News for MDS Experts
Check out our insightful articles and current social feed of news that’s important to MDS Coordinators.
Our Latest Articles
MDS Under Review: Building an Accurate, Reproducible, and Audit-Ready Assessment
History of MDS 3.0 Audits The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) audits of skilled nursing facility (SNF) Minimum Data Set (MDS) data are nothing new. The MDS is a Resident Assessment...
From Lag Time to Real Time: SNF QRP and SNF VBP Submission Deadline Updates
The 2027 SNF PPS Final Rule finalized CMS’s proposal to revise the submission deadlines for both the SNF QRP and SNF VBP programs. The change applies to MDS assessment data and CDC NHSN data...
Beyond the Dashboard: Using iQIES to Drive Quality and Compliance in SNFs
The Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program is a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) program that awards incentive payments to skilled nursing facilities...
The Five-Star rating preview reports for nursing homes will be available in iQIES on October 21, 2026. Nursing Home Care Compare will update with the October Five-Star data on or around October 28, 2026.
Important Note: The Five-Star Helpline (800-839-9290) will be available October 26-30, 2026. For assistance logging into iQIES, please contact the iQIES Service Center via email (iQIES@cms.https://cstu.io/5b48b4) or by phone (800-339-9313).
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𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?
Leadership shows up in a lot of ways—through knowledge, support, problem-solving, teamwork and a commitment to getting it right.
Help us reach the professionals who deserve to be recognized.
Tag an MDS professional or nursing leader below, or share this post with someone you think should be part of The Faces of MDS Leadership 2027.Then encourage them to share their story with us!
📅 Submissions are open through November 30, 2026.
👉 cstu.io/ff2908/
#facesofmdsleadership #MDSLeadership #MDSCoordinator #NursingLeadership #longtermcare #MDSConsultants ... See MoreSee Less
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✅Training & Resources for Skilled Nursing Facilities
cstu.io/cb416b
Current Skilled Nursing Facilities PEPPER User Guide (FY 2025 Release, September 2026) and Training Materials.
-Webinar recording
-Webinar slides
-Webinar transcript
-Webinar questions and answers ... See MoreSee Less
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The CMS iQIES Survey & Certification Job Aid - The job aid captures Tips and Tricks for iQIES that reflect approved ways to complete work more efficiently and consistently.
- General Tips
- Surveys
- Waivers
- IIDR
- Past Noncompliance (PNC)
- Intakes
- Common Questions
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Linda Winston, RN, MSN, BS, DNS‑MT, QCP‑MT, RAC‑CT, RAC‑CTA, continues to shape long‑term care through her teaching, consulting, and mentorship. Her dedication to lifelong learning shows how investing in yourself as a leader strengthens those who follow.
MDS Consultants is grateful for her ongoing contributions and the expertise she continues to share with DONs and nurse leaders nationwide.
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#longtermcare #postacutecare #directorofnursing #professionaldevelopment #aapacn | AAPACN
cstu.io
The impact of professional development doesn’t end when a nurse leader steps away from the DON role. Linda Winston, RN, MSN, BS, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, is a retired DON and Master Teacher ...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴!
Make time to invest in your own professional growth and take the next step in your nursing leadership journey.
Join us for the upcoming DNS-CT® Certification Virtual Workshop:
📅 October 20–23, 2026
⏰ 10:00 a.m.–5:15 p.m. ET
💻 Virtual
🎓 22.5 CE credits
Registration includes four days of live instruction, digital workshop materials, and access to all 10 certification exams.
Scan the QR code to learn more and register today!
#dnsct #registertoday #DirectorOfNursing #NursingLeadership #longtermcare #SkilledNursing #ProfessionalDevelopment #AAPACN #MDSConsultants ... See MoreSee Less
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📢The LTCSP Procedure Guide (PG) and Risk Based Survey (RBS) PG has been updated along with the revised LTCSP Initial Pool (RR, RRI, RR) and LTCSP mapping document. cstu.io/e709d6
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An update to the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document is now available. This document has been updated to reflect the finalized policies for the SNF QRP in Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 and includes other useful resources available to providers.
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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/bafdc1 and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the January 2027 refresh.
𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲: The following two measures have been removed from SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) public reporting effective with the January 2027 refresh:
COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP)
COVID-19 Vaccine: Percent of Patients/Residents Who Are Up to Date
Provider Preview Reports for the January 2027 refresh include:
Assessment-based measures based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 2, 2025 through Quarter 1, 2026.
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 Discharge to Community and Potentially Preventable 30-Day Post-Discharge Readmission measures based on data from Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2025.
The annual refresh of the Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary measure based on data from Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2025.
The SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) measure based on data from Quarter 4, 2024 through Quarter 3, 2025.
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟭𝟰, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮.
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