It’s the “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” question of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) world: Which do you assess first, B0700 or the MDS scripted interviews? It’s easy to get lost in this question when reviewing the coding instructions for the scripted interviews and steps for assessment …
Nurses use a common problem-solving technique in root-cause analysis called the “Five Whys.” This method asks “why?” as many times as needed to determine the root cause of the problem. Sometimes this process requires more than five “whys” to reveal the root cause; other times it can take less. When …
The care area assessments (CAAs) are a vital part of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) process to develop a plan for individualized resident care. Taking shortcuts with the CAA process can result in generic care plans that fail to recognize the unique needs, choices, and preferences of each resident. Understanding …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on the Dec. 7 Skilling Nursing Facilities/Long-Term Care Open Door Forum that the drug classification of anticonvulsants will be added to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) item set starting Oct. 1, 2024. The new item will be added to N0415, High-risk …
The nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) role is a complex one that requires managing numerous deadlines, compliance regulations, and the involvement of the interdisciplinary team (IDT) in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment. The job can be overwhelming, even when everything proceeds as expected. And the NAC can feel defeated when …
The role of the nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) can often be an enigma to many nursing home staff. Misunderstandings about the position abound, and NACs may find it frustrating that no one knows what they do or its true impact. One of the most common misunderstandings about the NAC’s role …
The transition from section G to section GG on Oct. 1, 2023, also had a substantial impact on Quality Measures (QMs) and the Five-Star Quality Rating System. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a memo in September detailing the affected QMs and the impact on the Five-Star …
In the updated Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) 3.0 User’s Manual, v1.18.11, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added several clarifications to help ease the pressure that nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) experience attempting to code section M accurately. Although strong clinical documentation of these wounds is …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) 3.0 User’s Manual version 1.18.11, and also a document outlining the draft-to-final changes and updated item sets (v.1.18.11 v5). But the updates and clarifications don’t end there. Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) need …
Over the last few years, nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) are being hired with less long-term care experience, being paid more, and facing a multitude of challenges including stress and burnout, staffing shortages, and increased workloads. The 2023 AAPACN NAC Work Study and Salary Report received responses from 632 NACs. The …
