Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering web-based training that provides an overview of the general and key clinical considerations important for conducting standardized cognitive and mood assessments. This four-course series is designed for providers in the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) setting. The…… Continue reading NEW TRAINING AVAILABLE – Cognitive & Mood Assessment Training Series for SNF Providers

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “Established by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in 1967, National Skilled Nursing Care Week® (NSNCW) recognizes the essential role of skilled nursing care centers in caring for America’s frail, elderly, and disabled. The week starts each year on Mother’s Day and is celebrated through the…… Continue reading National Skilled Nursing Home Week: May 9 – 15, 2021

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “(OIG) found that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid’s (CMS’s) use of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) as the sole data source to count the number of nursing home residents using antipsychotic drugs may not always provide complete information. By analyzing a separate data source—Medicare claims—(OIG)…… Continue reading CMS Could Improve the Data It Uses to Monitor Antipsychotic Drugs in NHs

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Yesterday’s CMS National Stakeholder Call was a good one.  At the end of the call, CMS stated that the recording and transcript of the call would be posted today on their Podcasts and Transcripts webpage, but as of mid-day, it is not found there.  Podcasts and…… Continue reading Information from April 29th, 2021 CMS National NH Stakeholder Call

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On April 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated select infection prevention and control recommendations in the Updated Healthcare Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations in Response to COVID-19 Vaccination | CDC. These updates are for healthcare personnel (HCP) while at work and patients and…… Continue reading National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call – April 29, 2021

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS posted a revised QSO-20-39-NH the afternoon of April 27, 2021.  The title of this 8-page QSO is Nursing Home Visitation – COVID-19. Here’s what’s new in this QSO (look for the red ink when reviewing with your team):

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS posted a revised QSO-20-38-NH the afternoon of April 27, 2021.  The official title of this 11-page QSO is Interim Final Rule (IFC), CMS-3401-IFC, Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency related to Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Testing Requirements and…… Continue reading CMS Revises QSO-20-38-NH

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The following notice was posted today (April 27, 2021) on the QIES website: The Five Star Preview Reports will be available on April 20, 2021. To access these reports, select the CASPER Reporting link located on the CMS QIES Systems for Providers page. Once in the…… Continue reading 5-Star Preview Reports and NH Care Compare Update

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS updated Appendix B – MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual on April 21, 2021 (you’ll see the date as 4/29/21 when you view the actual document).  Changes to Appendix B – April 2021 Update identify these personnel changes: “The April update of Appendix B to the RAI 3.0…… Continue reading Appendix B – RAI User’s Manual Updated

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The training materials for the SNF QRP: Achieving a Full APU webinar that took place on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, are now available under the Downloads section of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training web page. Scroll down the above web page…… Continue reading Training Materials Available for the SNF QRP: Achieving a Full APU Webinar, March 30, 2021