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.
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,...
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...
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.
Data Speaks: What is my niche? Data driven decision making
By
Joel VanEaton
Aug 03, 2020
When examined strategically, data has a voice, it comes to life, it can in fact speak volumes to you. Data speaks about the care you deliver, it provides insight into your treatment patterns, and data...
Have a rest from COVID-19: An MDS perspective
By
Joel VanEaton
Jul 06, 2020
I am trying to find ways to rest my mind from constantly thinking about COVID-19. There seems to be no escaping it. It invades every minute poking its head into our collective consciousness whether you...
Have you learned how to play SPADEs in the new world of PDPM?
By
Joel VanEaton
Apr 22, 2020
EDITOR’S NOTE: For the new column on this topic, with all up-to-date observations, newly appearing Nov. 28, 2022, click here. So much is being written recently about the current trends that many...
Embracing the RAI manual
By
Joel VanEaton
Jul 01, 2019
The PDPM RAI Manual is here, Now what? We’ve had a little over a month to process the RAI manual, but there’s no denying that this year is different. Generally, the RAI Manual details the changes...
CMS user’s guide updated with little fanfare
By
Joel VanEaton
May 06, 2019
Providers would be well served to download the current version of the Five-Star User’s guide in order to have an accurate understanding of their 5-Star Rating that CMS posted to Nursing Home Compare...
Helping the assessors
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 06, 2017
Minimum Data Set coordinators serve vital functions in today’s skilled nursing facilities — their ability to dig deep is so critical that one software executive likens it to navigating the Andromeda...