The Northwoods, summer reflections and the ICD-10 connection
By
Joel VanEaton
Jun 11, 2024
When I was 11 and 12 years old, my older brother and I spent two summers with my grandparents, who lived on a lake in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It was spectacular. They owned 10 acres of undeveloped,...
Bigfoot has been sighted in your facility, for real!
By
Joel VanEaton
May 14, 2024
According to Wikipedia, “Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a large and hairy human-like mythical creature alleged by some to inhabit forests in North America, particularly in the Pacific...
Providers worried about CMS pace on new MDS materials
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 09, 2022
Skilled nursing operators were happily surprised in September with an early draft of MDS revisions, but ever since it’s been a slog getting more information.
CMS releases more new MDS draft details; more changes to come?
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 04, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services kept a pre-New Year’s resolution by releasing a second draft of the new MDS tool that will be used to assess new residents starting Oct. 1, 2023.
CMS drops ‘enormous’ MDS changes in surprise move
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 06, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services surprised nursing home operators Friday by quietly posting a draft of updated Minimum Data Set specifications.
Do you know how to play SPADEs? MDS starts a new game
By
Joel VanEaton
Nov 28, 2022
Do you like playing cards? I do. I find it enjoyable to gather friends together for an evening of card playing. I would be lying if I didn’t say that there was no competition involved. Mostly though,...
Care teams now at risk as MDS changes roll out
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 28, 2023
It’s been widely billed as the biggest change to the Minimum Data Set in more than a decade, and on Sunday, version 1.18.11 of the MDS 3.0 finally kicks in.
CMS makes 60 changes to finalize new MDS playbook
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 25, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the final version of the new Resident Assessment Instrument manual Thursday .
“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 meets VBP: I love a good value, don’t you?
By
Joel VanEaton
Oct 10, 2022
I love a good value, don’t you? It’s hard to find one these days in this economy. Recently a friend of mine purchased a used vehicle from a reputable local dealership. Within a week, the engine...