The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course that provides an overview of the assessment and coding of K0200: Height and Weight and K0500: Nutritional Approaches. This 30-minute course is intended for providers in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and is designed to be used …
Question: How do you determine “while a resident” or “while not a resident” when a resident goes out to the hospital and returns? Answer from Scott Heichel, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, QCP, ICC, IPCO: The line between “while not a resident” and “while a resident” is basically the Entry Date …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course for those who are new to the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP). This course is designed to provide a general overview of the program as well as a variety of links and resources …
Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs), or MDS coordinators, have an important and challenging role in skilled nursing facilities (SNF). From managing the MDS/RAI process, creating individualized care plans for residents, identifying significant changes, ensuring accurate reimbursement with the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), keeping track of Quality Measures and Five Star, and …
In this podcast, Amy Stewart, MSN, RN, DNS-MT, QCP-MT, RAC-MT, RAC-MT, AAPACN vice president of education and certification strategy and Jessie McGill, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, discuss heat-related risks to residents, what to consider when care planning, as well as the impacts that heat- and exposure-related conditions have on MDS coding.
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Recently, CMS resumed medical reviews for Medicare claims for dates of service after March 2020; however, it may be difficult for facility staff to audit COVID-19-related diagnoses due to how frequently guidance was updated from February 2020 through January 1, 2021. AAPACN’s COVID-19 Diagnosis Coding Guidance Timeline for Auditing Claims …
The care area assessment (CAA) process sometimes mistakenly gets lumped under the “required but not critical to resident care” label of regulatory paperwork. While working the CAAs is indeed a mandatory step in the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) process for OBRA comprehensive MDS assessments, it’s also a crucial link between …
Question: A resident admitted for skilled care under a Medicare Advantage (MA) plan. The plan did not require a 3-day qualifying hospital stay (QHS) and the resident was hospitalized for observation only. The resident has elected to disenroll in the MA plan and revert back to Original Medicare. Is this …
MDS item O0100 (Special Treatments, Procedures, and Programs) has 12 sections with two columns (24 total subitems) that identify specific services the resident received either while not a resident (column 1) or while a resident (column 2) during the 14-day lookback period. These O0100 items play a significant role in two …
A question that comes up often lately for nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) is, “Should I do an IPA?” The assessment is optional, which can also make deciding when to complete one a challenge. Depending on the situation and changes the resident has experienced, there are several considerations the NAC will …
