How the DNS Can Use HRSN to Improve Care and Reduce Hospital Readmissions

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ultimately chose not to implement MDS section R (Health-Related Social Needs) on Oct. 1, 2025. Each skilled nursing facility (SNF) will have to make an individual decision whether to do off-MDS data collection of the HRSN data that would have been captured …

QAPI Focus: Section GG

AAPACN’s QAPI Focus: Section GG tool can be used at quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) meetings to focus specifically on concerns regarding section GG documentation and coding accuracy. This tool identifies specific section GG key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to demonstrate progress toward a data-driven proactive …

MDS 3.0 Quality Measures (QM) User’s Manual v17.0 Effective Jan. 1, 2025 and Associated User Manual Files

NOTABLE CHANGES TO THE MDS QM USER’S MANUAL V17 Guidance on Selecting MDS Section GG Item Columns for Measure Calculation An updated .zip file for the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Quality Measures (QM) User’s Manual v17.0 is now available. This .zip file package contains the updated 2025 Nursing Home …

SNF QRP Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual V7.0, Change Table, Risk Adjustment and Imputation Appendix Files, and HCC ICD-10 Crosswalks

The Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual v7.0 and accompanying files are now available. These materials serve as an update to the specifications used to calculate quality measures that are included in the SNF QRP and will be effective beginning October 1, 2025.  The …

TIP: CMS Delayed Long-Stay Antipsychotic Measure Changes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a revised memo, QSO-25-20-NH REVISED, on Sept. 10, 2025, delaying the changes to the long-stay (LS) Antipsychotic Measure. CMS had previously announced the measure would be expanded to include Medicare and Medicaid claims and encounter data, in addition to Minimum Data …

CMS: Updated Long-Stay Antipsychotic Measure due in January 2026 Nursing Home Compare

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 …

TIP: SNF VBP Performance Score Reports Available

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the August 2025 Performance Score Reports for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program are available for download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). Access this report to review the performance information …

May 2025 Falls With Major Injury Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Summary Report

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) convened a Technical Expert Panel (TEP) on May 12 and 14, 2025, to obtain input on potential cross-setting updates to the Falls with Major Injury (FMI) measure. The TEP was held in response to concerns regarding potential underreporting on the current measure …

Q&A: The Five-Star Preview Report for July 2025 still shows the standard survey from three years ago. I thought the third survey would no longer be used?

Question: The Five-Star Preview Report for July 2025 still shows the standard survey from three years ago. I thought the third survey would no longer be used? Answer from Carol Maher, RN, GERO-BC, RAC-MTA, RAC-MT, CPC: CMS has stated that the third survey would be shown on the Care Compare …