Jenn Feige – ezPBJ CMS has announced that Q2 2020 data (January 1 – March 31) is due no later than November 14 for facilities that choose to submit. The alert was posted on the CMS PBJ  portal and reads: New Q2 Deadline:CMS has established November 14, 2020 as the new deadline for the Q2…… Continue reading CMS UPDATE: Q2 2020 Optional PBJ Data Due November 14

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Data Collection Software: jRAVEN The Resident Assessment Validation and Entry System (jRAVEN) was developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). jRAVEN is a free Java based software application which provides an option for facilities to collect and maintain MDS Assessment data for subsequent…… Continue reading jRAVEN Updated in Preparation for MDS 3.0 v1.17.2

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare We’re 2 weeks out from October 1, 2020 – the date we begin using the MDS 3.0 Item Set, version 1.17.2.  If you participated in (or listened to the on-demand recording of – it’s still available) my MDS 3.0 Changes: What You Need to Know for…… Continue reading FY2021 State Medicaid Case-Mix Calculations

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Measure Call for Public Comment The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) is seeking input from the public as part of the measure development process. CMS has posted Draft Measure…… Continue reading Draft Measure Specifications: SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalizations for the SNF QRP

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Coordinator – Briggs Healthcare Late afternoon on Friday, September 11, 2020, the Iowa Department of Human Services and the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise announced (INFORMATIONAL LETTER NO. 2162-MC-FFS) the state’s methodology for Medicaid case-mix calculation for reimbursement purposes. Effective October 1, 2020, Iowa Medicaid will begin collecting the PDPM payment codes…… Continue reading Iowa MDS Coordinators: IA DHS/IME Announce MDS for Medicaid Case-Mix Starting 10/1/2020

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Office of Inspector General released a report on September 4, 2020 that provided an assessment of state programs which was concluded in 2019. “Background checks of employees are an important safety measure that can help protect some of the most vulnerable populations. More than 13…… Continue reading OIG Report: National Background Check Program for LTC Providers

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the updated SNF QRP Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual_V3.0.1_Addendum_Effective 10-01-2020 (ZIP).  You’ll note this is a .zip file so you’ll find 2 items there: The SNF QRP Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual Version 3.0.1 and associated risk adjustment appendix and Hierarchical…… Continue reading SNF QRP Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual Updated

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On August 31, 2020, CMS posted updated LTC Survey Resources.  (The date on the overall webpage has not been updated since May 2020 so you have to look to close to see if anything new is there.) The new/updated resources include:Revision History for LTC Survey Process…… Continue reading CMS Updated LTC Survey Resources

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare When: Tuesday, September 22, 2020, from 1:30 to 3 pm ET Registration:  Register for Medicare Learning Network events. Event Materials: Presentation: Available prior to the event at CMS MLN EventsAudio recording and transcript: Available approximately 2 weeks after the event Description:National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and Quality Assurance…… Continue reading Dementia Care in Nursing Homes (Upcoming Call)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Quality Rating System: Technical User’s Guide_State-Level Health Inspection Cut Point Table for August 2020 has been posted.  This is a 4-page document. “The cut points are recalibrated each month so that the distribution of star ratings within States remains relatively constant over…… Continue reading Five-Star Quality Rating System: Cut Point Table Updated