News Archives - MDS Consultants

One of the requirements of payment is a valid Physicians Certification for Medicare part A services. If SNF certifications and re-certifications are not completed and signed following CMS regulations, then the facility is at risk of losing payment for an entire claim period. Is your facility compliant with Physicians’ certifications for Medicare services? According to…

The transition from Nursing Home Compare to Care Compare and unexpected Five Star Quality Rating updates brought disappointment to some Skilled Nursing Facilities. Due to the public health emergency (PHE), the rating system’s three domains had previously been held constant. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Five Star Quality Rating system…

It’s a dreary Monday morning, and the state surveyors walk into your facility to conduct a Focused Infection Control survey. You and your team have been trying your hardest to comply with infection control procedures throughout the pandemic. At the end of the survey, you are issued several citations and the state is requiring the…

In late June, CMS addressed two issues and posted MDS 3.0 Final Item Sets (V1.17.2). The two edits were changes to facilitate the calculation of Patient-Driven Payment Model payment codes on OBRA assessments for states that wish to have this calculation performed. These two edits will be revised and go into production on October 1,…

By Caralyn Davis, Staff Writer – July 07, 2020 Full article available to Members at https://www.aanac.org/ The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) makes clear in the title of MDS section GG (Usual Performance and Goals) that the assessment subitems in items GG0130 (Self-Care) and GG0170 (Mobility) are designed to capture a resident’s usual ability or…

The Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) is here, and even well-prepared organizations are uncertain about precisely what the future will hold for this new system of reimbursement for nursing home care. To gain some insights on staffing in the world of PDPM, InFront talked to Melanie Tribe-Scott and Gloria Brent from MDS Consultants during last…

By Caralyn Davis, Staff Writer Excerpted from: https://www.aanac.org/Information/LTC-Leader-Newsletter/post/7-baseline-care-plan-myths/2018-01-24 Baseline care plans have been required since late November 2017, but nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and other interdisciplinary team (IDT) members are still navigating through a lot of misinformation to learn the rules of the road for F655 (Baseline Care Plans) as detailed in Appendix PP of…

When it comes to the Minimum Data Set, accuracy can be the defining factor in whether a facility keeps its doors open, thrives or ends up facing federal indictment. Whether providers are looking to ensure they can afford to provide the proper care their residents need or to maintain a five-star quality rating, the information…

The conventional wisdom for improving Activities for Daily Living is to educate and re-educate and then educate again. This is important, but I look at ADL capture as a process that requires audits and examining systems. Every process has gaps that can be narrowed or even closed. Usually 80% of ADL capturing problems are caused…

While this autumn won’t bring nearly as many MDS changes as last year, documentation and coding due-diligence remains crucial. And despite coordinators’ knowledge and leadership role in the MDS process, they shouldn’t be shouldering the responsibility alone, experts say. “Any discipline that contributes to the MDS should understand the ‘tell me more’ about the MDS…

News

SNF Physician Certifications for Medical Review

Five-Star Preview: Not All Good News

Focused Infection Control Surveys and Directed Plan of Correction

Medicaid Changes Coming in October 2020

Section GG: Assessing Usual Performance During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Staffing in the World of PDPM

7 Baseline Care Plan Myths

One section at a time

Another way to capture ADLs

Success without silos