News for MDS Experts
Check out our insightful articles and current social feed of news that’s important to MDS Coordinators.
Our Latest Articles
MDS Nutrition – Not Limited to Section K
Often Section K on the MDS, associated CAAs, and care planning are relegated to the dietician to worry about. However, when we look at a comprehensive MDS, we can see that the information in Section...
Celebrating Skilled Nursing
National Skilled Nursing Week is held annually in May to recognize long-term care professionals that care for our residents in Skilled Nursing Facilities. This year’s National Skilled Nursing Week...
MDS Errors: Steps for Correction
What does the NAC do when they identify an error on an MDS assessment? The answer is correct the identified error. Any error that incorrectly represents the resident's status needs to be corrected....
🚨The official Form CMS-2567: Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Correction (CMS-2567) will be publicly releasable within 14 days after receipt by the provider, supplier, or lab. In other words, the CMS-2567 can be immediately released upon receipt by the provider/supplier. This update aligns with the Nursing Home CMS-2567 process, which per regulation, are releasable within 14 days of transmission to the facility (See 42 CFR 488.325). cstu.io/d7387e ... See MoreSee Less
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🚨The June 2025 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program are now available to download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). These reports contain facility-level measure results for four quality measures during FY 2024, the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program performance period:
-𝙎𝙉𝙁 𝟯𝟬-𝘿𝙖𝙮 𝘼𝙡𝙡-𝘾𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 (𝙎𝙉𝙁𝙍𝙈)
-𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙉𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚-𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙤𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙍𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 (𝙎𝙉𝙁 𝙃𝘼𝙄)
-𝙏𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙉𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧 (𝙉𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧)
-𝙏𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙉𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘿𝙖𝙮 (𝙏𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙉𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜)
These results will be used for the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program year scoring and incentive payment calculations that will take effect October 1, 2025. Performance scores and incentive payment multipliers for the FY 2026 SNF VBP Program year will be disseminated in the August 2025 Performance Score Reports. 𝘚𝘕𝘍𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘍𝘠 2024 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 30 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺 9, 2025. cstu.io/c9ddb8 ... See MoreSee Less
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📢The FY 2026 code update files are for use with discharges occurring from October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026, and for patient encounters occurring from October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026. The FY 2026 ICD-10-CM Coding Guidelines are not available yet, stay tuned. www.cms.gov/medicare/coding-billing/icd-10-codes ... See MoreSee Less
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🚨 BREAKING NEWS from CMS 🚨
Big changes are coming to Nursing Home Care Compare — and it could impact your star rating.
🗓️ Beginning July 2025, CMS will:
✅ Remove third-cycle inspections (often outdated, 45+ months old) from star rating calculations
✅ Only use the two most recent standard surveys for the health inspection rating
✅ Post chain-level performance data (including 5-star ratings, staffing & quality) directly on Care Compare in a consumer-friendly format
According to CMS, 20% of facilities may see rating changes, up or down, depending on how recent inspections compare to older ones. This long-awaited update is intended to give a more accurate view of current performance.
🧠 Transparency is increasing. Is your facility ready?
📍Source: Kimberly Marselas, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, June 18, 2025- cstu.io/dd52c9
#LTCNews #CareCompare #CMSUpdate #SkilledNursing #MDSConsultants #NursingHomeRatings #HealthcareCompliance ... See MoreSee Less
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📍 𝗪𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗮, 𝗞𝗦 — 𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂!
Join 𝗝𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻 and 𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘇 of 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 for a hands-on, in-person training:
🗓️ Tuesday, June 24, 2025
🕘 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM CST
📍 Realtors of South-Central Kansas
170 W. Dewey, Wichita, KS 67202
💡 What you’ll learn:
✔️ How to avoid MDS errors & document accurately
✔️ Using your Facility Assessment as a GPS
✔️ Strategies to maximize PDPM reimbursement
✔️ How to simplify and boost Quality Measures
✔️ Making QAPI/QAA meaningful (not just checkboxes)
#MDSConsultants #LongTermCare #PDPM #NursingHomeLeadership #CEUs #KansasLTC #MDSAccuracy #QAPI #SkilledNursing ... See MoreSee Less
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📌 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝗽
Review Section GG with a fresh set of eyes.
Did you know that inconsistent or copied-over responses in Section GG are one of the most common triggers for audit findings and reimbursement loss?
- Always use the 3-day assessment window to reflect actual performance, not assumptions.
- Don't rely on therapy notes alone, 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆.
- If “refused” or “not attempted” is marked often, that could be a red flag during survey or review.
💡 A strong Section GG tells a clear story of resident function and justifies care.
#MDSTipTuesday #SectionGG #SkilledNursingDocumentation #PDPMAccuracy #MDSConsultants ... See MoreSee Less
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🧠 What’s keeping you up at night about Medicaid PDPM?
The countdown is on, Medicaid PDPM begins October 1, 2025, and nursing facilities across the country are preparing for a big shift in how reimbursement is calculated.
Are you most concerned about:
📉 Losing revenue due to case mix swings?
🧾 Keeping up with documentation requirements?
💰 Making sure your coding reflects resident care?
Whatever it is, we want to hear it.
💬 Tell us your top concern in the comments — and if you want help navigating the change, let’s schedule a quick call to discuss how MDS Consultants can support your facility through Medicaid PDPM.
#MedicaidPDPM #LTCFinance #SNFReimbursement #MDSConsultants #PDPMReady #LongTermCare #SkilledNursingStrategy ... See MoreSee Less
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Free Webinar Alert – Boost Your Nutrition & MDS Expertise! 🥦📊
🚨 TOMORROW! Don’t miss this free webinar that brings together clinical and nutrition experts to break down Section K and its impact on care planning and RAI accuracy! 🥗📝
📅 June 17 | 11 AM ET
“𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗞: 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 – 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗡𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗔𝗜 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆”
Presented by MDS Consultants + Nutrition That Works
You’ll learn:
✅ How dietitians contribute to MDS accuracy
✅ Where nutrition intersects with compliance
✅ Strategies for stronger IDT collaboration
🎓 Real insights. Real impact.
👩⚕️👨⚕️ Want more tools like this year-round?
Check out the MDS Experts platform for ongoing support, training, and compliance tips: cstu.io/d91448
🎟️ Register now before seats fill up: cstu.io/e178e4
#FreeWebinar #SectionK #MDSConsultants #NutritionThatWorks #MDSExperts #LongTermCare #RAIAccuracy #IDT #PDPM @nutritionthatworksllc ... See MoreSee Less
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📅 Case Mix Snapshot: What You Need to Know Now
Your snapshot date isn’t just a calendar reminder; it’s the foundation of your Medicaid reimbursement. States use this specific day to determine your facility’s Case Mix Index (CMI) based on the MDS assessments completed at that time.
💡 To be snapshot-ready, make sure your team is:
- Completing timely, accurate MDS assessments
- Capturing all clinical conditions that impact case mix
- Maintaining solid documentation to support coding
- Coordinating assessment timing across the IDT
Missed details can impact your Medicaid reimbursement. MDS Consultants supports facilities in preparing for case mix accuracy with a focus on compliance, documentation, and assessment timing.
🧭 Need a second set of eyes before your next snapshot?
𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆.
#CaseMix #SnapshotDate #MedicaidReimbursement #MDSConsultants #PDPM #CMI #SkilledNursingFinance #MDSAccuracy #LTCCompliance ... See MoreSee Less
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