Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS updated and posted numerous LTC Data Sets in May: Those Data Sets are found here and include (note: there is 1 Data Set for Swing Bed Providers): COVID-19 Vaccination Rates – State and National AveragesCOVID-19 Vaccination Rates – Provider DataProvider InformationSkilled Nursing Facility Quality…… Continue reading CMS Updates Numerous LTC Data Sets 

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare May 16, 2022 …The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is announcing a funding opportunity of nearly $15 million for a three-year federal grant to establish a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) program that will strengthen the delivery of behavioral health care…… Continue reading New Funding Opportunity to Strengthen Behavioral Health Services in Nursing Homes and Other Long-Term Care Facilities

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has updated Section 13 – SNF Quality Reporting Program in the CASPER Reporting User’s Guide for MDS Providers. In that Section, you’ll find: Scroll down the page beneath the hyperlink found in the 1st sentence of this Blog to find: Each of the Sections…… Continue reading CASPER Reporting User’s Guide for MDS Providers Updated   

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Five Star Preview Reports will be available on May 16, 2022. To access these reports, select the CASPER Reporting link located on the CMS QIES Systems for Providers page. Once in the CASPER Reporting system, select the ‘Folders’ button, then select ‘My Inbox’ or the…… Continue reading Five-Star Preview Reports Available

Mary Madison, Rn, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Background checks for employees of long-term-care facilities are an important safety measure that can help protect some of the facilities’ most vulnerable populations. More than 13 million beneficiaries are served by long-term-care facilities each year, including the elderly, individuals in hospice care, and individuals with intellectual…… Continue reading National Background Check Program for Long-Term-Care Providers: An Interim Assessment (OIG) 

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “In a new analysis, KFF researchers find that COVID-19 vaccination rates among nursing home staff increased by 25 percentage points nationally (63% to 88%) from when the Biden administration announced the vaccine mandate for health care workers in August 2021 to after vaccination deadlines passed in March…… Continue reading Nursing Facility Staff Vaccinations, Boosters, and Shortages After Vaccination Deadlines Passed  

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Join the Nurse Aide Training Program call May 16 at 11 a.m. MDH’s Nurse Aide Registry (NAR) staff will host an informational call on Microsoft Teams for nurse aide training programs registered with the State of Minnesota on Monday, May 16 at 11 a.m. to 12…… Continue reading Minnesota Nurse Aide Training Program Call – May 16, 2022 

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP  Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare I have an update on my post 2 days ago regarding the CMS update of the LTCSP documents and files. I reached out to CMS after comparing the “Appendix PP – added 2018 revision” to the November 22, 2017 version. In short, they told me that…… Continue reading Update on May 2022 LTCSP and Appendix PP   

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare TMF Networks has posted 2 Claims-Based QM Tip Sheets: Percentage of Short-Stay Residents Who Have Had an Outpatient Emergency Department Visit This claims-based measure tip sheet provides an overview of the measure, including questions to ask, monitoring ideas and resource links. This measure reports the percentage…… Continue reading Claims-Based Quality Measure Tip Sheets 

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS posted updated LTC Survey Process documents on May 9, 2022. The Revision History for LTC Survey Process Documents and Files shows these updates: A quick look at the previous updates shows that this is the 3rd update in the past 30 days. [NOTE: Briggs subscribers…… Continue reading CMS Updates LTC Survey Process Materials Again