencies that may lead to audit findings
- Discuss strategies to prepare facility staff and maintain audit-ready documentation
- Summarize how to create an ongoing compliance plan to improve data accuracy and quality reporting performance
3:15 – 4:30 pm | 3.4 – Who Brings What? Data-Driven QAPI Meetings That Work
Denise Winzeler, RN, BSN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, and Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, both with AAPACN
Effective quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) meetings are built on accurate, relevant, and timely data. Yet many teams struggle with knowing who is responsible for bringing which data elements to the table, leading to incomplete discussions or missed opportunities for improvement. During this session, the speakers will clarify the roles and responsibilities of the interdisciplinary team in preparing for QAPI meetings. You will learn what types of data each department should bring, how to align those data points with QAPI priorities and regulatory requirements, and how to create a streamlined process that ensures accountability and meaningful participation. With the right information in hand, QAPI meetings can drive focused decision-making, sustained improvements, and positive outcomes for residents. Following this session, you’ll be able to:
- Identify the key data sources each department or role (nursing, therapy, dietary, social services, administration, etc.) should bring to a QAPI meeting
- Recognize how to align data collection with QAPI priorities, performance improvement projects (PIPs), and regulatory requirements
- Summarize how to develop a structured process to ensure accountability for data reporting across the interdisciplinary team
- Explain strategies to transform raw data into actionable insights that guide quality improvement initiatives
Click through the buttons below for additional schedule information specific to each day of the AAPACN 2026 Quality Virtual Conference.