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Oct 07 2022

MDS surprises fill new draft

Joe Bush | Oct 7, 2022 | Excerpted from McKnights Long-term care facilities, staff and more than half the states should prepare immediately for changes to the Minimum Data Set, experts said in early September. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released a draft of an update to MDS 3.0. Section G, used by many states to determine Medicaid reimbursement, is gone. The changes will be official in October 2023. Gloria Brent, president and CEO of MDS Consultants, told McKnight’s it was...
Sep 07 2022

MDS draft sends sector, states scrambling to assess effects

Joe Bush | Sept 7, 2022 | McKnights Long-term care facilities, staff and more than half the states in the US should start preparing immediately for extensive changes to the Minimum Data Set, resident assessment experts said this week. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last week released a draft of long-awaited update to MDS 3.0. Section G, used by many states to determine Medicaid reimbursement, is gone. Added were additional intake questions and a need for more robust...
Sep 07 2022

MDS Changes Raise Medicaid Payment Questions

Tim Mullaney | September 7, 2022 | Excerpted from Skilled Nursing News The removal of a key section from the Minimum Data Set (MDS) will have massive repercussions, particularly for the future of nursing home reimbursements by states. ... The fate of Section G has been in question since the transition to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), which made the section unnecessary from a Medicare reimbursement perspective. State-level Medicaid payments are another matter. Section G is used to...
Aug 17 2021

Use MDS Section B to Improve Holistic Discharge Planning

By Caralyn Davis, Staff Writer | August 17, 2021 | Full article available to Members at https://www.aapacn.org/   Successfully using section B in discharge planning hinges on the accuracy of the coding, says Melanie Tribe-Scott, BSN, RN, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, RAC-CT, QCP, director of education and marketing for MDS Consultants in Medina, NY. "With such a heavy focus on section GG (Functional Abilities and Goals) and other MDS items that play more of a starring role in the...
Mar 02 2021

Coding N2001 – N2005: Part A Drug Regimen Review

By Caralyn Davis, Staff Writer | March 2, 2021 | Full article available to Members at AAPACN "CMS has been concerned about medication-related adverse events for many years. Identifying potential and actual clinically significant medication issues, communicating those issues to the physician, and then implementing physician-prescribed or physician-recommended interventions in a timely manner-at admission and throughout the Medicare Part A resident's stay-are critical components of ensuring both...
Jul 08 2020

Section GG: Assessing Usual Performance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Caralyn Davis, Staff Writer | July 07, 2020 | Full article available to Members at AAPACN   The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) makes clear in the title of MDS section GG (Usual Performance and Goals) that the assessment subitems in items GG0130 (Self-Care) and GG0170 (Mobility) are designed to capture a resident’s usual ability or usual performance. This begs the question: How can nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and other members of the interdisciplinary team...
Oct 07 2019

Staffing in the World of PDPM

By Joanne Kaldy | Oct 6, 2019 | Excerpted from: Infront Workforce Some additional thoughts from Gloria Brent in this issue: The Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) is here, and even well-prepared organizations are uncertain about precisely what the future will hold for this new system of reimbursement for nursing home care. To gain some insights on staffing in the world of PDPM, InFront talked to Melanie Tribe-Scott and Gloria Brent from MDS Consultants during last week’s 2019 LTC Summit in...
Jan 24 2019

7 Baseline Care Plan Myths

By Caralyn Davis | Jan. 24, 2018 | Excerpted from: AANAC Baseline care plans have been required since late November 2017, but nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and other interdisciplinary team (IDT) members are still navigating through a lot of misinformation to learn the rules of the road for F655 (Baseline Care Plans) as detailed in Appendix PP of the State Operations Manual. Here are seven common myths that need to be vanquished: Myth: The resident needs to sign the baseline care plan...
Sep 05 2016

One section at a time

Phil Brahm | Sept 5, 2016 | Excerpted from McKnights When it comes to the Minimum Data Set, accuracy can be the defining factor in whether a facility keeps its doors open, thrives or ends up facing federal indictment. Whether providers are looking to ensure they can afford to provide the proper care their residents need or to maintain a five-star quality rating, the information listed in the assessment form has lasting effects on all involved. Experts note that some sections are harder to...
Sep 01 2014

Success without silos

Julie Williamson | Sept 1, 2014 | Excerpted from: McKnights While this autumn won't bring nearly as many MDS changes as last year, documentation and coding due-diligence remains crucial. And despite coordinators' knowledge and leadership role in the MDS process, they shouldn't be shouldering the responsibility alone, experts say. “Any discipline that contributes to the MDS should understand the ‘tell me more' about the MDS information they are contributing,” says Kelton Swartz, MDS Strategist...

Recent Blogs in All Topics

What Is an MDS Coordinator?

It’s a bit odd that when asked what you do for a living most MDS coordinators struggle to come up with an answer. Who struggles to explain what they do every day? The reality is that MDS Coordinators fully understand what this multifaceted job...

MDS 2023 Countdown Wrap-Up

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer: Current as of May 13, 2023.   What You Can Expect to See CMS released the first MDS draft item set (v1.18.11) in September 2022, which generated many questions for the long-term...

Rx Reconciliation – New SNF QRP and QMs

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of May 13, 2023 What You Can Expect to See The reconciled medication list will have a new documentation requirement that will go into effect with the October 1, 2023...

Away with Q0300 and in with Q0310 – New Section Q Changes

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of May 13, 2023 What You Can Expect to See This new Section Q update presents a key change to the wording: GOAL vs expectation. The Cambridge American Dictionary defines...

Updated Entered From and Discharge Status options

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of April 8, 2023 Section A1800 "Entered From" and A2100 "Discharged Status" have Changed One of the changes you will see when coding section A of the MDS this October 1,...

Transportation – New Item A1250

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of April 1, 2023 What You Can Expect to See An additional item we will see in the upcoming MDS 3.0 v.1.18.11 in October 2023 is A1250 - Transportation. This is included in...

New 3-day Lookbacks | Assessment Periods

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of March 24, 2023 What You Can Expect to See New 3-day lookback/assessment periods are coming to the MDS world. There are different sections of the MDS that the Nurse...

New Pain Interview in Section J

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of February 22, 2023 What You Can Expect to See The most noticeable changes to Section J are evident in the pain interview, specifically questions J0510, J0520 and J0530....

Section B – Hearing, Speech and Vision Changes

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of February 15, 2023 What You Can Expect to See Section B on the MDS is a component of the Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements (SPADEs), which is utilized across...

Race and Ethnicity – Changes in Section A

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of February 7, 2023 What You Can Expect to See Section A, Identification Information for Race/Ethnicity has expanded. One of the major changes is the deletion of section...

The New Section N: Use and Indication of High-risk Drug Classes

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of December 23, 2022 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE We will see changes in Section N of the MDS 3.0 effective on October 1, 2023.  Section N0410 (Medications Received) has been...

Where did Physician Examinations and Orders Go?

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of December 16, 2023 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE CMS does not require the completion of the physician examinations and orders, but they remain a requirement for some states...

What’s New in Section O – Special Treatments, Procedures, Programs?

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of December 9, 2023 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE What is Changing with Section O? When you first look at the draft of section O item O0110 special treatments, procedures, and...

What to Expect in Section GG

  This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of December 2, 2022 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE What is Changing with Section GG? One of the major changes is the deletion of section G (Functional Status). What does...

The New and Improved Section D

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of November 25, 2022 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE What is Changing with Section D? Many of us may have skipped over some changes in our rush to see what happened to section...

Section G is Missing

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of February 7, 2023 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE What is Changing with Section G? MDS 3.0 changes for October 2023 removed section G completely. This leaves many questions...

Pillars of Care

Reviewing the Behavioral Health Pillars The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) developed a roadmap for behavioral health integration to address a national mental health crisis.  The current Administration's strategy is based on three...

MDS surprises fill new draft

Joe Bush | Oct 7, 2022 | Excerpted from McKnights Long-term care facilities, staff and more than half the states should prepare immediately for changes to the Minimum Data Set, experts said in early September. The Centers for Medicare &...

Section I and Schizophrenia

Changes to Section I and Schizophrenia In July 2022, CMS released an erratum to the RAI (Resident Assessment Instrument) Manual that included more detailed guidance on the use of diagnoses for section I, including the schizophrenia diagnoses that...

Achieving Accurate ADL’s

Achieving Accurate ADLs The MDS nurse faces challenges when ADL documentation is sparse or even conflicting.  Everyone wants accurate ADL’s, but how often do we fall short?  How have pandemic staffing issues affected ADL accuracy? The “Rule of...

MDS draft sends sector, states scrambling to assess effects

Joe Bush | Sept 7, 2022 | McKnights Long-term care facilities, staff and more than half the states in the US should start preparing immediately for extensive changes to the Minimum Data Set, resident assessment experts said this week. The Centers...

MDS Changes Raise Medicaid Payment Questions

Tim Mullaney | September 7, 2022 | Excerpted from Skilled Nursing News The removal of a key section from the Minimum Data Set (MDS) will have massive repercussions, particularly for the future of nursing home reimbursements by states. ... The fate...

Stars for Staffing

Updates to the Staffing Five Star CMS released revisions to the staffing methodology in July through an updated Design for Care Compare Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System: Technical Users’ Guide July 2022. The staffing star rating...

Disorganized Diagnoses

Disorganized Diagnoses in Section I Section I is often a source of inaccurate coding. Inaccurate coding may cause loss of reimbursement, poor quality ranking, and poor resident care. The RAI Manual describes active diagnoses as:...

What’s New from CMS?

WHAT’S NEW FROM CMS? As the world tries to find a new normal, long-term care (LTC) professionals are watching what changes will come down from various White House initiatives. These initiatives to improve nursing homes include: CMS modifications...

What’s up with the Five-Star Quality Rating System

What’s up with the Five-Star and Care Compare? The Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Quality Rating System was developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to assist residents and their families with information to “understand...

Pulling the MDS nurse to the Floor

Pulling the MDS nurse Onto the Floor: Minimum Nursing Staffing Levels CMS is now showing consumers staff turnover and weekend staffing levels on Nursing Home Care CompareThese added metrics show families the history of staffing levels and staff...

Are You Paying Attention to Resident Discharge?

Are you Paying Attention to Resident Discharge? CMS & OIG Are In 2017, CMS put into effect the final rule that focused on discharge planning for residents from the nursing home setting. From monitoring deficiencies data, we know some facilities...

OIG Report Cites Challenges

Top SNF Challenges from the OIG Report OIG released a report of the 2021 Top Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) is titled, “2021 Top...

COVID-19 Effects on Dementia

Known Impact of COVID-19 on Dementia Patients As we start to shift our attention to the long term effects that this pandemic has had on our residents, a key area of focus is dementia outcomes.  Early on, many quick decisions were made to protect...

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