How the DNS Can Use HRSN to Improve Care and Reduce Hospital Readmissions

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ultimately chose not to implement MDS section R (Health-Related Social Needs) on Oct. 1, 2025. Each skilled nursing facility (SNF) will have to make an individual decision whether to do off-MDS data collection of the HRSN data that would have been captured …

Should SNFs Collect Removed Section R MDS Data—and Why Do HRSN Even Matter?

MDS section R (Health-Related Social Needs) did not go into effect on Oct. 1, 2025. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) followed through on its proposal and eliminated—prior to implementation—items R0310 (Living Situation), R03020A (Within the Past 12 Months, You Worried That Your Food Would Run Out Before …

MDS Item J2100 Feeds Into PDPM: Learn What’s at Stake and How to Boost Accuracy

MDS item J2100 (Did the Resident Have a Major Surgical Procedure During the Prior Inpatient Hospital Stay That Requires Active Care During the SNF Stay?) is the gateway question for receiving enhanced reimbursement in the Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) payment components of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), …

Behavioral Health Management: Learn How to Better Support Resident Needs

Nurse leaders who want to improve behavioral health management often get stuck in the “I don’t know where to start” or “I don’t know what that should look like” phase, points out Jacob Berelowitz, LNHA, LMSW, CPHQ, CCM, program director of the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing …

FY 2026 SNF PPS Final Rule: Section R Removal Tops the List of Changes

MDS section R (Health-Related Social Needs) is officially no more. The big news for nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) in the Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) and Consolidated Billing Final Rule for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, released on July 31, 2025, and published on Aug. 4, is …

May 2025 Falls With Major Injury Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Summary Report

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) convened a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) on May 12 and 14, 2025, to obtain input on potential cross-setting updates to the Falls with Major Injury (FMI) measure. The TEP was held in response to concerns regarding potential underreporting on the current measure …

Keys to Prioritizing Resident Safety in High Summer Heat and Sunlight

Summer usually is a time for nursing home residents to experience social outdoor activities and meals. It could mean attending barbecues, picnics, parades, outdoor concerts, or baseball games, gardening or birdwatching, doing outdoor crafts, or even just taking the air on the patio or another outside space. However, summer fun …

FY 2026 SNF PPS Final Rule: More Money and Consistency, Less Burden

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not propose any changes to the previously adopted quality measure (QM) sets for either the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) or the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing program (SNF VBP) in the Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment …

Myers and Stauffer Medicaid Links

Myers and Stauffer provides documentation resources and training opportunities for several state Medicaid programs. Learn more below. State Clients  Alabama Iowa North Carolina Arkansas Kentucky Ohio California Louisiana Oregon Colorado Maryland Tennessee Connecticut Minnesota Texas Florida Mississippi Utah Georgia Missouri Vermont Hawaii Montana Wisconsin Idaho Nevada West Virginia Indiana New …

Coding High-Risk Drug Classes: How to Improve N0415 Accuracy

N0415 (High-Risk Drug Classes: Use and Indication) is much more than just paperwork. This MDS item  impacts resident care through the care area triggers (CATs) and the care area assessments (CAAs), as well as facility performance across the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP), the Skilled Nursing Facility …