I am constantly reminded how the complexities of nature astound me. Recently, I became aware of the impending cicada invasion that will happen this year in various regions of the United States. According...
The changes to end-of-life skin wound classification in the most recent Minimum Data Set update are ultimately a positive for long-term care, but regulatory ambiguity and potential legal concerns still...
Release the hounds! The power of the MDS
By
Joel VanEaton
Jan 23, 2024
I am a Tennessee Volunteer fan through and through. Through all the ups and downs, I love Smokey, our hound dog mascot, wearing Volunteer orange, singing “Rocky Top,” watching the football team run...
Also in the News for Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 17, 2024
CMS drops expected draft of MDS updates … OIG to audit use of contracted surveyors … OIG to CDC: Improve support for COVID nursing home data submission … Nursing home operators booted from state...
MDS, quality reporting changes give providers a ‘bumpy road’ ahead
By
Kimberly Marselas
Dec 21, 2023
Major changes to resident assessment tools, increasing quality reporting requirements and new state Medicaid payment tools will continue to dog providers well into 2024, a trio of clinical and reimbursement...
“No man is a failure who has friends” — an MDS Merry Christmas
By
Joel VanEaton
Dec 20, 2023
As Christmas and the new year approach, I get nostalgic. I like to think back on good old childhood memories. For me those are the 1970s and ’80s. I remember one Christmas, I was probably 7 years...
MDS transition or escape room adventure?
By
Maureen McCarthy
Dec 01, 2023
Skilled nursing facilities across the country unknowingly entered an escape room on Oct. 1, searching for a unique combination of clues, keys and passcodes to solve the puzzle. Their mission: Performing...
The MDS on Christmas vacation: ‘It’s a beaut Clark, it’s a beaut!’
By
Joel VanEaton
Nov 28, 2023
I love this time of year. Christmas is on its way. I especially love the holiday movie classics, “A Christmas Story,” “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” “White Christmas,”...
Fasten your seatbelts: It MIGHT be a bumpy ride
By
Steven Littlehale
Oct 13, 2023
It’s been a flurry of activity leading up to the implementation of the “new MDS.” For months our industry has been doing what we do best — rising to the occasion. Countless MDS training sessions,...
Ask the payment expert … about payment reductions
By
Eleisha Wilkes, RN, RAC-CTA, RAC-CT, DNS-CT
Oct 10, 2023
Q: How do I know what determines my 2% annual payment reduction? I’ve received a non-compliance letter citing MDS reporting requirements, but it doesn’t provide details.