News for MDS Experts
Check out our insightful articles and current social feed of news that’s important to MDS Coordinators.
Our Latest Articles
From Orders to Action: Aligning Care Plans and Psychotropic Medications
Critical Element Pathways (CEPs) are tools in the Long-Term Care State Operations Manual (SOM) that are developed by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and utilized by surveyors along with...
F641 in Plain English – How Interview Accuracy Protects Your CMI
When surveyors look at MDS accuracy, they’re not just checking boxes – they’re looking at whether the assessment truly reflects the resident. F641 holds the interdisciplinary team and nursing...
From Coding to Compliance: Avoiding Pitfalls in the 2026 MDS Landscape
With the numerous regulatory bodies that govern long term care (LTC) and skilled nursing facilities (SNF), it is easy to feel like there is no end to the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) and...
iQIES has updated the Reports User Manual as Version 2.11 which was posted on 3/20/26.
cstu.io/c3c2e6
cstu.io/e5b4fc ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Still feeling the groove from AAPACN Conference 🪩
Despite the weather trying to shut things down, it was still great connecting with so many of you—both at the booth and at the disco party.
Between the conversations and the energy at the conference, one thing is clear—facilities are continuing to work through the real impact of PDPM, documentation alignment, and reimbursement accuracy.
At the booth, we featured our PDPM Scorecard, and the response was incredible. It sparked a lot of great conversations around strategy, accuracy, and opportunities many teams are still working through.
If you’re currently navigating PDPM or documentation challenges, we’re always open to connecting and talking through it.
💡 Sometimes a quick conversation brings more clarity than a report ever could.
Also, for those looking to strengthen their processes, we’ll be hosting an upcoming QCP (QAPI Certified Professional) Workshop:
📅 April 14–17, 2026
🕛 12:00 – 4:15 PM ET
👩⚕️ Led by Linda Winston & Barb Bates
🌐 cstu.io/a0a6c1
Happy to share more details if you’re interested.
Looking forward to continuing the conversations started this week.
#AAPACN #MDS #PDPM #LongTermCare #SNF #HealthcareLeadership ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
🎉 We’re kicking off our 2026 Education Year with AAPACN!
MDS Consultants is proud to begin our 2026 education year as an AAPACN Training Partner, starting with the QAPI Certified Professional (QCP®) Workshop in April 2026.
This nationally recognized workshop is designed to help facilities move beyond compliance and strengthen meaningful QAPI programs that truly impact resident care.
📅 QCP® | April 14–17, 2026
🖥️ Virtual | Eastern Time
🎓 15 Continuing Education Credits
🔗 Register at cstu.io/5568d2
Follow us for additional AAPACN certification opportunities throughout 2026.
#AAPACN #AAPACNTrainingPartner #QCP #QAPI #MDSConsultants #SNFEducation #LongTermCare #NurseLeadership #Compliance #QualityImprovement ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
"Careers in Aging Month is dedicated to bringing greater awareness and visibility to the wide-ranging career opportunities in long term care and aging services, and to celebrate current employees in the profession." Let's celebrate our certified nursing assistants, nurses, activity professionals, social workers, therapy services, dining staff, housekeeping, and administrative staff with careers in aging.
cstu.io/485e08 ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
🚨CMS hosted an PBJ Technical informational Call for Software Vendors and Developers on Thursday, February 26, 2026. Please see the attached minutes.
cstu.io/c18118 ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔!
MDS Consultants is excited to both present and exhibit at this year’s PADONA Conference — and we can’t wait to connect with you.
🎤 Jessica Stucin, RN, RAC-MT, DNS-MT, QCP-MT
Director of Education
🎤 Kristine Martinez, RN, RAC-CT
Assistant Director of Education
𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:
“GG Done Right: Building a Process That Works”
Section GG accuracy continues to impact reimbursement, quality measures, and survey outcomes. In this session, Jessica and Kristine will walk through practical strategies to build a sustainable, interdisciplinary process that supports both compliance and resident-centered care.
📍 Visit us at Booth #70
Stop by to connect with our team and pick up a complimentary Functional Abilities Tool to help strengthen your Section GG processes and support your interdisciplinary team.
We look forward to seeing you at PADONA!
#PADONA #SectionGG #MDS #LongTermCare #SkilledNursing #PDPM #MDSConsultants ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
The Five-Star rating preview reports for nursing homes were made available in iQIES on March 19, 2026. Nursing Home Care Compare will update with the March Five-Star data on or around March 25, 2026.
Important Note: The Five-Star Helpline (800-839-9290) will be available March 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).https://cstu.io/9f3d06 ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Spring Cleaning… but for Documentation 🌷
Spring is a good reminder that sometimes documentation needs a little cleanup too.
A few quick things facilities may want to review:
• Are care plans reflecting the resident’s current status?
• Does documentation support the coded MDS items?
• Are disciplines documenting consistently across the IDT?
• Are older notes still being copied forward when they shouldn’t be?
Just like spring cleaning at home, small updates can make a big difference.
Clear documentation helps the entire team —and tells the resident’s story the way it should.
#LongTermCare #MDS #SNFLeadership #DocumentationMatters #MDSCONSULTANTS #MDSEDUCATION ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
🎉 We’re kicking off our 2026 Education Year with AAPACN!
MDS Consultants is proud to begin our 2026 education year as an AAPACN Training Partner, starting with the QAPI Certified Professional (QCP®) Workshop in April 2026.
This nationally recognized workshop is designed to help facilities move beyond compliance and strengthen meaningful QAPI programs that truly impact resident care.
📅 QCP® | April 14–17, 2026
🖥️ Virtual | Eastern Time
🎓 15 Continuing Education Credits
🔗 Register at cstu.io/5568d2
Follow us for additional AAPACN certification opportunities throughout 2026.
#AAPACN #AAPACNTrainingPartner #QCP #QAPI #MDSConsultants #SNFEducation #LongTermCare #NurseLeadership #Compliance #QualityImprovement ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook