AAPACN 2020 Innovation Award – Tammy Kelly and Carrie Tidd, Commonwealth Care of Roanoke

The blog post is the last in our series honoring the AAPACN 2020 Award Winners. We look forward to celebrating with these winners and the 2021 winners next year at the AAPACN 2021 Conference in St. Louis. 2020 Innovation Award WinnersTammy Kelly, PT, LNHA, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, and Carrie Tidd, RN, …

AAPACN 2020 Inspiration Award – Jacqueline Jenkins, RN, Good Samaritan Society

One of the highlights of the AAPACN annual conference each year is the recognition of the year’s award winners. With the 2020 conference now planned as a virtual conference in June, AAPACN will feature the 2020 winners in this blog series every week in April. Please join AAPACN in congratulating …

AAPACN 2020 Influential Award Winner – Tracey Robinson, Sholom

One of the highlights of the AAPACN annual conference each year is the recognition of the year’s award winners. With the 2020 conference now planned as a virtual conference in June, AAPACN will feature the 2020 winners in this blog series every week in April. Please join AAPACN in congratulating …

5 Qualities of a Successful Nurse Assessment Coordinator

A nurse assessment coordinator (NAC) has many important qualities; however, there are a few that you should really keep in mind if you want to be successful in your job. 1.       Learner/adaptable – The long-term care nursing environment is always changing. New government regulations are updated and changed every year (the RAI User’s Manual, Quality …

Why Should I Become a Certified Nurse Assessment Coordinator (NAC)?

Nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) are required to understand the extensive and complex regulatory body surrounding the RAI/MDS process and regulations are always changing. Coding correctly and having keen assessment skills are also very important parts of a NAC’s job, which lead to the best care possible for residents and accurate Medicare …

5 Tips for Surviving Your RAC-CT Certification

Achieving your Resident Assessment Coordinator—Certified (RAC-CT®) certification is a tremendous accomplishment for a nurse assessment coordinator in long-term care; however, the road isn’t easy. It takes hours of studying, in-depth learning and critical thinking, and focus to complete the 10 courses and pass the exams. If you are considering embarking on your …

3 Simple Ways Nurse Assessment Coordinators (NACs) Can Help Support Staff Retention

By Jessica Kunkler, MA Staff turnover is everyone’s problem, and in facilities across the United States, it’s a big one. One in four  nursing assistants and one in five home health aides report that they are actively looking for another job, according to the Recruitment and Retention Guide For Employers by …

Get Back to Nursing Basics to Determine Skilled Services

With the rush to understand the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) under the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS), it’s easy to get caught up in meeting the technical criteria for payment—and not pay enough attention to the clinical criteria for meeting a Medicare skilled level of care, says …

Q&A: How do I code the primary diagnosis on the UB-04 for a Medicare Part A resident?

Question: When I received training for ICD-10 coding as it relates to billing, I was taught that the primary diagnosis code for long term SNF residents on a UB-04 claim would be their primary diagnosis for why they remain in the nursing facility. Therefore, if the primary diagnosis code was …