SNFRM: Technical Specifications for This SNF VBP Measure

2023 Measure Updates and Specifications Report Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program Skilled Nursing Facility 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure –Version 2.0 This report describes updates that have been made to the Skilled Nursing Facility 30-Day All-CauseReadmission Measure (SNFRM) used in the SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program during annualreevaluation. The report …

Need Behavioral Health Training Help? Check Out the COE-NF

The Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF), which opened its online doors in December 2022 thanks to a three-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is a centralized hub where any Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home can access trainings, tools, and …

Discharge Planning Best Practices to Avoid Hospital Readmissions

In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, chief nursing officer for AAPACN, and Dr. Nancy Kusmaul, PhD, MSW, associate professor in the baccalaureate social work program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, discuss discharge planning best practices to avoid hospital readmissions.

Proposed Staffing Rule: CMS Focuses on a Comprehensive Approach

In the long-awaited Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting proposed rule, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes a three-pronged, comprehensive staffing approach for Medicare- and Medicaid-certified skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing facilities (NFs): “Literature evidence [e.g., here, here, …

2022 Nursing Home Staffing Study Final Report

In February 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a comprehensive set of reforms aimed at improving quality and safety for residents in nursing homes. One aspect of this initiative was conducting a new Nursing Home Staffing Study to help inform CMS’s approach to developing minimum staffing standards. The 2022 study final …

How the Director of Nursing Services Can Support the MDS Process

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) determines Medicare and often state Medicaid reimbursement; prompts initial and MDS-assessment-based care planning; provides data that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) uses to calculate Quality Measures (QMs) included in the Five-Star Quality Rating System, Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) program, …

Behavioral Health: Eight Ways to Boost Compliance—and Help Residents—Under F740

F740 (Behavioral Health Services) is not a frequently cited F-tag so far in calendar year (CY) 2023, according to QCOR data posted on Aug. 13, 2023. However, the consequences can be severe—surveyors often issue this citation at the level of immediate jeopardy (IJ) when it does occur. Specifically, F740 is …

Section GG Data Collection Tool

AAPACN has updated the Section GG 3-Day Data Collection Tool to include all of the new self-care and mobility items effective Oct. 1, 2023. This AAPACN resource is copyright protected. AAPACN individual members may download or print one copy for use within their facility only. AAPACN facility organizational members have …

Finalized RAI User’s Manual: Eight Key Points to Know

In preparation for the upcoming Oct. 1, 2023, implementation of the also-just-updated v1.18.11v5 MDS item sets, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the final Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual version 1.18.11 and a draft-to-final change table. Highlights of these revisions include the …