LTC Clarified: Weekly News, Insights & Connections

Laundry services in long-term care are often viewed as a support function, but from an infection prevention standpoint, they represent a critical control point for preventing healthcare- associated infections.

Contact Proactive LTC CareConnect for same-day access to seasoned clinical experts providing guidance to stabilize situations, reduce risk and move forward with confidence.

Q: I have a resident that was originally admitted to our facility with a stage 2 pressure ulcer who went out to the hospital for three days and returned with a stage 2 pressure ulcer in the same location. How would this be coded on the MDS?

MAY: Check out upcoming education in May!

April 2026 Refresh of SNF QRP Data Now Available

The April refresh of SNF QRP Data is now available on the compare tool and includes:

• Assessment-based measures reflecting data submitted by SNFs to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from Quarter 3, 2024 through Quarter 2, 2025. 
• The Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel measure reflecting data from Quarter 4, 2024 through Quarter 1, 2025.
• The CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure and COVID-19 Vaccine: Percent of Patients Who Are Up to Date measure reflecting data from Quarter 2, 2025.
• The Potentially Preventable 30-Day Post-Discharge Readmission, Discharge to Community, and Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary claims-based measures reflecting data from Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 3, 2024. 
• The SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) measure reflects data from Quarter 4, 2023 through Quarter 3, 2024.  

The SNF QRP Quick Reference Guide has also been updated. Visit the compare tool on Medicare.gov and PDC to view the updated quality data. For questions about SNF QRP Public Reporting, please email SNFQRPPRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov. 

From https://www.cms.gov/medicare/quality/snf-quality-reporting-program/public-reporting

SNF QRP May 18, 2026, Submission Deadline Reminder

The submission deadline for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Programs is approaching. Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment data and data submitted to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) for Oct 1 – Dec 31 (Q4) of the calendar year (CY) 2025 are due with this submission deadline. The annual NHSN Influenza Vaccination among Healthcare Personnel measure is also due with this deadline. All data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on May 18, 2026. The list of measures required by this deadline can be found on the CMS QRP website SNF Quality Reporting Program Data Submission Deadlines

Five Star Cut Point Tables Updated

Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Quality Rating System: Technical Users’ Guide State Level Health Inspection Cut Point Table updates available for April 2026. 

Survey Resources

Survey resources on the LTC Survey Process Interim Revisit Instructions were updated 4/30/26. Access here.

PDPM Case Mix Creep Memo

A memo was released summarizing the Acumen study accompanying the Request for Information for Quantifying and Addressing Case-Mix Creep Under the Patient Driven Payment Model in FY2027 SNF PPS. The memo states “As the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) continues to mature since its adoption in FY 2020, ongoing monitoring of case-mix trends is essential to ensure that payment rates continue to reflect actual changes in patient acuity rather than shifts in coding or documentation behaviors. Our monitoring reveals some evidence of increasing coding intensity over time. For example, reporting of the malnutrition item (I5600) increased from a rate of 5% of stays in FY 2018 to 47% of stays in FY 2024. Although only a small number of items demonstrate change of this magnitude, many others show smaller but meaningful shifts such as the swallowing disorder item (K0100), which increased from 4% to 21% of stays, and the depression item (D0160 or D0600), which increased from 4% to 19% of stays, between FY 2018 and FY 2024. Some items also show declines, such as fever (J1550A) that decreased from 2% to 1%.” Access the full memo (Acumen, 2026 March)