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Question: Does providing drain care (emptying and dressing change) three times per week qualify as skilled care for Medicare Part A? Answer from Carol Maher, RN, GERO-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, CPC: Emptying the drain and completing a dressing change three times per week does not qualify for skilled care, but this …

Question: When remote MDS support is used, may the remote MDS worker enter resident interviews documented in the medical record during the look-back period and sign the MDS for those sections, such as the BIMS and PHQ-2 to 9? Answer from Scott Heichel, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, QCP, ICC, IPCO: …

Question: Is it mandatory for the physician to sign the Medicare certification on the day of admission? If the resident is admitted late in the evening and is not seen by the physician until the following day, may the certification be signed the next day without a penalty? Answer from …

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) releases the Five-Star Provider Preview Report before updated ratings are posted publicly on Care Compare. As a best practice, facilities should assign a team member to review the report as soon as it becomes available in the iQIES Provider Preview Reports folder. …

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is introducing a more streamlined review process for higher-performing nursing homes as well as an easier way for consumers to discover them when searching the CMS website. Released today, the Quality, Safety, & Oversight (QSO) Memo outlines this risk-based survey (RBS) process that strategically …

The 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 the compare tool on Medicare.gov and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the October 2026 refresh. Provider Preview Reports for the October 2026 refresh include: Providers have until August 14, 2026, to …

In this LTC DON Chat podcast episode, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Denise Winzeler, BSN, RN, LNHA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, director of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, discuss how to have a conversation about weekly wound rounds as part of a …

Podcast (ltc_don_chat): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 11:40 — 7.2MB) | Embed

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Memo # QSO-26-12-NH Posting Date 2026-07-14 Fiscal Year 2026 Memorandum Summary • The Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system will transition into the Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES) on August 17, 2026. • Beginning August 17, 2026, all PBJ staffing data must be submitted through iQIES. Reporting requirements and quarterly deadlines will not …

Overview This job aid answers questions on how to manage your HARP ID and iQIES user role and gives you a checklist on how to start working in iQIES. • You must have a HARP ID to access iQIES.  • All users must have a role in iQIES. iQIES Manage …

The Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system will move into iQIES on Aug. 17, 2026. Moving PBJ into iQIES is part of ongoing work to modernize systems and improve security. Starting Aug. 17, facilities must submit all PBJ staffing data in iQIES. Reporting requirements and quarterly deadlines will not change. Visit the QIES Technical Support Office webpage for more information. This AAPACN …