News for MDS Experts

The Skilled Nursing Facility Data Process: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS) has been updated again!
"𝘔𝘋𝘚 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 (𝘙𝘈𝘐) 𝘜𝘴𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘋𝘚 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘝𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦. 𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙈𝘿𝙎 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨, 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙, 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙈𝘿𝙎 𝙘𝙤𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙧 𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨."
cstu.io/c16252
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𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿!

The virtual AAPACN Resident Assessment Coordinator—Certified (RAC-CT®) Certification Workshop begins November 10.

Join Jessica Stucin for four days of instruction focused on MDS coding, RAI requirements, care planning, Quality Measures, Five-Star, Medicare Part A, ICD-10-CM, and managing PDPM in the SNF.

Registration includes 22.5 continuing education hours and access to all 10 certification exams.

📅 November 10–13, 2026
💻 Virtual
Register today: cstu.io/93a5c8/

#RACT #MDSCoordinator #MDS3 #PDPM #SkilledNursing #NursingEducation #MDSConsultants

Cancellation Policy: The Parties are not responsible for any fees incurred due to cancellations or postponements. Participant cancellations must be submitted in writing via email to workshops@AAPACN.org. Participants who are unable to attend may send a substitute in their place. Cancellations received more than thirty (30) business days prior to the start date of the workshop will receive a full refund. Cancellations received fourteen to thirty (14–30) business days prior to the start date of the workshop will receive a full refund, minus a two-hundred-and-fifty-dollar ($250.00) processing fee, of which two-hundred and twenty-five dollars ($225.00) is paid to Training Partner and twenty-five dollars ($25.00) is paid to Association. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received thirteen (13) business days or less prior to the start date of the Training Workshop except for emergencies or a visit from state surveyors. State surveyors must be present in the participant’s building in order for the participant to receive a refund. Neither party shall issue a refund for any participant’s withdrawal due to weather unless the Training Workshop is cancelled. ... See MoreSee Less

Small MDS gaps can become bigger operational concerns.

MDS issues do not always start as major problems. Sometimes they begin as small workflow gaps, missed communication, unsupported coding, delayed follow-up, or documentation that does not fully connect to the assessment.

Over time, those small gaps can affect reimbursement, quality measures, care planning, Triple Check, and survey readiness.

A strong MDS process helps the team catch concerns early, before they become harder to correct.

#MDS #SkilledNursing #longtermcare #PDPM #compliance #QualityMeasures #MDSConsultants ... See MoreSee Less

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝘀:
-Assessment-based measures reflecting data submitted by SNFs to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from Quarter 1, 2025 through Quarter 4, 2025.
- The Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel measure reflecting data from Quarter 4, 2025 through Quarter 1, 2026.
-The CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure and COVID-19 Vaccine: Percent of Residents Who Are Up to Date measure reflecting data from Quarter 4, 2025.
- The Potentially Preventable 30-Day Post-Discharge Readmission and Discharge to Community claims-based measures reflecting data from Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2025.
- The Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary measure based on data from Quarter 4, 2022 to Quarter 3, 2024. Due to delays in the availability of CMS claims data, this measure will not be updated in October 2026 as scheduled. Updated provider measure scores (Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2025) will be released with the January 2027 Care Compare refresh.
- The SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) measure reflects data from Quarter 4, 2024 through Quarter 3, 2025.

Please visit the compare tool on cstu.io/5ecbf9 and PDC to view the updated quality data. For questions about SNF QRP Public Reporting, please email SNFQRPPRQuestions@cms.https://cstu.io/620ec6. ... See MoreSee Less

2027 is right around the corner! Are you ready for what's ahead in skilled nursing?

Join the MDS Consultants Education Team on November 17 at 11 AM ET for Looking to 2027.

We'll discuss the FY 2027 Final Rule, OIG work plans, SNF/NF audits, MDS and Quality Measures, the nation's top 10 deficiencies, and strategies for navigating the year ahead.

Register here: cstu.io/2064d3/

#MDSConsultants #SkilledNursing #MDS #QualityMeasures #LongTermCare #NursingHomeEducation #SNF ... See MoreSee Less

𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗡 𝗥𝗔𝗖-𝗖𝗧® 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽!

If you complete, review, or oversee the MDS process, this workshop is an opportunity to strengthen your knowledge and work toward the nationally recognized RAC-CT credential.

📅 November 10–13, 2026
💻 Virtual
🎓 Led by Jessica Stucin
📚 22.5 continuing education hours
✅ Access to all 10 certification exams

Reserve your seat: cstu.io/27f78a/

#RACT #MDSCoordinator #MDSProfessionals #ResidentAssessment #PDPM #LongTermCare #MDSConsultants

Cancellation Policy: The Parties are not responsible for any fees incurred due to cancellations or postponements. Participant cancellations must be submitted in writing via email to workshops@AAPACN.org. Participants who are unable to attend may send a substitute in their place. Cancellations received more than thirty (30) business days prior to the start date of the workshop will receive a full refund. Cancellations received fourteen to thirty (14–30) business days prior to the start date of the workshop will receive a full refund, minus a two-hundred-and-fifty-dollar ($250.00) processing fee, of which two-hundred and twenty-five dollars ($225.00) is paid to Training Partner and twenty-five dollars ($25.00) is paid to Association. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received thirteen (13) business days or less prior to the start date of the Training Workshop except for emergencies or a visit from state surveyors. State surveyors must be present in the participant’s building in order for the participant to receive a refund. Neither party shall issue a refund for any participant’s withdrawal due to weather unless the Training Workshop is cancelled. ... See MoreSee Less

𝗣𝗕𝗝 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿𝘀:
CMS has posted Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) training videos for the internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) on the iQIES Training Videos webpage on the QIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) website. Direct links to the videos are provided below.

𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀:
PBJ Staffing Hours – Demonstrates how to use the Manual Staffing Hours Data Entry page on the Staffing Hours tab to enter and update PBJ staffing hours.
PBJ Submissions History – Demonstrates the Submission History functionality on the My Submissions tab.
PBJ Employee List– Demonstrates how to use the Manage Employee Data page on the Employee List tab to create and update employee records.
PBJ Submissions – Demonstrates how to use the PBJ File Submissions page on the My Submissions tab to upload files and view PBJ submissions.
PBJ Excel to XML Template How to Guide – This is a guide on how to use the PBJ Excel to XML templates on the Staffing Data Submission - PBJ webpage.

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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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