MDS Broadcast

Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program: Download Your June 2026 Confidential Feedback Report   

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 facility-level measures on eight quality measures rather than four measures, as part of an expansion of the SNF VBP Program, 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))

• For additional questions about accessing your SNF’s report, which can only be accessed in iQIES, please contact the iQIES Service Center by phone at (800) 339-9313 or by email at iqies@cms.hhs.gov. 

• For more information about the SNF VBP Program, please visit the CMS website.  

• For additional questions, please contact the SNF VBP Program Help Desk at SNFVBPquestions@cms.hhs.gov.

A Treatment Option for Alzheimer’s Disease in Long-Term Care 

Webinar presented by Alpha Cognition

July 8, 2026 10:00 AM MST

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is highly prevalent in long-term care and can affect resident outcomes, staff burden, and quality measures. This webinar will examine the impact of treating AD and review a specific treatment option designed to address cognitive, behavioral, and functional symptoms of the disease. 

Select the link above to register for the webinar.

Game Changers - iQies, VBP, QRP NHSN, Icons, and More! (Sponsored by PharmScript)

July 16, 2026 | 2:00 pm ET

1 CE credit for Nurses & NAB for live session attendees

This interactive discussion and work session will provide attendees with keen insight into new requirements impacting providers.  Attendees will engage in the interactive session, working through scenarios while accessing reports and resources designed to guide leaders through the changes now in play. 

Select the above link to register.

Quality Measures: Impacting Clinical, Operational, Financial, and Regulatory Outcomes 

(Sponsored by PharmScript)

August 11, 2026 | 2:00 pm ET

1 CE credit for Nurses & NAB for live session attendees

SNFVBP, SNFQRP, Care Compare, CASPER Reports, and state-specific quality measures impact all aspects of skilling nursing facilities today and in the future. This important presentation will provide leaders with key information on the financial, clinical, and regulatory impact of quality measures on their organization. 

Select the above link to register.

De-Escalation & Conflict Resolution Approaches for Families & Care Teams 

(Sponsored by ComForCare Home Care)

August 13, 2026 | 2:00 pm ET

1 CE credit for Nurses, Case Managers, Social Workers (MN) & NAB for live session attendees

Conflict and communication breakdowns can derail care plans, strain relationships, and compromise outcomes—especially during care transitions or periods of decline. This highly practical webinar equips care teams with de-escalation techniques, structured communication protocols, and role-play scenarios to manage challenging interactions with families and interdisciplinary partners. 

Select the above link to register.

Evidence-Based Strategies for Supporting Older Adults with Depression and Anxiety 

(Sponsored by ComForCare Home Care)

October 8, 2026 | 2:00 pm ET

1 CE credit for Nurses, Case Managers, Social Workers (MN) & NAB for live session attendees

Depression and anxiety are frequently underrecognized in older adults, yet they significantly impact functional status, quality of life, and overall health outcomes. Timed with Mental Illness Awareness Week and Pharmacy Month, this webinar highlights evidence-based screening, referral, and intervention strategies to support emotional well-being in aging populations. 

Select the above link to register.

Building High-Performing, Resilient Care Teams (Sponsored by ComForCare Home Care)

December 3, 2026 | 2:00 pm ET

1 CE credit for Nurses, Case Managers, Social Workers (MN) & NAB for live session attendees

High-performing care teams are the foundation of quality, consistency, and sustainability in aging services. This webinar focuses on practical leadership strategies to build resilient teams through effective coaching, delegation, and performance measurement. 

Select the above link to register.

ICD-10 Codes: FY 2027 

Get FY 2027 ICD-10 codes effective for patient discharges and encounters on or after October 1, 2026:

• ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes

• ICD-10-PCS procedure codes

ICD-10 & Other Coding Revisions to National Coverage Determinations: Manual Updates 

CMS updated manuals to reflect Medicare coverage and payment for: 

• Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 18 (PDF), section 170.1 - National Coverage Determinations (NCD) 210.10 Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and High-Intensity Behavioral Counseling to Prevent STIs: Add CPT 87494 (used for combined chlamydia and gonorrhea testing) as a covered code for this policy, effective January 1, 2026

• Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 32 (PDF), sections 330.1 and 330.2 - NCD 150.13 Percutaneous Image-Guided Lumbar Decompression for Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: 

  • End date CPT code 0275T, effective December 31, 2025

  • Add CPT code 62330, effective January 1, 2026

  • Add Place of Service 19, effective January 1, 2016

See the instructions for your Medicare Administrative Contractor (PDF).

Advance Care Planning for Residents with Dementia 

from Pathway Health

Advance Care Planning (ACP) takes on added complexity when supporting individuals living with dementia. In post-acute and long-term care settings, leaders are increasingly called upon to guide teams through conversations that balance clinical realities, resident dignity, and family emotions. ACP is not simply a regulatory requirement; it is a foundational element of person-directed care that ensures decisions align with an individual’s values as cognition and health status change over time. 

Select the above link to read more.

Providers Being 'Careful What They Wish For' on SNF-Specific Wage Index

McKnight's Long-Term Care News

Nursing homes in half of all U.S. markets could see their proposed payment increases eaten away by declining wage indexes in fiscal 2027, even though many are paying all-time high rates for labor. 

Select the above link to read more.

Boost Male Engagement in Senior Living Programs With These Strategies 

McKnight's Senior Living

Senior living providers hoping to attract more male residents to their programs may need to change the way they promote their activities to those men, according to new research from the Mather Institute.

Select the above link to read more.

Paratonia in Advanced Dementia: A Frequently Misunderstood Movement Disorder 

From JAMDA

Paratonia is a form of increased muscle tone occurring in the setting of dementia, characterized by involuntary, variable resistance during passive movement. This article looks at this often misunderstood disorder, including treatments. 

Select the above link to read more.

A Simple Shift That Helps Facilities Get Ahead of Falls 

Provider Magazine

In the best-run facilities, the teams that consistently stay ahead of falls and functional decline are not necessarily doing more. They are paying attention to something different, and they are paying attention to it earlier.

Select the above link to read more.

Strengthening Nursing Home Leadership and Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Readiness

This article summarizes key program elements and lessons from the Moving Forward Michigan initiative, a project generously supported by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, designed to strengthen leadership capacity and improve Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement in nursing homes.

The Importance of Being Prepared in the Event of a Code

When was the last time you initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the skilled nursing facility setting? How did you react? One of the author's colleagues found herself initiating codes in the skilled rehab setting not once but twice in the past year. While unexpected and traumatic, her training as a family nurse practitioner meant that the patients under her care received prompt, effective CPR. 

Resident-to-Staff Abuse: Don't Do Me Like That

When Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released one of their biggest hits, "Don't Do Me Like That," they probably had no idea it could aptly describe an unfortunate trend in skilled nursing facilities. An alarming 35% of certified nursing assistants reported being physically assaulted by residents within one year, according to a national survey. Estimates of verbal abuse, while much higher than 35%, vary somewhat according to the study. 

Select the above links to read more about each article.

CDC Updates Clinical Guidance for C. diff Prevention 

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) updated its Clinical Guidance for C. diff Infection Prevention in Acute Care Facilities on May 13, 2026. The guidance emphasizes rapid isolation and contact precautions for residents with suspected or confirmed C. diff infection (CDI), including the use of dedicated equipment and continued precautions for at least 48 hours after diarrhea resolves. In addition, the guidance highlights the importance of antibiotic stewardship, staff education, auditing infection prevention practices, and reviewing CDI cases to identify prevention gaps and opportunities for improvement. 

OBRA Discharge Assessment Determination Fact Sheet posted to SNF QRP Training page 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a one-page resource that clarifies when an OBRA Discharge assessment is required under the MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual (Chapter 2). This resource outlines the primary discharge criteria, including hospital admissions, observation stays greater than 24 hours, and discharges to other care settings or private residences.

In case you missed the live training on Care Area Assessments (CAAS) Best Practices and Quality Measures, you can now find each training in TRAIN as a self-paced course. Just log in to TRAIN and search for:

Care Area Assessments (CAAs) Best Practices (ID 1137665)

The course discusses best practices for reviewing the Care Area Assessments (CAAs) and Care Area Triggers (CATs) to develop a clear, effective, and impactful care plan for nursing facility residents to achieve optimal goals. 

Quality Measures (ID 1138017)

Quality measures (QMs) are tools used to look at the quality of care in a facility, which help measure or quantify healthcare processes, outcomes, patient perceptions, and organizational structure and/or systems that are associated with the ability to provide high-quality health care and/or that relate to one or more quality goals for health care. The goals include: effective, safe, efficient, patient-centered, equitable, and timely care. Strong QM performance begins with consistent, evidence-based care delivery. The Minimum Data Set (MDS) then becomes the mechanism through which that care is accurately summarized and communicated to CMS, states, and the public.