News for MDS Experts

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟬 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲.
Is your care plan truly reflecting the resident’s real-time status?

📅 March 12, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM (Virtual)

Join Jessica Stucin, RN, BSN, LNHA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, QCP and Linda Winston, RN, BS, MSN, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT of MDS Consultants for:
📝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 — 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻?

Care plan deficiencies remain a persistent survey concern — from timeliness of updates to lack of person-centered documentation.
At any given moment, the care plan should be a snapshot of the resident — reflecting current infections, changes in condition, falls, psychosocial needs, strengths, goals, and interventions.

If it’s not real time… it’s not accurate.

𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹:
✔ Review key regulatory expectations related to care planning
✔ Discuss how to capture real-time resident status and interventions
✔ Develop a QAPI-driven approach to monitoring care plan accuracy

👥 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱:
MDS Nurses, Directors of Nursing, Administrators, Nurse Managers, Social Workers, and Interdisciplinary Team Members

🎓 𝟭.𝟱 𝗥𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗛𝗔 𝗖𝗘𝗨𝘀 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

Care planning isn’t just compliance — it’s the clinical story of the resident.

Join us and ensure your care plans reflect the care actually being delivered.

👉: cstu.io/97d985

#CarePlanning #MDS #LongTermCare #SNFLeadership #SurveyReadiness #QAPI #LTCCompliance #RIHCA ... See MoreSee Less

Happy Friday ☀️

As you wrap up the week, here’s a quick thought:
If someone opened one of your care plans right now…
Would it reflect today’s resident — or last month’s version?

Real-time documentation isn’t about perfection. It’s about keeping the resident's story current.

Have a great weekend, everyone 💚

#MDSTRAINING #MDSEDUCATION #LongTermCare #MDS #CarePlanning #SNFLeadership #FridayThoughts #MDSCONSULTANTS ... See MoreSee Less

Pharmaceutical services are an integral part of the care required to meet the needs of each nursing home resident. Nursing homes must provide pharmaceutical services (including procedures that assure the accurate acquiring, receiving, dispensing, and administering of all drugs). Nursing homes are also required to: (1) store all drugs in locked compartments; (2) permit only authorized personnel to have access to the keys to secured areas; and (3) provide separately locked, permanently affixed compartments for storage of Schedule II controlled drugs. State survey agencies cited almost half of nursing homes nationwide for pharmaceutical services deficiencies during recent complaint and standard health inspections. If effective systems and procedures to ensure the safe and effective use of medications are not implemented, over 157,000 nursing home residents who receive opioids could be at risk for overuse, misuse, or diversion. We will determine whether selected State agencies ensured that nursing homes: (1) complied with Federal and State pharmacy service requirements to prevent the overuse of opioids by Medicaid and Medicare residents and (2) implemented effective internal controls to prevent the misuse or diversion of opioids.
cstu.io/f8448d ... See MoreSee Less

The Five-Star rating preview reports for nursing homes were available in iQIES on February 19, 2026. Nursing Home Care Compare will update with the February Five-Star data on or around February 25, 2026. Login to iQIES to access the Five Star reports.
Important Note: The Five-Star Helpline (800-839-9290) will be available February 23-27, 2026. For assistance logging into iQIES, please contact the iQIES Service Center via email (iQIES@cms.hhs.gov) or by phone (800-339-9313).
cstu.io/e454a5 ... See MoreSee Less

CMS will host a Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) Technical Informational call for vendors and software developers on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 1pm ET.
Please register here to attend the call:
cstu.io/193877

This technical information call will cover topics such as:
- PBJ Data Specifications
- QIES System Updates
- Submitted Questions & Answers

The PBJ Data Specifications V4.10.0 effective after March 22, 2026 are posted on the CMS web site at: cstu.io/fe8525. Attendees may submit questions to the iQIES@cms.hhs.gov. Please include "PBJ TECH CALL" in the subject line. Questions must be e-mailed prior to 6:00 pm ET on Monday, February 23, 2026.

***** CMS strongly recommends that all PBJ vendors and software developers attend this call. *****

If you have any questions about the information above, please contact the iQIES Service Center by email at iqies@cms.hhs.gov or by phone at 1-800-339-9313.
cstu.io/3039ef ... See MoreSee Less

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝟭 & 𝟮 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗛𝗖𝗔 𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟱–𝟮𝟲.

This comprehensive introduction to MDS 3.0 is designed for MDS Coordinators and interdisciplinary team members who want to strengthen assessment scheduling, PDPM understanding, CAA processes, and reimbursement compliance.

Kristine Martinez and Jessica Stucin will guide participants through core MDS data elements, OBRA/PPS scheduling, Medicare basics, and PDPM components — with practical application throughout.

This is a live-only program.
Registration and details: cstu.io/648622

#SNFLife #LongTermCare #MDSExpert #NurseEducation #ADAYINTHELIFEOFANMDSCOORDINATOR #MDSTRAINING ... See MoreSee Less

We’re looking forward to being at AAPACN this year.

Across multiple states, we’re continuing to see facilities work through PDPM refinements, documentation alignment challenges, and reimbursement trends that warrant closer attention.

If you’re attending, stop by Booth 314 to:
• Pick up a complimentary PDPM Score Card
• Talk through a documentation or coding concern
• Compare approaches to PDPM strategy

📍 Booth 314

We look forward to connecting.

#AAPACN #PDPM #MDS #LongTermCare #SNFLeadership #MDSCONSULTANTS #MDSSUPPORT #MDSTRAININGANDEDUCATION ... See MoreSee Less

𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀. 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱. 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱. 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗱.

If Section J has felt a little unclear lately, you’re not alone.
Tomorrow, we’re breaking it down.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗖𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗠𝘆𝘁𝗵𝘀, 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
📅 February 24

We’ll walk through:
• The updated fall definition
• What truly qualifies as a “major” fall
• Injury coding updates
• Intercepted falls & pathological fractures
• The impact on your Quality Measures
• Practical strategies to strengthen documentation and prevention processes

If falls have been triggering questions in your building — this conversation may be worth being part of.

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗝.

Register to receive your personal login link:
cstu.io/edb246

𝗟𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗝 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻.
#MDSConsultants #MDSCoding #SectionJ #LongTermCare #SNFLeadership #QualityMeasures #FallPrevention #RAIManual #MDSExpert ... See MoreSee Less