News for MDS Experts

In a report, the Office of Inspector General found that Medicare Part D improperly paid for drugs during Part A skilled nursing facility (SNF) stays. Drugs prescribed for a Part D-enrolled patient aren’t covered by Part D if Part A or Part B can pay for them.
Learn how to avoid improper payments. See the SNF Billing Reference educational tool to find out when to bill your patients prescription drugs to Part A, instead of their Part D drug plan.
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There’s a difference between learning the MDS… and actually working in it every day.

As an AAPACN Training Partner, we’re hosting the RAC-CT Certification Workshop this June — with a focus on how the RAI process shows up in real workflows.
From ARDs and scheduling to documentation, coding decisions, and PDPM impact, this workshop connects the material to what teams are navigating in practice.

Led by AAPACN Master Teacher Jessica Stucin, RN, BSN, LNHA, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA.

June 2–5, 2026
Virtual | 10:00 AM – 4:23 PM ET

If this is something you or your team have been considering, we’d love to have you join us.

👉 Details and registration: cstu.io/e7df40

#LongTermCare #SkilledNursing #NursingHome #PDPM #MDSCoordinator #HealthcareEducation #SNF #NurseLife #AAPACNTRAININGPARTNER #MDSEDUCATION ... See MoreSee Less

CMS and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response's Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (ASPR TRACIE) analyzed frequently cited emergency preparedness deficiencies. Visit the updated CMS Health Care Provider Guidance webpage for more information, 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 (𝙋𝘿𝙁). 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺, 𝗔𝗹𝗹-𝗛𝗮𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳, 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗣 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺.
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🚨𝟯/𝟭𝟯/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) have approved the control number for the Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-coverage (ABN) (CMS-R-131). The updated ABN is effective now and expires March 31, 2029. Providers may continue to use the expired version of the ABN until May 12, 2026, but must transition to the approved form no later than that date. The Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (ABN), Form CMS-R-131, is issued by providers (including independent laboratories, home health agencies, and hospices), physicians, practitioners, and suppliers to Original Medicare (fee for service - FFS) beneficiaries in situations where Medicare payment is expected to be denied. The ABN is issued in order to transfer potential financial liability to the Medicare beneficiary in certain instances.
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𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

With the April 2025 regulatory updates and the 2026 hybrid antipsychotic quality measure, facilities are expected to take a more structured, team-based approach to medication management.

Join us on April 7 for: Manage Psychoactive Medications to Reduce Survey Headaches (Part 1)

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻:
▪️Discuss the April 2025 regulatory updates
▪️Identify high risk psychoactive medications and indications per RAI guidelines
▪️Review elements of GDR compliance
▪️Gain strategies for monitoring psychoactive medications in SNF

This session will focus on practical application, documentation support, and team collaboration to strengthen your approach.

👥 Who should attend:
Administrators, Directors of Nursing Services, Nurse Assessment Coordinators, MDS Coordinators, Clinical Nurse Managers, and MDS Interdisciplinary Team members

👉 Register: cstu.io/fb564d

#LongTermCare #SNF #MDS #RegulatoryCompliance #SurveyReadiness #gdr #psychotropicmedications #NursingLeadership #HealthcareEducation ... See MoreSee Less

iQIES Survey and Certification Job Aid now has Tips and Tricks that reflect approved ways to complete work more efficiently and consistently that was posted on 3/20/2026. cstu.io/0a84c5
𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙏𝙞𝙥𝙨
𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙮𝙨
𝙒𝙖𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨
𝙄𝙄𝘿𝙍
𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙉𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚
𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨
𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝙌𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨
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iQIES has updated the Reports User Manual as Version 2.11 which was posted on 3/20/26.
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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