MDS data quality: Things are not always as they seem
By
Steven Littlehale
Jul 15, 2013
Open up the hood and look at the engine. Does the data scrubbing module focus only on standard CMS coding and consistency checks and the “RUG” items, or is it more robust and emphasize clinical...
The cheese has moved … will Sniff find it?
By
Steven Littlehale
Aug 23, 2017
Imagine my surprise when several people came bearing the shocking news that “the MDS will not matter anymore” and that RCS-1 is “the end of the MDS.” Wait, what? Not on your life!
Put analytics to work as the population ages
By
Drew Goddin
Feb 26, 2014
The pressure is on. As the population ages, nursing homes will have to play a more central role in helping realize the national mandate of reducing healthcare costs while improving its quality.
Overcoding or undercoding incontinence in the MDS 3.0 is a problem that can draw the attention of surveyors, says McKnight’s Super Tuesday speaker Leah Klusch.
The easy way to get LTC experts into your office
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 06, 2013
Nobody should pass up the opportunity to have a nationally respected professional expert visit his or her office. The chance to get six in there in a short amount of time? Outrageous. Yet, it’s going...
CMS did more than ‘just’ cut Medicare pay by 11.1%
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Aug 19, 2011
Have you started your COT trending analysis? On Aug. 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the final ruling and commentary for the new implementation of the MDS changes set to take effect...
The Five Star Report, once again, in the SNF spotlight
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 24, 2014
The Five Star Quality Rating System takes the spotlight on the front page of the New York Times and the top of the news cycle, kicking off other publicity and political pressure. Regardless of any of the...
Innovative ideas for MDS staffing
By
Rosanna L. Benbow
Maureen McCarthy
Aug 17, 2021
Today, if you search for MDS jobs nationwide you will find a staggering number of open positions. On any given day you can find more than 1,200 to 1,400 open positions across the United States. That’s...
No more Rehab Medium RUG defaults
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Oct 08, 2013
Well, Oct. 1 has passed, and we’re all still hanging in. The biggest changes we saw to rehab were the addition of reporting co-treatment minutes on our billing logs and Section O on the MDS. And,...
Will the MDS ever go away?
By
Maria Arellano, MS, RN
Oct 19, 2012
As the industry moves from fee-for-service to the episodic world of care, much emphasis has been placed on understanding how payment systems work over the past couple of decades. This view evaluates outcomes...