News for MDS Experts

The Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES) User Roles Matrix Job Aid Version 5.1 was updated on July 28, 2026. This update includes user roles for PBJ (Payroll-Based Journal), the PBJ View and the PBJ Submitter. Table 2 includes PBJ Roles and Privileges.
qtso.cms.gov/software/iqies/reference-manuals/?utm_source=contentstudio.io&utm_medium=referral ... See MoreSee Less

To: iQIES Users in Production
Due to scheduled maintenance, the internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) will be unavailable from Friday, August 14, 2026, at 8 PM ET to Monday, August 17, 2026, at 8 AM ET. All iQIES functionality, including Assessments, Survey & Certification, CLIA, Reports, Dashboards, and access to State views via the Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) will be disabled.
For additional assistance, email the iQIES Service Center at iqies@cms.https://cstu.io/c75ee5 or contact the iQIES Service Center at (800) 339-9313, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM–8:00 PM ET. You may also request assistance via secure chat or schedule a call through CCSQ Support Central. Please note that Chat support is currently limited to 9:00 AM-5:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday.
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Directors of Nursing, take the next step in your leadership journey!

MDS Consultants, an AAPACN Training Partner, is hosting a virtual Director of Nursing Services–Certified (DNS-CT®) workshop.

📅 October 20–23, 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m.–5:15 p.m. ET daily
💻 Live virtual instruction
🎓 22.5 CE credits
👩‍🏫 Taught by Barbara Bates, MSN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT and Linda Winston, RN, MSN, BS, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA

Registration includes four days of instruction, digital workshop materials, and access to all 10 certification exams.

Learn more and register: cstu.io/e24962

#dnsct #directorofnursing #NursingLeadership #LongTermCare #skillednursing #ProfessionalDevelopment #nurseleaders #AAPACN #MDSCONSULTANTS ... See MoreSee Less

𝗣𝗕𝗝 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀:
CMS has posted Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) resources for the internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) on the QIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) website. The links are provided below. You can find the iQIES Staffing Data Submission PBJ User Manual and the PBJ Error Message Reference Guide in the iQIES Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) Manuals topic under the Reference & Manuals section.
Available Resources:
iQIES Staffing Data Submission PBJ User Manual – Provides detailed explanations on how to upload PBJ files, review submission results, manage employee records, and manage staffing hours.
PBJ Error Message Reference Guide – Provides detailed explanations and troubleshooting guidance for PBJ system error messages.
PBJ Error Messages Spreadsheet – A downloadable spreadsheet for quick reference and filtering.
Links:
Provider: cstu.io/7a466a
Vendor: cstu.io/319b9a
iQIES Manuals: cstu.io/81767b
For additional assistance email the iQIES Service Center at iqies@cms.https://cstu.io/38f017 or contact the iQIES Service Center at (800) 339-9313, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM–8:00 PM ET. You may also request assistance via secure chat or schedule a call through CCSQ Support Central. Please note that Chat support is currently limited to 9:00 AM-5:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday. ... See MoreSee Less

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing notifications to Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and non-Critical Access Hospital (CAH) Swing Beds (SBs) that were determined to be out of compliance with SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for calendar year (CY) 2025 which will affect their fiscal year (FY) 2027 Annual Payment Update (APU). Non-compliance notifications will be placed in the facilities’ My Reports folders in the Internet Quality Improvement Evaluation System (iQIES) on August 5, 2026. Additionally, letters will be distributed by the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs). Facilities that receive a letter of non-compliance may submit a request for reconsideration to CMS via email no later than 11:59 pm, September 4, 2026. If you receive a notice of non-compliance and would like to request a reconsideration, see the instructions in your notification letter and on the SNF Quality Reporting Reconsideration and Exception & Extension webpage.
cstu.io/7501ca ... See MoreSee Less

📋 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀.

Join Jessica Stucin and Kristine Martinez at LeadingAge Ohio 2026 for an interactive session on turning resident assessments into meaningful, person-centered care plans.

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: 𝗧𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Learn practical strategies to connect the RAI process, Care Area Assessments (CAAs), and interdisciplinary collaboration to develop care plans that support resident goals, improve outcomes, and strengthen regulatory compliance.
📅 Wednesday, August 26, 2026
🕞 3:30 PM – 4:45 PM
📍 Juniper A

If you're attending LeadingAge Ohio, we'd love to see you there!

#LeadingAgeOhio #MDSConsultants #CarePlanning #PersonCenteredCare #RAI #MDS #CAA #InterdisciplinaryCare #LongTermCare #SkilledNursing #HealthcareEducation #ResidentOutcomes #SurveyReadiness ... See MoreSee Less

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆'𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴?

Quality Measures don't improve by chance, they improve through proactive planning, monitoring, and continuous review.

Join Jessica Stucin and Linda Winston as they share practical strategies to help your team identify opportunities early, strengthen Quality Measure management, and support better outcomes through effective QAPI/QAA processes.

📅 August 18, 2026

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁: 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆

Whether you're an Administrator, Director of Nursing, MDS Coordinator, Clinical Nurse Manager, or part of the MDS interdisciplinary team, you'll leave with practical strategies you can put into action right away.

📲 Scan the QR code on the flyer to register or join MDS Expert for access to this webinar and our growing library of educational resources.

👉 www.mdsexpert.com/webinars-training/?utm_source=contentstudio.io&utm_medium=referral/

#MDSExpert #MDSConsultants #QualityMeasures #QAPI #SkilledNursing #LongTermCare #MDS #SurveyReadiness #NurseAssessmentCoordinator #DirectorOfNursing #HealthcareEducation #SNF #QualityImprovement #PostAcuteCare👉 ... See MoreSee Less

Triple Check should not be the first time gaps are found.

A strong MDS process should connect documentation, coding, billing, therapy, nursing, diagnoses, skilled need, and care planning before claims are finalized.

Small process gaps can create bigger operational concerns.

#MDS #skillednursing #LongTermCare #PDPM #compliance #QualityMeasures #MDSCONSULTANTS ... See MoreSee Less

The August 2026 Performance Score Reports (PSRs) for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program are now available to download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES).
The FY 2027 SNF VBP Program year is the first to assess performance on eight quality measures rather than four measures, as part of an expansion of the SNF VBP Program. For the FY 2027 Program year, performance in the SNF VBP Program is based on performance across the following quality measures:
SNF 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure (SNFRM)
Skilled Nursing Facility Healthcare-Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalization (SNF HAI)
Discharge to Community—Post-Acute Care Measure for SNFs (DTC PAC SNF)
Number of Hospitalizations per 1,000 Long Stay Resident Days (Long Stay Hospitalization)
Total Nursing Staff Turnover (Nursing Staff Turnover)
Total Nurse Staffing Hours per Resident Day (Total Nurse Staffing)
Discharge Function Score for SNFs (Discharge Function Score)
Percent of Residents Experiencing One or More Falls with Major Injury (Long-Stay) (Falls with Major Injury (Long-Stay))
SNFs may submit requests for corrections to their performance score and ranking up to 30 days following this report being made available, until August 30, 2026.
cstu.io/668263 ... See MoreSee Less