MDS Consultants

03/13/2026

𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆

Sometimes compliance issues don’t come from what was coded…they come from what wasn’t documented.

The MDS is only as strong as the documentation behind it.

When surveyors review assessments, they aren’t just looking at the codes —they’re asking:

• Does the documentation support the MDS?
• Does the interdisciplinary team tell the same story?
• Would someone outside your facility understand the resident’s status?

A quick internal review can go a long way in protecting both accuracy and compliance.
Small checks today can prevent big survey questions tomorrow.

👉 https://cstu.io/407368

03/12/2026

We’re looking forward to being at AAPACN this year.

Across multiple states, we’re continuing to see facilities work through PDPM refinements, documentation alignment challenges, and reimbursement trends that warrant closer attention.

If you’re attending, stop by Booth 314 to:
• Pick up a complimentary PDPM Score Card
• Talk through a documentation or coding concern
• Compare approaches to PDPM strategy

📍 Booth 314

We look forward to connecting.

03/11/2026

Medication management continues to be a key compliance focus in skilled nursing facilities.

Monitoring high-risk medications, evaluating opportunities for gradual dose reductions, and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration are all important steps in supporting resident safety and regulatory compliance.

If your team is reviewing medication monitoring practices, there are also practical tools and resources that can help support those efforts.

To explore this topic further, join the upcoming webinar:
Spring Clean Your Medication Systems: Reduce Risk with Team Alignment

📅 March 24
🎓 Designed for Administrators, Directors of Nursing, MDS Coordinators, Clinical Nurse Managers, and interdisciplinary team members.

Register here:
👉 https://cstu.io/f31295

03/11/2026

We would like to celebrate all of the LTC Administrators this week for their dedication and leadership, delivery of resident-centered care, and providing a supportive work environment in the post-acute care settings.
https://cstu.io/3cef71

03/10/2026

𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗔𝗗𝗢𝗡𝗔!

MDS Consultants is excited to both present and exhibit at this year’s PADONA Conference — and we can’t wait to connect with you.

🎤 Jessica Stucin, RN, RAC-MT, DNS-MT, QCP-MT
Director of Education

🎤 Kristine Martinez, RN, RAC-CT
Assistant Director of Education

𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:
“GG Done Right: Building a Process That Works”

Section GG accuracy continues to impact reimbursement, quality measures, and survey outcomes. In this session, Jessica and Kristine will walk through practical strategies to build a sustainable, interdisciplinary process that supports both compliance and resident-centered care.

📍 Visit us at Booth #70

Stop by to connect with our team and pick up a complimentary Functional Abilities Tool to help strengthen your Section GG processes and support your interdisciplinary team.

We look forward to seeing you at PADONA!

03/10/2026

𝗛𝗲𝘆, 𝗥𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱!

Did you know, care plan deficiencies continue to rank in the Top 10 Nationwide?

𝗜𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁’𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀?

📅 March 12, 2026
⏰ 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM (Virtual)

Join Jessica Stucin, RN, BSN, LNHA, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, QCP and Linda Winston, RN, BS, MSN, RAC-CT, RAC-CTA, DNS-MT, QCP-MT of MDS Consultants for:

📝 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 — 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻?

Care plan deficiencies remain a persistent survey concern — from timeliness of updates to lack of person-centered documentation.
At any given moment, the care plan should be a snapshot of the resident — reflecting current infections, changes in condition, falls, psychosocial needs, strengths, goals, and interventions.

If it’s not real time… it’s not accurate.

𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘄𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹:
✔ Review key regulatory expectations related to care planning
✔ Discuss how to capture real-time resident status and interventions
✔ Develop a QAPI-driven approach to monitoring care plan accuracy

👥 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱:

MDS Nurses, Directors of Nursing, Administrators, Nurse Managers, Social Workers, and Interdisciplinary Team Members

🎓 𝟭.𝟱 𝗥𝗵𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗡𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗡𝗛𝗔 𝗖𝗘𝗨𝘀 𝗔𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲

Care planning isn’t just compliance — it’s the clinical story of the resident.

Join us and ensure your care plans reflect the care actually being delivered.

👉: https://cstu.io/97d985

03/09/2026

𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝟭𝟬.

The question isn’t whether a care plan exists — it’s whether it reflects the resident’s current status.

📅 March 10, 2026 |11:00a.m. E.T
🎓 Real Time Care Planning — What Does It Mean?
𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻

At any given moment, a care plan should capture what is happening now — recent falls, infections, psychosocial changes, interventions, strengths, and goals.

In this session, we will:
• Review key regulatory groupings related to care planning
• Discuss how to capture real-time resident status
• Develop a QAPI-driven approach to monitoring care plan accuracy

Registration is required to receive your personal login link.
👉https://www.mdsexpert.com/membership/

03/09/2026

Ever find yourself looking at a fishbone diagram during a QAPI meeting thinking…

“Okay… we’ve mapped out the causes — now what’s the best way to turn this into a process our team can use?” 🐟

Root cause analysis tools like fishbone diagrams help teams identify contributing factors, but a strong QAPI program goes beyond compliance.

When implemented effectively, QAPI supports structured improvement and stronger systems that benefit residents and staff alike.

If you're looking to strengthen your facility’s QAPI processes, you may want to explore the AAPACN QAPI Certified Professional (QCP) workshop.

This session will be led by Linda Winston and Barbara Bates, who bring extensive real-world long-term care experience and practical insight into how quality improvement frameworks translate into everyday operations.

📅 QCP Workshop – April 14,2026

Learn more and register:
👉 https://cstu.io/d7b6a3

03/08/2026

𝗣𝗗𝗣𝗠 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.

A recent case involving a New York nursing facility has drawn attention across the long-term care industry after an OIG audit of PDPM claims led to a proposed $31 million Medicare recoupment, with the provider now challenging the findings in federal court.

While the case will ultimately be decided through the legal process, it highlights several issues providers are watching closely:
• Increased OIG scrutiny of PDPM claims
• The potential use of extrapolation in audit findings
• Ongoing questions surrounding COVID-era waivers and documentation practices
• The importance of accurate MDS coding and supporting clinical documentation

With additional PDPM audits reportedly underway, many facilities are taking the opportunity to review their PDPM coding processes, supporting documentation, and internal monitoring practices.

At MDS Consultants, we’ve developed practical resources to support facilities as they evaluate their PDPM processes. If you’re reviewing your systems, take a look at our PDPM Scorecards and PDPM Audit Tool, designed to help teams assess documentation alignment and coding accuracy.

Check out our tools: https://cstu.io/3e912d

Check out the article: https://cstu.io/0f3475

A nursing home found to have erred in 99 of 100 reimbursement submissions during the pandemic is fighting back against those findings — and an attempt by regulators to extrapolate audit results and claw back $31 million in Medicare pay.

03/06/2026

Happy Friday!

Long-term care teams juggle a lot in a week — documentation, compliance, resident care, teamwork, and everything in between.

A big thank you to the nurses, administrators, MDS professionals, and interdisciplinary teams who keep things moving every day.

We hope everyone gets a chance to recharge this weekend!

03/06/2026

Join us as we celebrate our PAC Social Workers this March 2026. Social workers and/or designees in PAC have an immense impact on our residents within a SNF and/or long-term care facility. "Social Work Month was first celebrated in March 1963 to build public support for the profession. It has become an event celebrated by hundreds of thousands of social workers – and their supporters – each year.
This year’s theme is “Social Work: Uplift. Defend. Transform.” https://cstu.io/5f6093