QSO-25-20-NH REVISED Memorandum Summary • Post Performance Data for Nursing Home Chains – “Chains” refers to groups of Medicare-certified nursing homes that are connected through common owners, and operators (also called “affiliated entities”). CMS will begin posting aggregated performance information for these nursing homes on Nursing Home Care Compare in …
Every month, AAPACN experts design tools that help our members perform their jobs with more ease, breaking down processes, synthesizing information, and aiding in ways to track required data. To help nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) easily find what they need fast, AAPACN has put together the following list of AAPACN …
In this LTC NAC Chat podcast episode, Jessie McGill, RN, BSN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, senior curriculum development specialist for AAPACN, and Jennifer LaBay, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-MTA, QCP, CRC, curriculum development specialist with AAPACN, discuss AAPACN’s latest education program, PDPM Documentation Essentials for the IDT. Additional Resources:
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Question: If an open area is found on day four after admission, is that still present on admission (7-day look-back period)? The definition of “present on admission” is “as close to admission as possible.” Answer from Scott Heichel, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, QCP, ICC, IPCO: I do not think this would …
Question: A long-term resident went out to the hospital and returned on a skilled stay using his Managed Care plan. He has both a 5-Day and Annual scheduled for the same day, but at separate times. Do both of these get coded as “the first assessment” in A0310E? Answer from …
Question: For section GG, the nurse aides use a mechanical lift transfer with two-person assist for transfers four times, but physical therapy transfers with one person and maximal assist once. Part of the dependent definition is “helper does all the effort” – but this was not true for all transfers—would …
The nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) plays an essential role in capturing a resident’s cognitive status by coordinating and coding the Staff Assessment for Mental Status in the Minimum Data Set (MDS). The Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) remains the preferred approach. But in certain situations, staff observations must be …
The strict coding criteria for O0110M1, Isolation or quarantine for active infectious disease, requires precise documentation to support the MDS. AAPACN’s new Documentation Template: Isolation for Active Infectious Disease tool can help nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) educate nurses on the key areas of required documentation for residents in isolation. Want …
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the final version of the RAI User’s Manual, version 1.20.1, which goes into effect Oct. 1, 2025. While the draft version has been available for several months, CMS made several additional changes, including a new definition for falls and major injury, …
Effective Oct. 1, 2023, the full Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-9 will only be completed if the resident responds to the gateway PHQ-2 questions in a certain way. The Patient Health Questionnaire Completion Determination chart clarifies when to stop the PHQ after the PHQ-2, how to code the Total Severity Score, …
