More than one-quarter of nurse assessment coordinators have limited on-the-job experience, potentially leaving providers at risk for survey deficiencies and leading to poorer health outcomes for facility residents.
That’s according to the 2023 AAPACN Nurse Assessment Coordinator Work Study and Salary Report, which was released Monday. The report found that 26% of nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) have two or fewer years of experience in their role.
That’s a steep increase from 2014, when the group reported that 7% of NACs had two years or fewer experience. Also in 2014, no NACs reported having two years or fewer experience in long-term care, compared with 5% of NACs in this survey, a product of the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing.
“From the data, we found that less experienced NACs completed Care Area Assessments up to 34% quicker than NACs with more years of experience,” AAPACN Curriculum Development Specialist Jessie McGill, RN, RAC-CT said in a press release announcing the survey results. “This could mean that NACs are not receiving adequate training in the completion of CAAs, which then places the facility at risk for ineffective care plans and survey citations.”
The group said its data suggest that nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are willing to hire nurses with no experience in the sector or with NAC experience to fill this role and cautioned that employees performing this job must be trained and supported.
On Oct. 1, the overhauled MDS 3.0 assessment tool is scheduled to go into effect, coupled with new software updates that are expected later this month. In the most recent McKnight’s Mood of the Market survey, nearly 18% of respondents said their staff were “not all confident” in their ability to implement the changes.
Inexperienced NACs can leave facilities vulnerable, said Amy Stewart, RN, RAC-MT, DNS-CT, the association’s chief nursing officer. She told McKnight’s Long-Term News on Monday that training should include reviewing line-by-line coding instructions in the RAI User’s Manual and comprehensive education on payment models such as the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) and any state Medicaid case-mix methodologies.
The education process will take longer when a NAC has “little-to-no long-term care or MDS experience,” she said.
“When NACs lack the knowledge necessary to complete the MDS timely and accurately, it puts the organization at risk in several areas,” Stewart explained. “It increases the risk for survey deficiencies at F641, Accuracy of Assessments, and F656, Comprehensive Care Plans, and could impact several other F-tags. Lack of knowledge about payment models can impact facility reimbursement or even increase the risk for monetary takebacks if the assessment is found to have inaccuracies during a medical review.”
The Care Area Assessments are used to help staff identify resident-specific issues that may require care planning. When they are not being done properly, the risk that the care plan is inaccurate increases, Stewart said, which can lead to less favorable resident outcomes.
