https://www.mds-consultants.com/

MDS Consultants, 105 Pearl Street, Marilla, NY (2026)

06/08/2026

𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗖𝗖𝗜 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻, 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗶𝘀!

We are proud to have Jessica Stucin and Kristine Martinez presenting two education sessions focused on practical MDS, QAPI, care planning, accuracy, evidence, and compliance.

𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗗𝗦 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀:

- MDS and QAPI: Accuracy, Evidence, and Compliance That Holds Up
Presented by Jessica Stucin and Kristine Martinez

-Care Planning That Works — Turning Assessment Into Action
Presented by Jessica Stucin and Kristine Martinez

These topics are a strong fit for today’s skilled nursing teams as facilities continue working to connect MDS accuracy, documentation, compliance, quality improvement, and resident-centered care.

📍 The I Hotel & Illinois Conference Center
📅 June 16–18, 2026
Champaign, Illinois

We look forward to connecting with long-term care professionals at HCCI!

06/05/2026

CMS will relaunch the Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) in the coming months for all Medicare facility types, including hospitals, post-acute care providers, and specialty facilities.
PEPPER is a free tool that helps you review your Medicare billing data so you can identify issues early and support accurate claims.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗣𝗘𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗥 𝘁𝗼:
𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘀
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿‑𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿‑𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗱
𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝘀
𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲
Act Now: Get Ready to Access Your PEPPER
Authorized officials (AOs), access managers (AMs), and staff end users (SEUs) can access PEPPER through the PEPPER Portal.
How to get access as an SEU:
Sign in to the CMS Identity & Access (I&A) System using your existing NPPES or PECOS credentials.
Request the PEPPER business function for your organization. The Comparative Billing Report business function is also available and can be requested at the same time.
Your AO or AM must approve your request.
Once approved, log in to the portal and download your organization’s report.
Take steps now to make sure you have access when we release your facility’s PEPPER:
See the I&A System Quick Reference Guide and FAQs: Step-by-step instructions for AOs and AMs
Contact the External User Services Help Desk for assistance
https://cstu.io/a509cc

06/04/2026

The purpose of this Change Request (CR) is to revise various sections within Chapters 4 and 8 in Pub. 100-08. The revisions include updates to the “When Suspension of Payment May Be Used” process and the “Procedures for Implementing a Payment Suspension” process. These updates do not affect the provider and/or beneficiary populations. Rather, these updates are solely related to contractor technical processes and procedures. All updates ensure our contractors have the most recent guidance.
𝗘𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 *Unless otherwise specified, the effective date is the date of service. 𝗜𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟵, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲
https://cstu.io/fd6357

06/03/2026

The June 2026 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports for the fiscal year (FY) 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program are now available to download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES).
These reports provide SNFs their facility-level measure results for eight quality measures during their performance period for the FY 2027 SNF VBP Program year:
SNF 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure (SNFRM)
Skilled Nursing Facility Healthcare-Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalization (SNF HAI)
Discharge to Community—Post-Acute Care Measure for SNFs (DTC PAC SNF)
Number of Hospitalizations per 1,000 Long Stay Resident Days (Long Stay Hospitalization)
Total Nursing Staff Turnover (Nursing Staff Turnover)
Total Nurse Staffing Hours per Resident Day (Total Nurse Staffing)
Discharge Function Score for SNFs (Discharge Function Score)
Percent of Residents Experiencing One or More Falls with Major Injury (Long-Stay) (Falls with Major Injury (Long-Stay)
These measure results will be used for the FY 2027 SNF VBP Program year’s scoring and incentive payment calculations that will take effect October 1, 2026. Performance scores and incentive payment multipliers for the FY 2027 SNF VBP Program year will be disseminated in the August 2026 Performance Score Reports.
Note: The FY 2027 SNF VBP Program year is the first to assess performance on eight quality measures rather than four measures, as part of an expansion of the SNF VBP Program. For more information about the SNF VBP Program’s measures, see the SNF VBP Program Measures webpage.
https://cstu.io/e63ced

06/03/2026

The Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES) Survey and Certification (S&C) Manage a Survey: Long Term Care Facilities User Manual Version 1.5 was updated on April 16, 2026, and posted on 5/26/2026. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙙𝙙, 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬, 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙮𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 (𝙇𝙏𝘾) 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙞𝙌𝙄𝙀𝙎. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨.
https://cstu.io/7e825e
https://cstu.io/f0474a

06/03/2026

𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁.

They connect to MDS accuracy, Care Compare, Five-Star, survey preparation, facility processes, and quality improvement.

Join us on June 9 for QM Basics: Understanding the Foundations, Part 2 of our Quality Measures Series.

This session will break down key quality measure concepts, review how MDS-driven QMs connect to public reporting and survey readiness, and help teams better understand how to support best practices.

Who should attend: Administrators, DONs, Nurse Assessment Coordinators, MDS Coordinators, Clinical Nurse Managers, and IDT members.

Register today to receive your personal login link.
👉 https://cstu.io/9f8c79

06/02/2026

Your MDS process is more than assessment completion.

It connects to reimbursement, compliance, quality measures, care planning, Triple Check, and survey readiness.

When the process is rushed, short-staffed, or unsupported, small gaps can become bigger problems.

Is your MDS process creating hidden risk?

06/01/2026

𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗔𝗖-𝗖𝗧 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽!

The MDS is too important to guess your way through. This virtual workshop is a great opportunity for MDS Coordinators, nurses, administrators and IDT members to strengthen their understanding of MDS coding documentation, compliance, reimbursement and the assessment process.

MDS Consultants is proud to offer this workshop as an AAPACN Training partner:

RAC-CT workshop
June 2-5, 2026, Virtual

Register before it begins!
https://cstu.io/59542d

𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗣𝗢𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗬: The Parties are not responsible for any fees incurred due to cancellations or postponements. Participant cancellations must be submitted in writing via email to [email protected]. Participants who are unable to attend may send a substitute in their place. Cancellations received more than thirty (30) business days prior to the start date of the workshop will receive a full refund. Cancellations received fourteen to thirty (14-30) business days prior to the start date of the workshop will receive a full refund, minus a two-hundred-and fifty-dollar ($250.00) processing fee, of which two-hundred and twenty-five dollars ($225.00) is paid to Training Partner and twenty-five dollars ($25.00) is paid to Association. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received thirteen (13) business days or less prior to the start date of the Training Workshop except for emergencies or a visit from state surveyors. State surveyors must be present in the Participant’s building in order for the Participant to receive a refund. Neither Party shall issue a refund for any Participant’s withdrawal due to weather unless the Training Workshop is cancelled.

05/28/2026

The Calc section PDF was inadvertently missing from the PDF Files ZIP contained within the MDS Data Specifications V3.10.2 (FINAL) ZIP file and now has been restored in its usual location.
https://cstu.io/3472d8
https://cstu.io/b6d5d8

05/27/2026

🚨This communication pertains to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2028 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program performance standards for the Discharge Function Score for SNFs measure which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published in the FY 2026 SNF Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule on August 4, 2025. The Discharge Function Score for SNFs measure is one of the eight measures included in the SNF VBP Program for the FY 2028 Program year.
This communication does not affect the current FY 2027 SNF VBP Program scoring and incentive payments, nor does it affect prior FYs. SNFs do not need to do anything at this time, or in the future.
The performance standards for each measure adopted by the SNF VBP Program consist of the achievement threshold and the benchmark. The achievement threshold is the 25th percentile of all SNFs' performance on a measure during the Program year's applicable baseline period, and the benchmark is the mean of the top decile of all SNFs' performance on a measure during the Program year's applicable baseline period. For the FY 2028 SNF VBP Program year, the baseline period is FY 2024, and the performance period is FY 2026, for the Discharge Function Score for SNFs measure. The performance standards are used together with each SNF’s performance on a measure during the baseline period and the performance period to calculate a measure score for each measure, for each SNF.
𝘾𝙈𝙎 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚 𝙁𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙉𝙁𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝟭𝟱𝟱 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨. 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙔 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟴 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧.
The table below displays the original performance standards published in the FY 2026 SNF PPS final rule and the updated performance standards for the FY 2028 Program year. The updated performance standards will be used in upcoming FY 2028 SNF VBP Program scoring and payment calculations. As mentioned above, this update does not affect SNF VBP Program scoring and incentive payments for the current FY 2027 SNF VBP Program, nor did it affect scoring and incentive payments in prior FYs. SNFs do not need to do anything at this time, and this process will not require any future action from providers.
FY 2028 Program Year Discharge Function Score for SNFs Performance Standards

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06/08/2026

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