In the fast-paced position of a nurse assessment coordinator (NAC), keeping track of all the residents’ whereabouts can be challenging. The NAC must know who is coming into the facility and if this resident is a new admission or a readmission, as well as who has left—whether on a leave …
Provider Information General information on currently active nursing homes, including number of certified beds, quality measure scores, staffing and other information used in the Five-Star Rating System. Data are presented as one row per nursing home. Last Modified: June 1, 2025 • Released: June 25, 2025 Overview •Data Table •API •Download CSV …
MDS section N (Medications)—in particular item N0415 (High-Risk Drug Classes: Use and Indication)— plays a key role in a nursing home’s ability to provide comprehensive, resident-centered care via the care area triggers (CATs) and the care area assessments (CAAs) in the care planning process. N0415 also may affect a facility’s …
Question: If the resident was in the emergency department (ED) and then admitted to the hospital before readmitting to the nursing home, can I capture IV fluids at the ED visit? Answer from Jessie McGill, RN, BSN, RAC-MTA, RAC-CTA: IV fluids from pre-admission are captured under K0520A2, while not …
Question: A long-term care resident has a Quarterly assessment due on 6/19 and an Annual assessment due on 6/27. Can I do the Annual assessment early, before the Quarterly deadline? Answer from Carol Maher, RN, GERO-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, CPC: Yes, you can absolutely do this. Set the ARD for the …
The AAPACN Resident Interview Toolkit helps nursing home staff conduct effective resident interviews as part of the MDS 3.0 assessment process. It provides clear guidance and resources for the entire interdisciplinary team—nurses, dietary managers, social services, activities, and others—to ask residents about their mood, memory, daily routines, and care preferences. …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the “Staying Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines” guidance several times since requiring COVID-19 vaccinations to be coded on the MDS as of October 2024. Facility teams can track these changes by using AAPACN’s COVID-19 Vaccine “Up to Date” Guidance …
Question: When a resident returns from an interrupted stay, is an IPA required or any kind of readmission assessment if no change? Answer from Jeff Taylor: IPAs are always optional. In an interrupted stay, no new Medicare MDS is required. You would do the required OBRA Discharge assessment and an …
Question: A resident on a Medicare Part A stay discharged return not anticipated. His last covered day of Medicare was the day before. Can I combine the Part A PPS Discharge with the OBRA discharged return not anticipated? Answer from Carol Maher, RN, GERO-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, CPC: Yes, when a …
Question: For section GG documentation, the direct care staff was given the wrong dates. It was supposed to be the ARD and the two days before, but they did the first 3 days of the look-back period. Am I able to use any of the GG documentation they completed? Answer …
