The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Fiscal Year 2023 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) Proposed Rule earlier this month. CMS notes that this proposed rule would update “Payment …
Toolkit for States to Mitigate COVID-19 in Nursing Homes (PDF) UPDATED (5/6/22) From https://www.cms.gov/About-CMS/Agency-Information/Emergency/EPRO/Current-Emergencies/Current-Emergencies-page
This printable flyer infographic describes the Chain of Infection and How to Use it to Prevent the Spread of Infection in Long-Term Care (LTC) https://repository.netecweb.org/items/show/1666 Files for Download COI in LTC 4.29.2022 Final Compressed.pdf
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) during the July 2022 release. The …
Weekly health care personnel (HCP) & Resident COVID-19 Vaccination Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting Long-term care facilities can track weekly COVID-19 vaccination data for residents and healthcare personnel (HCP) through NHSN. April 2022 updates (note: …
Five-Star, NHQI, SNF QRP, SNF VBP, and PBJ data 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 Rating …
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking nursing homes to participate in a pilot study of the Workplace Safety Supplemental Item Set for the Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS®) Nursing Home …
Last week, the AAPACN 2022 Conference was held in Las Vegas, bringing together nursing professionals for exceptional learning opportunities. One outstanding session occurred on Thursday, April 14, when representatives from the Centers for Medicare & …
With the release of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has signaled a significant commitment to pay-for-performance via …
While the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) put the brakes on many nursing home initiatives over the past two years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is ready to get back to business …
Proposed Specifications for the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program: Total Nursing Hours per Resident Day Measure (PDF) From https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/Value-Based-Programs/SNF-VBP/Measure
The Q4FY21 release of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) with statistics through September 2021 is now available for download through the PEPPER Resources Portal. To obtain your SNF PEPPER, the Chief Executive Officer, President, Administrator, …
Nursing homes play a unique dual role in the long-term care continuum, serving as a place where people receive needed health care and a place they call home. Ineffective responses to the complex challenges of …
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 …
Even with the implementation of other quality programs over the past few years, the Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI) quality measures (QMs) remain the core public-facing quality thermometer of long-term care. Taking the time to …
Nursing home staff will see two major changes to Care Compare with the April 2022 refresh: Public reporting of the SNF Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Requiring Hospitalization In the FY 2022 SNF PPS Final Rule, …
CMS has released the following document addressing the SNF VBP and SNF QRP programs: 2022 MUC List Program-Specific Measure Needs and Priorities (PDF) SNF VBP “For the FY 2023 SNF PPS proposed rule, the SNF VBP will …
An updated Quick Reference Guide is now available. The Quick Reference Guide provides high-level information on the SNF Quality Reporting Program, including frequently asked questions and helpful links. V2.0 was posted in early March. It …
JAMA Network Open Study excerpt: Key Points Question Are scores on a delirium severity measure that was developed using advanced psychometric approaches associated with in-hospital and posthospital clinical outcomes? Findings In this cohort study of older patients …
2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines Free access: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001063 Abstract Aim: The “2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for …
JAMA Network Open Study Key Points excerpt: Findings This quality improvement study of 13 339 nursing homes found that daily variation of staffing was significantly associated with the 5-Star Survey and Quality Measures rankings. There was little …
Registration and data submission resources. PBJ QTSO Registration and Training 02-24-2022 (PDF) From https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/Staffing-Data-Submission-PBJ
Updates as of Feb. 17: Guidance streamlined Added links to guidance on testing for determining length of work restriction for healthcare personnel with SARS-CoV-2 infection or exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and for mitigating staff shortages in healthcare settings Time period …
Imagine sitting in a quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) meeting while different team members take turns reporting count data or the number of occurrences of an issue in the month. For example, the director …
CMS recently released the updated Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) COVID-19 Public reporting Tip Sheet, which clarifies the quarters used for public reporting with January 2022 Care Compare refresh using the following …
Jan 28, 2022 CMS will be transitioning to a new data source for a provider’s demographic data for all five Post-Acute Care (PAC) provider types (Skilled Nursing Facilities / Nursing Facilities (SNF/NFs), Home Health Agencies …
January 2022 update to wage index files as noted below Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2022; …
With so many Quality Measures originating from three different payment initiative programs, it’s a lot to keep track of. AAPACN’s At-a-Glance QM, QRP, and VBP tool organizes all of the measures for you. This tool has been …
Jan 26, 2022 As part of its commitment to improve transparency and help families and caregivers find the best quality of nursing home care for their loved ones, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services …
The January 2022 refresh of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC). The data are based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs to …
The purpose of the Second Edition Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Public Reporting Tip Sheet is to help providers understand CMS’ public reporting approach to the SNF QRP to account for CMS quality data …
On January 14, 2022, CMS released an updated Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System: Technical User’s Guide (January 2022), which announces two new staffing measures that will be publicly reported with the January 2022 Care …
National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes: Antipsychotic Medication Use Data Report (October 2021) The National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes is committed to improving the quality of care for …
Weekend Staffing: The level of total nurse and registered nurse (RN) staffing on weekends provided by each nursing home over a quarter. Staff Turnover: The percent of nursing staff and number of administrators that stopped …
Memo # QSO-22-08-NH Posting Date 2022-01-07 Fiscal Year 2022 Summary CMS will begin posting the following information for each nursing home on the Medicare.gov Care Compare website: Weekend Staffing: The level of total nurse and …
The MDS 3.0 QM User’s Manual V15.0 and accompanying Risk Adjustment Appendix File for MDS 3.0 Quality Measure User’s Manual V15 have been posted. The MDS 3.0 QM User’s Manual V15.0 contains detailed specifications for the MDS …
Misunderstandings about the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) can involve everything from the risk adjustments to the quality measure (QM) calculations to how to use certain reports. These issues can cause headaches …
Question: Where can I find the CMS Quality Safety and Oversight (QSO) memos? Answer from Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT AAPACN Curriculum Development Specialist: QSO memos issued from CMS can be found on …
The annual Measures Under Consideration (MUC) List from CMS includes four SNF VBP measures and two SNF QRP measures. 2021 MUC List (PDF) from https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/QualityMeasures/Pre-Rulemaking See Appendix A for measure specifications. MUC ID Measure Title …
Question: Where are SNF quality measure data publicly reported? Answer from CMS SNF QRP FAQs: The Care Compare website was launched in August 2020. It combines the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) eight …
Quick Assessment Reference Pocket Guides / Badge Buddies for Coding The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering Pocket Guides to assist providers in assessing and coding self-care and mobility, falls, and pressure ulcers/injuries. The pocket guides provide a quick reference for important terms and definitions that promote coding …
QSO-22-02-ALL Memorandum Summary CMS is announcing steps to assist State Survey Agencies (SAs) in addressing the backlog of complaint and recertification surveys. These steps include: Revising the criteria for conducting COVID-19 Focused Infection Control (FIC) …
CMS recently released a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, which clarified the use of two thresholds for the SNF QRP reporting compliance: What are the requirements 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 …
Hand Hygiene, Gown and Glove Use Adherence Sept. 21, 2021 update: Monthly Reporting Plan Monthly Reporting Plan for LTCF – September 2021 (57.141) pdf icon[PDF – 80 KB] Customizable form word icon[DOCX – 50 KB] Table of …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, vice president of education and certification strategy for AAPACN speaks with Lisa Morris, RPh, BCGP, FASCP, executive director of clinical services for Consana, about …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is granting exceptions under certain Medicare quality reporting and value-based purchasing programs located in areas affected by Hurricane Ida to assist you while you direct your resources …
Staffing is difficult—that was a defining truth for nursing homes before the COVID-19 public health emergency created a full-blown staffing crisis that still is harming providers throughout healthcare. So, it may seem like the wrong …
Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP) Overview Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Funds About Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Funds A CMP is a monetary penalty the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may impose against …
An update to the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) Risk Adjustment Appendix File is now available. This document has been updated to reflect the risk adjustment coefficients for quality measure calculation to …
A common question regarding Quality Measures is how quickly does an MDS need to be corrected to still impact MDS 3.0 Quality Measures. AAPACN’s MDS Quality Measures: Data Timeframes and Correction Periods tool will help …
CMS recently released the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) Overview of Data Elements Used for Reporting Assessment-Based Quality Measures Affecting FY 2023 Annual Payment Update (APU) Determination file. This is a list …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MT, AAPACN vice president of education and certification strategy talks about quality measures for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) with Pat Newberry. Specifically, they address the differences …
Swingtech, a contractor with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), alerts skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that are not meeting the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) data submission threshold for the …
CMS released the SNF PPS final rule postponing any PDPM parity adjustment changes and adopting two new SNF QRP claims-based measures: 1. SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Requiring Hospitalization Measure 2. COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare …
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, …
Arch Phys Med Rehabil . 2021 Mar;102(3):480-487. doi: 10.1016/j.apmr.2020.09.375. Epub 2020 Sep 28. Objectives: To examine the association of patient and direct-care staff beliefs about patients’ capability to increase independence with activities of daily living (ADL) and the probability …
The 2021 National Impact Assessment of CMS Quality Measures Report (2021 Impact Assessment Report) has been posted on the CMS website. CMS assesses the quality and efficiency impact of endorsed measures every three years. The …
COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Most Homes Had Multiple Outbreaks and Weeks of Sustained Transmission from May 2020 through January 2021 GAO analysis of data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that, …
We have all struggled with a stubborn knot or tangle at some point in our lives—whether it’s your kids’ shoelaces, your earbud cord, a garden hose, or even a fishing line. If you are a …
The safety of residents is a top priority for a skilled nursing facility (SNF). But how does one promote safety in such a dynamic environment? Three critical steps the director of nursing services (DNS) and …
NEW TRAINING AVAILABLE – Resident Mood Interview (PHQ-9) for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Setting Video Tutorial CMS Resident Mood Interview (PHQ-9) for the SNF Setting Video Tutorial The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services …
Memo # QSO-21-15-ALL Posting Date 2021-03-26 Fiscal Year 2021 Summary Burden Reduction Final Rule Interpretive Guidelines: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is releasing interpretive guidelines and updates to Appendix Z of the …
https://www.cms.gov/how-update-nursing-home-nhskilled-nursing-facility-snf-demographic-data SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) quality data on Care Compare are updated on a quarterly basis. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be transitioning to a new data source for providers’ demographic data for all five …
CMS Use of Data on Nursing Home Staffing: Progress and Opportunities To Do More (OEI-04-18-00451) The OIG has made four key recommendations related to staffing that CMS concurred with. These recommendations state that CMS should: Provide …
Note: The Access to Ombudsman information is highlighted in red in the memo, but that is what was revised in July. The new updates focus on the updated Q&As under the section, Individuals Entering and …
High nursing staff turnover in nursing homes offers important quality information Gandhi A, Yu H, Grabowski DC. Health Aff (Millwood). 2021 Prior research has found that high nursing staff turnover is associated with lower patient safety culture. …
Updated Mar. 10, 2021 Find the most recent update here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/infection-control-after-vaccination.html CDC guidance for SARS-CoV-2 infection may be adapted by state and local health departments to respond to rapidly changing local circumstances. On this page Visitation …
NOTE: CMS revised guidance on March 10, 2021 for nursing home visitation during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, which supersedes the visitation guidance in this memo. See CMS memorandum QSO-20-39-NH Revised, Nursing Home Visitation-COVID-19. ————————————————————————————————- …
In this eighth and final episode of the Deep Dive into MDS 3.0 Quality Measures podcast series, AAPACN curriculum development specialist, Jessie McGill, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, discusses two long-stay measures, Percent of Residents Who were …
A resource guide, written by and for directors of nursing, administrators, and other nursing home leaders, outlines steps to reduce or eliminate urgent staff shortages, particularly shortages of direct care workers. This guide is from the …
The Center for Medicare Advocacy released a new report – Geography Is Not Destiny: Protecting Nursing Home Residents from the Next Pandemic – which explores facilities’ responses to the coronavirus crisis and examines how residents’ deaths were …
ASPR TRACIE Emergency Preparedness Report: Identifying and Overcoming Healthcare Communications Vulnerabilities: Nashville, TN While the Christmas morning recreational vehicle blast outside the AT&T transmission facility in Nashville did not cause a mass fatality incident, it …
As part of our nation’s critical infrastructure, healthcare facilities large and small must be proactive and move quickly to protect themselves from cyberattacks that could directly impact the health and safety of patients and the …
The Improving Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act) requires the Secretary to specify resource use measures, on which post-acute care (PAC) providers, including skilled nursing facilities, are required to submit necessary data specified …
AHRQ has released the National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report: Chartbook on Patient Safety 2021, which offers an overview of nonidentifiable, aggregated patient safety event and near-miss information that has been voluntarily reported by AHRQ-listed Patient Safety Organizations. …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers strategies for optimizing the supply of: N95 respirators Face masks Isolation gowns Eye Protection Gloves Powered Air-Purifying Respirators (PAPRs) Elastomeric respirators Ventilators https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/index.html Also see: Summary …
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 2021 AHRQ has released the Network of Patient Safety Databases (NPSD) Chartbook 2021, which offers an overview of nonidentifiable, aggregated patient safety event and near-miss information that has been voluntarily reported by …
Question: What can facility leadership do to best improve Quality Measures? Answer: It takes time and intentional effort to develop and implement processes that consistently produce quality, which is then reflected in Quality Measure …
DATE: June 1, 2020 REVISED 01/04/2021 TO: State Survey Agency Directors FROM: Director Quality, Safety & Oversight Group SUBJECT: Revised COVID-19 Survey Activities, CARES Act Funding, Enhanced Enforcement for Infection Control deficiencies, and Quality Improvement …
CMS will be transitioning to a new data source for a provider’s demographic data for all five Post-Acute Care (PAC) provider types (Skilled Nursing Facilities / Nursing Facilities (SNF/NFs), Home Health Agencies (HHAs), Inpatient Rehabilitation …
In this seventh episode of the Deep Dive into MDS 3.0 Quality Measures podcast series, AANAC curriculum development specialist, Jane Belt, MS, RN, QCP, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, discusses three measures – two long-stay measures, Percent of …
Federal regulations require nursing homes to provide safe, individualized medication administration to residents. However, even before the COVID-19 public health emergency, many consultant pharmacists only went to nursing homes once a month for medication regimen …
Main Points Opioids are probably less effective than nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for surgical dental pain and kidney stone pain and might be similarly effective to NSAIDs for low back pain. Opioids might be and …
In this sixth episode of the Deep Dive into MDS 3.0 Quality Measures podcast series, AAPACN curriculum development specialist, Jessie McGill, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, discusses three measures—the percent of residents with urinary tract infections, percent …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course that provides an overview of the assessment and coding of pressure ulcers/injuries. This 90-minute course is intended for providers in …
From Data Elements to Quality Measures – Cross-Setting QRP Web-Based Training The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course that provides a high-level overview of how data elements within …
Infection prevention and control guidance for long-term care facilities (including NFs and SNFs) in the context of COVID-19 Interim guidance 8 January 2021 This document is an update of the guidance published on 21 March …
CMS has issued its 2020 measures under consideration (MUC) list. It includes two proposed SNF QRP QMs. The list includes more detailed info about proposed numerators, denominators, and rationales for each measure: MUC20- 0002: Skilled Nursing …
Transforming the medication regimen review process using telemedicine to prevent adverse events AHRQ News Now: Kane‐Gill SL, Wong A, Culley CM, et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020;Epub Nov 25. Medication reconciliation and medication regimen reviews can reduce adverse drug …
Casey, Wyden Release New Report Showing Nursing Home Rates of Death and Infection are Rising Rapidly Full report: Read the report here. Press release TO DATE, MORE THAN 104,000 RESIDENTS AND WORKERS IN LTC FACILITIES HAVE DIED …
In this fifth episode of the Deep Dive into MDS 3.0 Quality Measures podcast series, AANAC curriculum development specialist, Jane Belt, MS, RN, QCP, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, discusses two long-stay antianxiety/hypnotic medication MDS 3.0 Quality Measures—the …
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, escalating case numbers, changing visitation requirements, and isolation continue to challenge nursing facilities, staff members, and residents alike. In a recent study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) …
The Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER) Reporting application in the Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (QIES) Assessment Submission and Processing (ASAP) system can give nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and members of the management …
Writing a plan of correction that will be accepted by the state survey agency is the first half of the battle to deal with any citations that the survey team hands out on the statement …
In this podcast, AANAC curriculum development specialist, Jessie McGill, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, will discuss two antipsychotic medication-related measures, the short-stay measure—Percent of Residents Who Newly Received an Antipsychotic Medication, and the long-stay measure—Percent of Residents …
Nursing homes work hard to create the most effective Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) programs that help support the provision of quality services for residents, but translating voluminous data into meaningful information can be …
In this third episode of the Deep Dive into MDS 3.0 Quality Measures podcast series, AANAC curriculum development specialist, Jane Belt, MS, RN, QCP, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, discusses two more long stay measures, Percent of Residents …
A systematic approach to utilizing the CASPER reports is necessary for monitoring Quality Measures, managing MDS assessments, and reimbursement. While there are numerous reports available via CASPER, AANAC’s new Guide to Key MDS-Related CASPER Reports …
Feel overwhelmed by all of the reports available on CASPER? AADNS’s new Guide to Primary CASPER Reports for the Director of Nursing Services tool highlights the primary reports of interest to the director of nursing services …
