News for MDS Experts
Check out our insightful articles and current social feed of news that’s important to MDS Coordinators.
Our Latest Articles
How the MDS is Utilized During the Survey Process
Have you ever wondered how the survey team determines which residents they will focus on during a standard survey in the skilled nursing facility/long term care facility (SNF/LTC)? The answers...
Fall MDS Updates are Here!
October 1 is typically when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) institutes changes to the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) and Minimum Data Set (MDS) – and this year is no...
Medicaid PDPM Is Coming: What Skilled Nursing Facilities Need to Know
Beginning October 1, 2025, many nursing homes will adopt a new reimbursement model for Medicaid residents: the Patient-Driven Payment Model, or Medicaid PDPM. While PDPM has been in place for...
𝗜𝗖𝗗-𝟭𝟬 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗜 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗗𝗦!
Your diagnosis codes also impact:
➡️Section J – Pain management
➡️ Section GG – Functional scoring & PDPM case-mix
➡️ Section O – Validates special treatments
Accurate ICD-10 coding = accurate reimbursement & care planning.
𝗜𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱?
Let us help you sharpen your strategy.
#ICD10 #MDSCoding #PDPM #SkilledNursing #LongTermCare #NursingLeadership #MDSConsultants #MDSAccuracy #LTCCompliance ... See MoreSee Less
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Tuesday Tip: Myth vs. Reality—3 fast ways to stop MDS miscoding from haunting your survey.
✅ Timely, discipline-appropriate documentation
✅ Dx specificity + function drive categories
✅ GG is an IDT responsibility
#MDS #SNF #LTC #compliance #qapi #PDPM ... See MoreSee Less
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🎃 Ghost Stories: The Haunting Tales of MDS Miscoding — Members-Only Replay
𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲?
The replay is exclusive to MDS Consultants members. In this session, we cover why MDS accuracy is a regulatory requirement and how miscoding can trigger citations beyond the assessment—care plans, quality of care, even behavioral health—escalating to civil penalties or immediate jeopardy.
𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼:
• Understand RAI requirements and keep assessments accurate
• Spot frequently identified MDS errors and their impact on residents/facilities
• Apply practical strategies to prevent and mitigate miscoding to protect data integrity & compliance
Trainer: Kristine Martinez, RN, BSN, DNS-CT, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, QCP
Who should attend: Administrators, Regional Directors, DONs, NACs/MDS Coordinators, and the IDT
Not a member? Upgrade to unlock this replay and all member benefits.
✨ Join now →https://www.mdsexpert.com/membership/
#MDS #SNF #LTC #PDPM #MedicaidPDPM #QAPI #Compliance #SurveyReadiness #NurseLeaders ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗢𝗰𝘁 𝟮𝟴 | 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 👻
MDS accuracy is a regulatory requirement. Inaccurate assessments can lead to citations, affect care plans, quality of care, and behavioral health, and result in civil penalties. This webinar reviews commonly miscoded MDS data elements and ways to avoid these errors.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:
- Regulatory requirements for the RAI process and accurate assessments
- Frequently identified MDS errors and their impact
- Strategies to prevent and mitigate MDS coding errors
𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱: Administrators, Regional Directors, Directors of Nursing Services, Nurse Assessment Coordinators, MDS Coordinators, and MDS Interdisciplinary Team members.
𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿: Kristine Martinez, RN, BSN, DNS-CT, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, QCP
👉 Register to receive your personal login link.
cstu.io/2aa1ec
#MDS #longtermcare #SNF #NursingLeadership #Rai #SurveyReadiness ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆.
May your to-do list be short, be light, your census stable, and your weekend plans intact.
You’ve got this. 🙌
#SNF #NursingLeadership #MDSLife ... See MoreSee Less
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🚨 ICD-10 Accuracy = PDPM Integrity
Did you know? The Primary Diagnosis in I0020B drives the PDPM clinical category, but it must be supported by:
✔ Physician documentation
✔ Active condition relevance
✔ RAI guidelines (Chapter 3)
✔ No “symptom codes”
If it's not clinically supported, it doesn’t belong on the MDS.
Accuracy protects compliance and your reimbursement.
Need a diagnosis review process? We can help.
📩 Contact us to learn more.
cstu.io/9c26b7 ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗥𝗘𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗘𝗗: Contingency Plans – State Survey & Certification Activities in the Event of Federal Government Shutdown, QSO Ref: QSO-26-01-ALL. Released 10/21/2025. cstu.io/d315ab ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗚𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁? 🧭
Per the RAI User’s Manual, the ICD-10 code in I0020B should reflect the primary reason for the resident’s SNF stay during the look-back, not a historical or resolved condition.
Code active conditions only, those evaluated, monitored, or treated and supported in the record.
👉 Need help tightening your process? Schedule a brief consultation to review your I0020B approach.
#MDS #ICD10 #RAI #SNF #Compliance #DataIntegrity ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗢𝗰𝘁 𝟮𝟴 | 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 👻
MDS accuracy is a regulatory requirement. Inaccurate assessments can lead to citations, affect care plans, quality of care, and behavioral health, and result in civil penalties. This webinar reviews commonly miscoded MDS data elements and ways to avoid these errors.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:
- Regulatory requirements for the RAI process and accurate assessments
- Frequently identified MDS errors and their impact
- Strategies to prevent and mitigate MDS coding errors
𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱: Administrators, Regional Directors, Directors of Nursing Services, Nurse Assessment Coordinators, MDS Coordinators, and MDS Interdisciplinary Team members.
𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿: Kristine Martinez, RN, BSN, DNS-CT, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, QCP
👉 Register to receive your personal login link.
cstu.io/2aa1ec
#MDS #longtermcare #SNF #NursingLeadership #Rai #SurveyReadiness ... See MoreSee Less
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