News for MDS Experts
Check out our insightful articles and current social feed of news that’s important to MDS Coordinators.
Our Latest Articles
Keeping Up with Quality Measures in 2026
Quality measures (QM) that are driven by MDS data are currently utilized for long term care (LTC) facilities and skilled nursing facilities (SNF) in several ways. These QMs are publicly reported via...
The Latest in the Lineup: The Skilled Nursing Facility Validation Program
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) audits of skilled nursing facility (SNF) Minimum Data Set (MDS) data are nothing new. The MDS 3.0 was implemented in 2010, and in 2014 CMS piloted MDS...
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...
Annual therapy code list updates affect therapists (physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists), physicians, certain non-physician practitioners, and other providers billing Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) for therapy services. 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙪𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 (𝙍𝙏𝙈) 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙮:
● New codes
● Revised code descriptors
cstu.io/989e77
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Tuesday Tip 🎯
Long-stay antipsychotic use is one of the most closely watched Quality Measures in nursing homes.
In this week’s quick tip, we’re breaking down what the measure captures and how teams can use the data to spark safer, smarter quality discussions.
#TuesdayTip #QualityMeasures #AntipsychoticUse #LongTermCare #NursingHomes #MDSCoordinators #LTCCompliance #QAPI #ResidentCenteredCare ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
Our latest newsletter dropped today, and it’s all about staying ahead of Quality Measures as we head into 2026.
𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗽 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱:
📌 Falls with Major Injury (FMI) – CMS released the new Technical Specification Report, including methodology and testing results.
📌 MDS 3.0 QM User’s Manual v18.0 – Effective January 1, 2026, with updated QM specs and a Notable Changes section from v17.0.
📌 Five-Star Preview Reports – Available in iQIES starting December 1, 2025, with Nursing Home Care Compare updates on or around December 10.
We also shared our Winter Webinar lineup to help teams translate all of this into real-world planning for 2026.
⭐ Don’t miss our 12/9 webinar as we break down what’s changing and what it means for your QMs, Five-Star, and survey risk going into 2026.
👉 Catch today’s newsletter & register for a webinar: cstu.io/d0d185
#QualityMeasures #MDS30 #SNFQRP #SNFVBP #NursingHomes #LongTermCare #MDSConsultants #Webinar #NurseLeaders #SNFLeadership ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀, 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀
The Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) MDS Daily Census Report presents a daily count of active residents in a facility for the timeframe selected.
The MDS Daily Census Report has been enhanced, based on user feedback, to display summary data by default. The summary provides the census date and the corresponding census count. To generate the existing detailed version of the report which includes the active residents for each day identified by Resident Internal ID and the Target Date of the counted or qualifying Minimum Data Set (MDS) record, you can select the new “Include Details” checkbox on the Report Run page when requesting the report.
Please note that any links or bookmarks saved to the MDS Daily Census Report will no longer be functional as this new parameter has been added.
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𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄:
On This Day – December 5, 1987, The Nursing Home Reform Act, part of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (OBRA ’87), was enacted.
This landmark legislation transformed long-term care in the United States by setting national minimum standards of care and establishing resident rights in certified nursing facilities.
𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:
- Ensured every resident could “attain and maintain her highest practicable physical, mental, and psycho-social well-being.”
- Introduced swift enforcement mechanisms to address non-compliance.
- Led to a 50% reduction in restraint use, a drop in psychotropic drug use, and greater family/resident involvement in care planning.
- Elevated quality of life to equal standing with quality of medical care.
The Nursing Home Reform Act set a new national standard for dignity, safety, and accountability in long-term care, protections that continue to shape nursing home policy today.
#OnThisDay #LongTermCare #HealthcareHistory #ResidentRights #OBRA87 #ElderCare #QualityMeasures ... See MoreSee Less
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Happy Friday!
Quality isn’t a headline; it’s a habit.
Today, we’re taking a moment to appreciate the work that kept care safe and consistent all week.
#QualityInCare #LongTermCare #Gratitude #Teamwork #mdsconsultants ... See MoreSee Less
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𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗻?
Dec 9 | 11:00 a.m. ET
OIG work plans, MDS + QMs, top CMS deficiencies, and how to plan without burning out your team.
Our educators will walk through what’s coming and how to get ready.
𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱: Administrators, DONs, NACs/MDS Coordinators, Clinical Nurse Managers, IDT.
👉 Don’t see a Register button? This session is for MDS Experts members. Join MDS Experts to get access to all webinars.
cstu.io/8198d5
#LongTermCare #SNF #MDS #RAI #QMs #OIG #Compliance #Leadership #QAPI ... See MoreSee Less
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The Five-Star rating preview reports for nursing homes will be available in iQIES on December 1, 2025. Nursing Home Care Compare will update with the November/December Five-Star data on or around December 10, 2025.
cstu.io/281a55
Important Note: The Five-Star Helpline (800-839-9290) will be available December 1-5, 2025. For assistance logging into iQIES, please contact the iQIES Service Center via email (iQIES@cms.hhs.gov) or by phone (800-339-9313).
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The December 2025 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports 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).
These results will be used for the FY 2027 SNF VBP Program year scoring and incentive payment calculations that will take effect October 1, 2026. The data and results for the performance period for the FY 2027 SNF VBP Program year will be disseminated in the June 2026 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports. 𝙎𝙉𝙁𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙢𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝟯𝟬 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙡 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝟭, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.https://cstu.io/e895a5 ... See MoreSee Less
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