In 2025, CMS has highlighted critical focus areas for surveyors conducting health inspections in Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities. These priorities emphasize improving care quality, enhancing regulatory compliance, and ensuring resident well-being. I read the recently released CMS 2025 Mission & Priorities document to summarize the key areas for focused review, provide you with best practices for each item and action opportunities with practical steps to help your facility prepare.

Understanding and improving patient outcomes is a priority for every skilled nursing facility, and that’s exactly what we’re covering in this SHP Podcast. Hosted by Dahlia Kroth, this episode dives into the critical topic of the Discharge Function Score and its role in patient care. Joining Dahlia is Greg Seiple, Vice President of Clinical Informatics at SHP/IntelliLogix, who shares his expertise on this essential metric. Together, they unpack everything from how Discharge Function Scores are calculated to their real-world applications in supporting residents’ post-discharge needs.

This blog post is a summary of our industry topic webinar, 'The Facility Assessment: Meeting the Challenge.' Continue reading for additional resources and a link to the video. Facility assessments are critical in the healthcare industry, especially in light of recent regulatory changes. These assessments play a significant role in ensuring that healthcare facilities meet the needs of their residents while adhering to industry standards.

The 2024 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program recipients have been announced and we are extremely pleased to congratulate the 203 SHP clients who received the award this year.

When a resident is preparing to leave a skilled nursing facility, healthcare professionals use something called the Discharge Function Score to gauge how well they’ll manage on their own. This score is crucial because it helps determine the level of support or care the resident might need after they leave. But how exactly is this score calculated? Let’s break it down in simple terms.

Since the advent of Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) reporting by CMS in 2016, facilities have struggled with preparing and submitting accurate PBJ data. Penalties applied for a failure to submit complete and accurate data can result in defaulting to a one-star rating and negatively impacting overall 5-star ratings.

The 2023 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program recipients have been announced and we are extremely pleased to congratulate the impressive 127 SHP clients who received the award this year.

The 2022 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program recipients have been announced and we are extremely pleased to congratulate the 64 SHP clients who received the award this year.

The new PDPM Impact Report is here. The latest IntelliLogix™ update is designed to allow skilled nursing facilities to see the financial impact realized from MDS Scrubber utilization for PPS assessments. It also allows the user to drill down into specific facilities and resident detail highlighting resident characteristics and alert changes.

CareStat, a software platform that connects post-acute providers with hospitals/ACO, has added reports and analytics to include data from Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs). The previous version of CareStat included data only from home health agency (HHA) partners. Now health systems can proactively manage both their SNF and HHA networks to facilitate more effective care planning, quality oversight, and total cost-of-care management.

The 2021 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program recipients have been announced and we are extremely pleased to congratulate the impressive 105 SHP clients who received the award this year.

This powerful new tool gives you intuitive widgets for a bird’s-eye view of performance with drill-downs to more detailed reports. Complete with adjustable widget parameters for a personalized analysis of what’s most important for you. Drag, drop and resize widgets for a fully customizable dashboard experience.

SHP is excited to announce a valuable new report available in our IntelliLogix solution for skilled nursing facilities. The Unplanned Re-hospitalization Trend Report is a tool designed to help organizations monitor their unplanned re-hospitalization rates by category and over time. We hope these insightful analytics will help facilities to pin-point risk factors and identify the best course of action for improvement.

Occupancy and staffing are the two main issues facing SNFs today, both exacerbated by the unique effects of COVID-19 this past year. SNFs will need to get creative in solving these issues and adopting the right software and analytics tools will be critical. IntelliLogix™ by SHP can help facilities increase referrals, maximize reimbursement and save valuable time.

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News has announced it’s 2021 class of Rising Stars and Veteran VIP award recipients. We applaud all of the women awarded this honor, many of whom are customers of ours.

The advent of the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) significantly expanded the Minimum Data Set (MDS) items that impact reimbursement and moved the focus from therapy minutes and ADLs to clinical diagnoses and resident characteristics. Now, more than a year post-implementation, there appears to still be significant opportunity to improve coding accuracy in areas that drive payment.

CMS has announced that routine inspections for all Medicare- and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers will soon resume, after suspending them as part of its response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Our Survey Risk Report can address risk indicators by ranking facilities that may be prioritized for survey based on the criteria.

On April 19, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a QSO memorandum notifying nursing homes of new reporting and surveillance requirements in response to the (COVID-19) pandemic. IntelliLogix reporting tools help facilities analyze and manage data.

The 2020 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program recipients have been announced and we are extremely pleased to congratulate the impressive 138 Team TSI clients who received the award this year.

This new report helps long-term care and skilled nursing facilities analyze your NHSN weekly data and compare with county, state and national averages.

CMS announced a plan to send point-of-care tests directly to every nursing facility in the country. Based on the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) however, unless the building has a specific waiver allowing staffers to perform tests, the facility will not receive the units. Facilities must secure a CLIA waiver in order to receive one of the free units.

The new COVID-19 NHSN Weekly Data Survey gives you the power to easily create and manage surveys. It walks you through survey questions based on the four Pathways outlined by NHSN—Resident Impact and Facility Capacity, Staff and Personnel Impact, Supplies & Personnel Protective Equipment, and Ventilator Capacity & Supplies.

To further enhance our role as a data analytics partner for post-acute care organizations, SHP is proud to announce its acquisition of Team TSI. Team TSI is a leader in data analytics solutions for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that has been in business for 30+ years.

As we continue to work through the COVID-19 pandemic, there is still much that can be done in preparing for potential recurrence or resurgence in the days and months ahead. Adequate assessment, critical planning, and implementing essential processes will be crucial in the following months.

COVID-19 has changed the way the world, thinks. Some say we have a “new norm” and it is going to take new strategies to face the unique challenges evolving every day. Along those lines, it is essential to look with fresh eyes at those who are not only dealing with their own safety, but those who are the first responders and are on the front lines caring for others. Here are six tips for supporting our front-line heroes.

With the implementation of the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) on October 1, 2019 by CMS, it is important for SNFs to understand the new payment system that will help them transition smoothly into a value-based environment. Learn what's changed.

In response to recent CMS announcements regarding COVID-19, Team TSI has instituted additional coding alerts that are designed to inform providers to potential issues related to COVID-19 and updated CMS guidelines or waivers that may have an impact on MDS coding as well as resident care and services. These alerts are in no way meant to suggest or imply a change in coding is warranted; simply to alert providers to review the most recent CMS guidelines and waivers that may be in effect.

Section 6106 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires facilities to electronically submit direct care staffing, including agency and contract staff and census information on a quarterly basis. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has named their reporting system the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ). What do you need to know?

In response to recent CMS announcements regarding COVID-19, SHP has instituted additional coding alerts that are designed to inform providers to potential issues related to COVID-19 and updated CMS guidelines or waivers that may have an impact on MDS coding as well as resident care and services. These alerts are in no way meant to suggest or imply a change in coding is warranted; simply to alert providers to review the most recent CMS guidelines and waivers that may be in effect.

MDS 2020 is coming. While information is scarce, our industry experts have been hearing rumors and considering how Team TSI will tackle this new challenge. We asked them to share their thoughts.

For the first time, day to day, clinical personnel fluctuations are being made transparent. This new data required to be captured by the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and analyzed by Kaiser Health News is showing a not-so-pretty picture. Medicare has begun gathering and mining staffing information utilizing payroll data across more than 14,000 nursing homes. No longer is self-reporting for nursing homes an option.

PDPM has been active for three months already and, as we predicted, it’s turning out to NOT be budget neutral. As has happened with previous adjustments to payment methodologies, when providers become more familiar with the system and start maximizing benefits, CMS will adjust rates. Providers are enjoying the benefits of adjusted therapy hours and rates but need to be prepared for potential/probable rate adjustments.

Since CMS launched its Five Star rating system for Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes in 2008, the pressure has been on for nursing homes to utilize measures to improve quality measure scores and stars. The rating system is a tool to help consumers compare and select a skilled nursing facility by awarding stars in three separate parts, or elements, of the star rating for each nursing home.

With intimate knowledge of the residents they have been caring for; such as traits, likes, dislikes, wishes, and more—coupled with the resident’s clinical conditions, resident aides are considered crucial members of the optimal resident-centered care team. But does the clinical collaborative team stop there? The answer should be NO!

Congratulations to Pat Newberry—Vice President-Clinical Services and Dahlia Kroth—Vice President-Strategic Relations for their renewal and appointment to continue serving as AHCA Quality Examiners.

Contract therapy service provider RehabCare today announced it will begin offering clients Team TSI’s (now SHP's) MDS Scrubber Module. The MDS Scrubber allows RehabCare’s clients to not only reduce their MDS rejection rate, but also reduce inconsistencies in coding, assist in the transition from Resource Utilization Groups (RUG) to Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM), optimize their ICD-10 coding practices, improve financial optimization, be aware of potential adverse events and have a proactive view of potential clinical-related risk areas.

With the growing implementation of PDPM, Team TSI (now SHP) welcomes Greg Seiple as Vice President, Informatics. He is a powerful new weapon in our arsenal of industry experts. Greg has extensive experience with HCR ManorCare, Guardian and CareOne. As a registered nurse, Greg has wide-ranging proficiency on the clinical side of facility operations, which is augmented by his knowledge of clinical services. This hands-on experience is key to his 27 years of leadership in long-term care. Empowering teams throughout the industry, Greg adds his powerful voice to the analytical insight Team TSI (now SHP) provides.

We are pleased to welcome Columbine Health Systems as one of our first SNF customers. We look forward to working together to help Columbine optimize its resources under PDPM, improve readmissions, outcomes and relationship with referring entities.

PDPM is Here―and Clinical Data is the Key to Your Success! Unlock your PDPM potential by understanding, identifying and recognizing the path for accurate MDS assessments that reflect the resident’s clinical condition and care provided.

Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP), a leading provider of post-acute data and analytics, has expanded its portfolio of products by introducing the SHP for Skilled Nursing℠ software solution. The Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) and a continued focus on cost and quality has enhanced the need for real-time data in the SNF setting. This new automatic, real-time reporting suite enables SNFs to better manage and improve readmissions, referrals, and outcomes so they can succeed under PDPM.

As the industry’s leader in data analytics and focused solutions, Team TSI (now SHP) is excited to announce our strategic partnership alliance with Twinmed, one of the largest full-line medical supply distributors within the healthcare industry.

Furthering our commitment and dedication to being Data Focused, Customer Driven, Team TSI (now SHP) is proud to announce a new strategic partnership with Pioneer Technology, a top-tier managed IT services provider committed to providing a consistent and repeatable framework for nursing home IT.