Expedited Determination Notices: Keys to Avoiding Financial Liability, Survey Issues

The expedited determination beneficiary notification process covers a lot of ground in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), affecting residents in the fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare Part A program and Medicare Advantage plans, as well as residents who receive Part B rehabilitation therapies under consolidated billing, says Carol Maher, RN-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, …

SNF QRP and SNF VBP Claims-Based Measure Manual and Accompanying Files – Available

This document presents technical specifications for the production of Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) claims-based measures (CBMs) for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program maintained by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The measures are intended to promote informed decisions among Medicare …

Medicare Expedited Determination vs. Financial Liability Notices: What’s the Difference?

Beneficiary notification requirements under the Medicare program can be confusing for nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) who serve as the lead Medicare nurse and other interdisciplinary team members in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), says Carol Maher, RN-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, RAC-CT, CPC, director of education for Hansen, Hunter & Co. PC …

MDS Items Impacting Reimbursement for PDPM and SNF QRP

Do you know what MDS items impact reimbursement under the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) or the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP)? Use this quick guide, MDS Items Impacting Reimbursement for PDPM and SNF QRP, for easy reference to get your payment straight. This AAPACN resource is copyright …

Stop and Read: Skilled Documentation Audit and Education Lessons for the NAC

Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) are increasingly subject to skilled medical review audits from both fee-for-service Medicare (e.g., the SNF Five-Claim Probe and Educate initiative) and individual Medicare Advantage plans. Audit success ultimately hinges on documentation quality, but the presence of documentation in the medical record is no guarantee of the …

Lessons From TPE Audits: How the DNS Can Lead Toward Better Skilled Documentation

In May 2023—after the Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) program determined that skilled nursing facility (SNF) Medicare Part A services have been “a top driver” of the overall Medicare fee-for-service improper payment rate since the switch to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) on Oct. 1, 2019—the Centers for Medicare & …

Preparing for Success with ICD-10-CM Changes Oct. 1: How the Facility Coder and Provider Can Ensure Accurate Diagnosis Codes

Effective International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) coding relies on meticulous clinical documentation. It’s not just about assigning codes; it’s about ensuring consistent and comprehensive documentation that substantiates every facet and the specificity of a diagnosis. This documentation should originate from a provider, that is, a physician …

Provider ICD-10-CM Documentation Tip Sheet for Long-Term Care

ICD-10-CM coding requires consistent and complete documentation from the provider (physician/nonphysician practitioner) to support all aspects and specific details of the diagnosis. This AAPACN Provider ICD-10-CM Documentation Tip Sheet for Long-Term Care tool serves as a companion to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) presentation ICD-10 and Clinical …

Oct. 1, 2023 Will See Performance Period Data Collection for Five SNF VBP QMs

The key takeaway of the Fiscal Year (FY 2024) Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) final rule, published on Aug. 7, 2023, is that the director of nursing services (DNS) will need to hit the ground running on Oct. 1, 2023, with a systematic, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary approach …

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 …