MDS Consultants

07/25/2025

🚨LTCSP Initial Pool Care Areas Initial Surveys and the LTCSP Interim Revisit Instructions have been updated due to launch of iQIES for Nursing Homes.
https://cstu.io/502521
https://cstu.io/2cee5c

07/24/2025

🚨The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing notifications to facilities that were determined to be out of compliance with Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for CY 2024, which will affect their FY 2026 Annual Payment Update (APU). Non-compliance notifications are being distributed by the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) and were placed into facilities’ CASPER folders in QIES, for Hospices and into facilities’ My Reports folders in the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES), for IRFs, LTCHs and SNFs, on July 21, 2025. 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗠𝗦 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗹 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝟭𝟭:𝟱𝟵 𝗽𝗺, 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟲, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱.https://cstu.io/872df4

07/23/2025

Live Webinar Alert!

Tomorrow – July 24, 2025, | 10:00–11:30 AM ET
📍 Hosted by HCCI – Healthcare Council of Illinois

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗶𝘁𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀:
Jessica Stucin, RN, BSN, LNHA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, QCP
Kristine Martinez, RN, BSN, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, QCP, DNS-CT

This 1.5-hour session will dive into:
✅ The regulatory importance of MDS accuracy
✅ Common documentation and coding errors
✅ Strategies to prevent costly compliance issues
✅ How MDS data drives person-centered care
✅ Preparing for 2025 MDS updates

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱: Administrators, Regional Directors, DONs, MDS Coordinators, and IDT members.

We’re proud to support HCCI’s commitment to high-quality care and regulatory excellence in long-term care.
Health Care Council of Illinois - HCCI

07/22/2025

07/21/2025

📣 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗦𝘆𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲, 𝗕𝘂𝗳𝗳𝗮𝗹𝗼 & 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗡𝗬!

𝗥𝗔𝗖-𝗖𝗧® 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽 – 𝗜𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻
Hosted by MDS Consultants
📍 St. Ann’s Community
1500 Portland Ave, Rochester, NY 14621
🗓️ October 7–9, 2025
🕘 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM (Eastern Time)

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱?
If you work in long-term care in Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, or the surrounding region, this is your opportunity to get RAC-CT® certified locally!
Join our in-person RAC-CT® workshop and build the expertise your facility needs in MDS 3.0, PDPM, and care planning compliance.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱?
✔️ Three days of live, instructor-led training
✔️ Access to the 10 RAC-CT certification exams (must pass with 80% or higher)
✔️ Connect with local colleagues and industry leaders
✔️ Real-time guidance and Q&A with AAPACN-certified educators

𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 (𝗔𝗔𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗡 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱):
- Cancellations must be submitted via email to workshops@AAPACN.org.
- More than 30 business days before the start date: Full refund
- 14–30 business days before the start date: Full refund minus a $250 processing fee
- Less than 13 business days before the start date: No refunds, unless due to emergency or State Surveyor visit
- No weather-related refunds unless the workshop is canceled
- Substitutions are allowed—a colleague may attend in your place.

🚨 Ready to Register?
Secure your spot today at:
👉www.AAPACN.org
For questions, call MDS Consultants at (954) MDS-3-ADL.

07/19/2025

📢The SNF Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on the compare tool on https://cstu.io/c72475 and the Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the October 2025 release.
The October 2025 release includes the initial public reporting of three new assessment-based measures:
Transfer of Health (TOH) Information to the Provider – Post-Acute Care (PAC), Transfer of Health (TOH) Information to the Patient – Post-Acute Care (PAC), and COVID-19 Vaccine: Percent of Patients/Residents Who Are Up to Date.
Data contained within the Provider Preview Reports (including the new TOH measures) are based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 1, 2024 through Quarter 4, 2024. Providers have until August 14, 2025, to review their performance data. https://cstu.io/a1eec9
*𝘓𝘰𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘘𝘐𝘌𝘚 𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 (𝘏𝘊𝘘𝘐𝘚) 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘙𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦 (𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘗) 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘐𝘋 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥. (𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘗 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘏𝘈𝘙𝘗 𝘐𝘋.)𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘶, 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘔𝘺 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴.𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘺 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦, 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘕𝘍 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘕𝘍 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳.𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵.𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘚𝘕𝘍 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘙𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺. https://iqies.cms.gov/iqies

07/18/2025

CMS has posted the FY 2026 ICD-10-CM Coding Guidelines. These files include updates for FY 2026. Use these codes for discharges occurring from October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2026, and for patient encounters occurring from October 1, 2025– September 30, 2026. https://cstu.io/884945

07/17/2025

📢Transmittal 231 Effective Date: July 9, 2025, Revisions to State Operations Manual (SOM), Appendix PP. The Transmittal 229, of the State Operations Manual, Pub. 100-07 dated April 25, 2025, has been rescinded and replaced with Transmittal 231, dated July 9, 2025. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 same. https://cstu.io/91cf77

07/15/2025

The June update of Appendix B to the MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual contains changes to the list of State RAI Coordinators, MDS Automation Coordinators, and CMS locations and contacts.
https://cstu.io/789d6a
https://cstu.io/59c112
https://cstu.io/a8440b

07/14/2025

⭐Effective with the July 2025 refresh, CMS is implementing a change to the methodology for calculating the health inspections domain, shifting from using the three most recent standard health inspection surveys to the two most recent standard health inspection surveys to calculate health inspection ratings. CMS will continue to use a three-year lookback period for complaint and infection control inspections. For more details on the updated methodology, please review the “Health Inspection Domain” section of this document.
CMS is updating the risk-adjustment models for the four claims-based measures to add risk adjustors using variables from Section GG (resident’s functional ability) in the Minimum Data Set (MDS). To minimize the impact of this change, CMS is revising the thresholds for the claims-based measures to maintain the same distribution by points based on data from the April 2025 refresh. https://cstu.io/049290
https://cstu.io/5b04fb

07/12/2025

📢𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘆 & 𝗖𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵: On July 14, 2025, the Nursing Home Survey & Certification functionality will launch in iQIES—just one month prior to the PBJ submission deadline. This rollout is expected to result in a substantial influx of new users, potentially leading to longer hold times.
𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 – 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗘𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆: To avoid delays or complications with data submission, we strongly encourage all users to submit their PBJ data as early as possible, ideally before July 14. Early reporting ensures smoother processing and minimizes the risk of last-minute issues.https://cstu.io/821856

07/11/2025

What is the NAC's role in the Facility Assessment and Emergency Management Planning? Check out our latest blog focusing on the MDS process during an emergency and how to be prepared.
https://cstu.io/b1dcfa