The NHSN Vaccination Team will be hosting multiple webinars to review important changes to the surveillance definition of Up to Date with COVID-19 vaccines for long-term care facilities reporting vaccination data and RIFC Pathway data …
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 …
Memo # QSO-23-21-NH Posting Date 2023-09-20 Fiscal Year 2023 Title Memorandum Summary • Adjustment to Staffing and Quality Measures: CMS will update the staffing level case-mix adjustment methodology and replace some of the Quality Measures …
The Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Quality Measures (QM) User’s Manual V16.0 is now available. The MDS 3.0 QM User’s Manual V16.0 contains detailed specifications for the MDS 3.0 quality measures and includes a Notable …
2024 release of ICD-10-CM October 1, 2023 release of ICD-10-CM The FY2024 ICD-10-CM codes are to be used from October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024. Note: This replaces the FY 2023 – April 1, …
Errata V3.01.3 for MDS Data Specifications V3.01.1 (FINAL) is now available for download. These specifications will go into effect on October 1, 2023. Four issues were added to the errata. IMPORTANT NOTE: Issue 23 will not …
Patient safety research is growing, spanning across more healthcare settings, and considers a wide array of contextual factors. The combination of emerging patient safety threats and the growing amount of published patient safety research, patient …
2023 Measure Updates and Specifications Report Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program Skilled Nursing Facility 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure –Version 2.0 This report describes updates that have been made to the Skilled Nursing Facility 30-Day …
The Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF), which opened its online doors in December 2022 thanks to a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is …
The “PDPM Grouper JAR Package V2.2000.zip” is now available. This release was updated to support the FY 2024 PDPM ICD-10 code mapping for the purposes of resident classification under the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) for …
An update to the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document is now available. This document has been updated to reflect the finalized policies for the SNF QRP in …
Breathing room will be in short supply for nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and other interdisciplinary team members who need to implement and monitor the multitude of changes to the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program …
Over the last few years, nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) are being hired with less long-term care experience, being paid more, and facing a multitude of challenges including stress and burnout, staffing shortages, and increased workloads. …
Question: Can the MDS 3.0 scripted interviews be coded directly on the MDS or is additional separate documentation required? Answer from Kim Steele RN, WCC, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA: You are not required to document the answers …
Question: A resident exhausted benefits in March 2023 with a new G-tube and 100% tube feeding. She was recently admitted to the hospital for three days and had the G-tube removed and was eating by …
Question: How do you code GG0130E, Shower/bathe self, when the resident did not have a bath scheduled during the three-day assessment period? Answer from Carol Maher, RN-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, RAC-CT, CPC: If there was …
AAPACN has re-released the Nurse Assessment Coordinator (NAC) FTE Calculator for SNF leaders to estimate the time needed to complete assessments as well as project how many hours the NAC needs for meetings and other …
In late August, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the post-event question and answer (Q&A) document from the SNF MDS 3.0 RAI v1.18.11 Guidance Training Program available in the Downloads section of …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Jessie McGill, RN, BSN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, curriculum development specialist with AAPACN, discuss the answers to the most frequently …
Listed below are the three-part manual ZIP file set, as well as the PDF file labeled “MDS3.0RAIManualv1.18.11R.Errata.September.8.2023.” The errata document contains revisions to pages in Chapter 4 of the MDS 3.0 RAI Manual version (v)1.18.11R …
The FY 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule (88 FR 53200) revised data collection and submission requirements for the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) affecting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 …
The FY 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule (88 FR 53200) revised data collection and submission requirements for the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) affecting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 …
he FY 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule (88 FR 53200) revised data collection and submission requirements for the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) affecting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 …
The FY 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule (88 FR 53200) revised data collection and submission requirements for the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) affecting the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 …
In the long-awaited Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes a three-pronged, comprehensive staffing approach for Medicare- …
The Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) Quality Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual Version 5.0 serves as an update to the specifications used to calculate quality measures that are included in the SNF …
Resources: Press Release: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), issued a proposed rule that seeks to establish comprehensive staffing requirements for nursing homes—including, …
On Aug. 23, 2023, AAPACN hosted the AAPACN 2023 Live Virtual Conference – MDS Updates Prep and Polish event, with educational sessions designed to help implement the MDS changes effective Oct. 1. This one-day event …
Effective Oct. 1, 2023, section GG will be required on all OBRA and PPS assessments for all long-term care residents. This results in many different section GG assessment periods depending on the assessment type(s). The …
In preparation for the upcoming Oct. 1, 2023, implementation of the also-just-updated v1.18.11v5 MDS item sets, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 …
Effective August 21, 2023, MDS 3.0 Frequency data will be available from a new location on the data.cms.gov website (https://data.cms.gov/quality-of-care/minimum-data-set-frequency). This new website replaces the previous MDS 3.0 Frequency Report webpage which was decommissioned on …
The final Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Item Sets version (v)1.18.11 have been updated and are now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. All item …
The final Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) User’s Manual version (v)1.18.11 is now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. The MDS …
Table of Contents 1. Launch/Help Questions 1.1 Will iQIES have the same spec version at launch as QIES (version 3.00.1 including Errata Version3.00.8)? _____________________________________________ 1.2 How do I register for iQIES? 1.3 Whom can I …
The Optional State Assessment (OSA) Item Set and OSA Manual have been updated, and the updated versions are now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. …
iQIES is the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System, which is the system that the MDS submissions system is being transferred to. The QIES Technical Support Office maintains a website with iQIES reference materials, including …
Section GG, Functional Abilities and Goals, will expand to all OBRA assessments starting Oct. 1, 2023, with the retirement of the section G activities of daily living (ADL) items. This change disrupts the long-standing practices …
Note: This is the third in a series of articles reviewing key issues in the draft v1.18.11 Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual that could prove to be disruptive for busy nurse …
The August 2023 Performance Score Reports for the FY 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program are now available for download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). Instructions to access …
Effective Oct. 1, 2023, the full Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 will only be completed if the resident responds to the gateway PHQ-2 questions in a certain way. The Patient Health Questionnaire Completion Determination chart clarifies …
Question: If a resident admits to the facility with a second or third degree burn and it was documented as healed during the look-back period, would it be coded on the MDS at M1040F? Answer …
Question: We have a resident on a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, who went out for a one-day leave of absence (LOA). I understand that the discharge assessment and reentry would not be required for Medicare …
Question: When will the new changes affect the MDS assessment? Is this according to the assessment reference date (ARD) or the admission date? For example, if the resident admitted on Sept. 28, 2023, and has …
R12182QRI 2023-08-03 Fiscal Year 2018 and After Payments to Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) That Do Not Submit Required Quality Data – This CR Rescinds and Fully Replaces CR 9944. 2023-09-04 13242 R12174CP 2023-08-03 Medicare Part …
On June 14, 2023, the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) hosted the AAPACN 2023 Quality Virtual Conference, a one-day virtual conference that brought together leaders and experts in quality improvement to provide attendees …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Jacob Berelowitz, LNHA, LMSW, CPHQ, CCM, program manager for the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a virtual training program that provides instruction on the updated guidance for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument …
The Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) has been the case-mix classification model used for Medicare Part A skilled nursing facility (SNF) reimbursement since October 2019. Although this payment system has been in place for nearly four …
Note: This is the second in a series of articles reviewing key issues in the draft v1.18.11 Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual that could prove to be disruptive for busy nurse …
Effective with the July 2023 Five-Star refresh, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) revised the nursing-home level exclusion criteria on an erroneously high number of administrators applied to the administrator turnover measure. Previously, …
Question: Has there been any additional guidance provided as to whether the questions A1005 Ethnicity and A1010 Race are required to be asked on all assessments or if this information can be carried over across …
Question: What assessments are required when a resident goes out on a leave of absence (LOA)? Answer by Jeff Taylor: No discharge is required for a leave of absence as defined in chapter 2 of …
Question: If a resident admits with a UTI diagnosis from the hospital, do we need to code it on the MDS even if McGeer criteria is not met? Answer by Carol Maher, RN-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, …
The final rule and key files: Permalink FY 2024 PDPM ICD-1- Mapping (ZIP) (effective 10-01-2023) CMS-1779-F Wage Index Tables for FY 2024 – Final (ZIP) PDPM Case-Mix – Tables 5 and 6 show the FY 2024 PDPM case-mix …
Five-Star, NHQI, SNF QRP, SNF VBP, PBJ data Data sets: Provider Information General information on currently active nursing homes, including number of certified beds, quality measure scores, staffing and other information used in the Five-Star …
Question: We just noted that we missed a Quarterly assessment a few months ago on a resident who has now been discharged. How do we correct this? Answered from Scott Heichel, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, …
Question: A resident was in our skilled nursing facility (SNF) stay with a qualifying hospital stay over a month ago. She was skilled in our facility until a week ago when she discharged home. She …
Question: I have a resident who we thought was Medicare Part A and completed and submitted an Admission/5-Day assessment. I am now being told that the resident was Managed Care and I need to inactivate …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the revised ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes for fiscal year 2024, which will become effective Oct. 1, 2023. Facility staff will need to review diagnosis codes for residents …
Written by: Jessica Stucin, RN, BSN, LNHA, RAC-CT, Assistant Director of Education, MDS Consultants On Jan. 18, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced they will be conducting offsite audits in nursing …
Note: This is the first in a series of articles reviewing key issues in the draft v1.18.11 Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual that could prove to be disruptive for busy nurse …
Several new items added or revised on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) this October are considered social determinants of health (SDOHs): ethnicity, race, language, transportation, health literacy, and social isolation. SDOHs are nonmedical factors that …
R12146OTN Issue Date 2023-07-21 Subject The purpose of this Change Request (CR) is to update current Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) PDPM claims processing edits in order to process and pay claims correctly. A. Background: This …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering an updated video tutorial to assist providers with guidance application and interview strategies for the cognitive assessment known as the Brief Interview for Mental Status …
TeamSTEPPS is an evidence-based program designed to optimize the performance of healthcare teams. The Welcome Guides in this section provide an introduction to TeamSTEPPS 3.0 adapted to the needs of various TeamSTEPPS roles, including: …
The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) …
Proposed policies will expand behavioral health services, support the President’s Cancer Moonshot, promote innovation, and grow value-based care Permalink Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the calendar year (CY) 2024 Medicare …
Question: We have a resident who was admitted with a Peg tube about a year ago. He was hospitalized and had it replaced. The resident returned to us under Medicare. Does anyone know if you …
The RAI User’s Manual clarifies that PPS assessments that are completed for the purpose of insurance payment, such as with a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan, are not CMS required assessments and are not to be …
In a number of Medicaid case-mix states, the MDS v1.18.11 item sets won’t be the only MDS item sets that are implemented on Oct. 1, 2023—a fact that should temper some excitement about certain MDS …
Many changes are coming to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) effective Oct. 1, 2023. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the draft of the Long-Term Care Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) User’s Manual …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, vice president of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, and Jennifer LaBay, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, QCP, CRC, curriculum development specialist with AAPACN, discuss some …
Question: An ongoing pressure ulcer was initially noted by our wound nurse as unstageable related to slough and/or eschar. The most recent documentation in the look-back period states the wound is now a Stage 4. …
Question: Our software auto-populates I0020B and I8000A with the same ICD-10 code. Is this an RAI User’s Manual requirement? Answer from Carol Maher, RN-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, RAC-CT, CPC: The primary diagnosis coded in I0020B …
Toolkit: Medical Record Review Methodology07-06-2023 | OEI-06-21-00030 | Complete Toolkit Toolkit: Clinical Guidance for Identifying Harm07-06-2023 | OEI-06-21-00031 | Complete Toolkit What are the Adverse Events (AE) Toolkits? The AE toolkits are technical resources to assist the …
This user manual provides information for CMS, Providers, Vendors, Accrediting Organizations, Contractors, and State Agencies to effectively perform Reports functions and the processes necessary to request, view, download, and save reports in iQIES. Appendix A: …
Memo # QSO-23-18-NH Posting Date 2023-06-28 Fiscal Year 2023 Memorandum Summary • Posting Nursing Home Affiliation on Nursing Home Care Compare: CMS will include ownership and operatorship affiliation information on our Nursing Home Care Compare …
Members: $21 | Non-members: $42Continuing Education: 1 CE hourRecording Date: July 12, 2023Duration: 60 minutesSpeakers: Jessie McGill, RN, BSN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, and Jennifer LaBay, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, QCP, CRC Training, training, training! There has been a wave of MDS trainings for the new …
The HCP Flu Vaccination Module, which is part of the HCP component in NHSN, is used to input required NHSN data for the SNF QRP. This site provides access to the HCP Vaccination Module: Influenza …
The American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) recently hosted the AAPACN 2023 Quality Virtual Conference, a one-day virtual conference that brought together leaders and experts in quality improvement to provide attendees with the information …
In this podcast, Jessie McGill, RN, BSN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, curriculum development specialist with AAPACN, and Jennifer LaBay, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, QCP, CRC, curriculum development specialist with AAPACN, discuss some of the most pressing questions about …
Question: Can a winged versus a concave mattress be considered a restraint if it fits the definition? Can a tilt and space wheelchair be considered a restraint? It is being explained to me that it …
Question: If a resident on a Medicare Part A stay expires the same day as admission, is it a billable day? Answer from Carol Maher, RN-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, RAC-CT, CPC:Yes, if a Medicare A …
Question: A long-term resident has had a feeding tube for more than 10 years. He exhausted his Medicare Part A benefits years ago. He recently experienced recurrent aspiration and had an extended hospitalization with a …
The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023, has marked the end of many waivers, including the 3-day qualifying hospital stay and benefit period waivers. For many new nurse assessment …
Restorative nursing can impact fee-for-service Medicare Part A payment in the Behavioral Symptoms and Cognitive Performance category and the Reduced Physical Function category of the nursing component in the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), says Carol …
The American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) team collaborated with its members and post-acute care experts to advocate for skilled nursing facility (SNF) professionals by making comments on the fiscal year (FY) 2024 SNF …
This ZIP file contains resources for surveyors conducting initial surveys under the Long-term Care Survey Process (LTCSP). It is a one-stop shop containing a multitude of reference materials that are provided to the surveyors going …
CS1963652 Resolved Reports ALL iQIES Users are currently experiencing issues generating reports in HTML or downloading them in CSV/PDF format, presenting no data or limited data to users. Team is investigating and resolving actively 05/31/2023 …
Question: What staff member in a SNF can complete data collection and entry for section GG items? Answer from Melissa Brown, OTR/L, RAC-CT, CDP, CSRS: I think what may be causing confusion here is the …
Question: If a Medicare Part A resident goes on a therapeutic leave of absence (LOA) of four days for a funeral, what MDS assessments/records, if any, are required? Answer from Jeff Taylor: No additional MDS …
Question: Can a comprehensive MDS be completed before day 14, such as on day 9 or 10, as long as it is completed by day 14? For example, we have a 5-Day combined with an …
Nurse assessment coordinators can use AAPACN’s When MDS 3.0 Quality Measure Triggers Start and Stop quick guide to determine when a resident will start and stop triggering an MDS 3.0 Quality Measure (QM) based on …
In April 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) form, CMS-R-131. This ABN form is used when Medicare Part B services end and a beneficiary notice …
This Oct. 1, 2023, MDS 3.0 item O0100 (Special Treatments, Procedures, and Programs) will be retired and replaced with O0110 (Special Treatments, Procedures, and Programs) as part of the transition to the v1.18.11 MDS item …
The tables list the Section S items that will be active on MDS 3.0 records with a target date on or after October 1, 2023. The active item on each item subset code (ISC) is …
