News for MDS Experts

The Five-Star rating preview reports for nursing homes will be available in iQIES on July 22, 2026. Nursing Home Care Compare will update with the July Five-Star data on or around July 29, 2026.

Important Note: The Five-Star Helpline (800-839-9290) will be available July 27-31, 2026. For assistance logging into iQIES, please contact the iQIES Service Center via email (iQIES@cms.https://cstu.io/a1ca94) or by phone (800-339-9313).
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👀 Are you seeing the full picture?

Quality Measures are only one piece of the story.

Understanding how iQIES data, Quality Measures, and facility performance work together can help your team identify opportunities before they become survey concerns.

Join us for the final session in our Quality Measures Series as we connect the dots between data, resident outcomes, and performance improvement.

𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: 𝗶𝗤𝗜𝗘𝗦, 𝗤𝗠𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗡𝗙 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲

📅 August 4, 2026

Register today at: www.mdsexpert.com/webinars-training/?utm_source=contentstudio.io&utm_medium=referral/

#LongTermCare #SkilledNursing #MDS #QualityMeasures #iQIES #SurveyReadiness #QAPI ... See MoreSee Less

🎬 Lights. Camera. FHCA!

The spotlight is almost on, and we can't wait to see everyone at the FHCA Annual Conference!

Stop by Booth #119 and step into the Spotlight on Excellence with the MDS Consultants team.

While you're there, pick up your complimentary QAPI & Regulatory Implementation Log—a practical tool designed to help organize regulatory activities, track QAPI initiatives, and support survey readiness. It's something you can take back to your facility and start using Monday morning.

Whether you want to talk MDS, Quality Measures, compliance, education, or just say hello, we'd love the opportunity to connect.

🎥 The credits don't have to roll when the conference ends! Stay connected with us through MDS Experts for webinars, educational resources, and practical tools to support your team all year long.

cstu.io/de6734

🎬 See you Sunday at Booth #119!

#FHCA #FHCA2026 #LongTermCare #SkilledNursing #MDS #QAPI #SurveyReadiness #MDSExperts ... See MoreSee Less

We love having the opportunity to share education with the long-term care community. ❤️

Congratulations to Jessica Stucin and Kristine Martinez on their latest article in the AAPACN NAC Newsletter: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

As an AAPACN Business Partner, we're grateful for the opportunity to contribute educational content that supports long-term care professionals and encourages best practices across the industry.

The full article is available in the AAPACN NAC Newsletter for AAPACN members: cstu.io/ba7ddb

#AAPACN #LongTermCare #SkilledNursing #MDS #ResidentCare #LongTermCareEducation #ClinicalEducation #QualityImprovement ... See MoreSee Less

The QSO-26-12-NH released on 7/14/2026 announced that the payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system will transition into the Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES) on August 17, 2026, and providers and vendors must act now to ensure access to iQIES before the transition date. The QSO has steps for providers and vendors listed -𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗤𝗜𝗘𝗦. Also included is a list of reports that will be available in iQIES, including the names of the CASPER and iQIES reports for comparison, as well as any differences to which users should be aware.
www.cms.gov/medicare/health-safety-standards/quality-safety-oversight-general-information/policy-... ... See MoreSee Less

The OIG (Office of Inspector General) announced this new work plan on 7/15/2026 and this review will determine Medicare payments for routine home care provided to hospice beneficiaries in nursing homes, estimate potential cost savings from reducing the payment to address the inefficiency in the payment structure, and examine practices of hospices with a high percentage of their beneficiaries in nursing homes.
oig.hhs.gov/reports/work-plan/browse-work-plan-projects/the-fixed-daily-rates-that-medicare-pays-... ... See MoreSee Less

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 cstu.io/850704 and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the October 2026 refresh. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟰, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮. Access reports through iQIES in My Reports.
Provider Preview Reports for the October 2026 refresh include:
Assessment-based measures based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 1, 2025 through Quarter 4, 2025.
The COVID-19 Vaccine: Percent of Residents Who Are Up to Date measure based on data from Quarter 4, 2025.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel measure based on data from Quarter 4, 2025 through Quarter 1, 2026.
The CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure based on data from Quarter 4, 2025.
The Discharge to Community and Potentially Preventable 30-Day Post-Discharge Readmission measures based on data from Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2025.
The Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary measure based on data from Quarter 4, 2022 to Quarter 3, 2024. Due to delays in the availability of CMS claims data, this measure will not be updated in October 2026 as scheduled. Updated provider measure scores (Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2025) will be released with the January 2027 Care Compare refresh.
The SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) measure based on data from Quarter 4, 2024 through Quarter 3, 2025.
www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/snf-quality-reporting-program/public-reporting ... See MoreSee Less

The OIG (Office of Inspector General) will be conducting a nationwide analysis to determine the extent of antipsychotic drug use among Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes, including the extent to which those beneficiaries had a dementia diagnosis. The work plan was announced on 6/29/26.
oig.hhs.gov/reports/work-plan/browse-work-plan-projects/nationwide-analysis-of-antipsychotic-drug... ... See MoreSee Less

Every MDS matters. Every Quality Measure counts. Every ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐tells a story.

Join MDS Consultants on July 21 for Part 5 of our Quality Measures Series and discover how Quality Measures influence Five-Star Ratings, reimbursement, and survey success.

Whether you're an Administrator, DON, MDS Coordinator, or part of the interdisciplinary team, this session will provide practical insights you can put into practice immediately.
✨ Better understanding.
✨ Better outcomes.
✨ Better ratings.

#FiveStar #QualityMeasures #MDS #SNF #LongTermCare #HealthcareEducation #MDSConsultants ... See MoreSee Less