Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Spotlights and Announcements
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Spotlights and Announcements
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Updates
April 15, 2024
SNF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available
The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the July 2024 refresh.
For more information, please visit the CMS SNF QRP Public Reporting website.
March 28, 2024
Prospective Payment System and Consolidated Billing for Skilled Nursing Facilities; Updates to the Quality Reporting Program and Value-Based Purchasing Program for Federal Fiscal Year 2025 (CMS-1802-P)
On March 28, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule (CMS-1802-P) that provides updates to the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP). In this proposed rule, CMS is proposing to require SNF’s to collect and submit through the Minimum Data Set (MDS) four new assessment items in the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) category: one item for Living Situation, two items for Food, and one item for Utilities. CMS is also proposing to modify the current Transportation item. Additionally, CMS is proposing to adopt a similar validation process for the SNF QRP that was adopted for the SNF VBP. Finally, CMS is seeking feedback with a Request for Information (RFI) on quality measure concepts under consideration for future SNF QRP years.
The proposed rule went on display at the Federal Register and will be available at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection
March 22, 2024
REGISTRATION REMINDER: SNF QRP: Achieving a Full APU Webinar – Update
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a webinar to provide updated instructions to help providers understand how to achieve a full Annual Payment Update (APU) in the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP).
For more information and to register for the webinar, please visit the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.
February 26, 2024
REGISTRATION OPEN: SNF QRP: Achieving a Full APU Webinar – Update
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a webinar to provide updated instructions to help providers understand how to achieve a full Annual Payment Update (APU) in the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP).
For more information and to register for the webinar, please visit the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.
February 9, 2024
Reminder of Upcoming Data Submission Deadline
The submission deadline for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) is approaching. Minimum Data Sets (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 July 1 – September 30 (Q3) of calendar year (CY) 2023 are due with this submission deadline.
All data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on February 15, 2024.
It is recommended that the applicable Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) reports and NHSN analysis reports are run prior to each quarterly reporting deadline to ensure that all required data were submitted. We encourage you to verify all facility information prior to submission, including CMS Certification Number (CCN) and facility name.
View the list of measures required for the February 15, 2024 deadline on the SNF Quality Reporting Program Data Submission Deadlines webpage.
For submission information, visit:
Swingtech sends informational messages to SNFs that are not meeting Annual Payment Update (APU) threshold on a quarterly basis ahead of each submission deadline. If you need to add or change the email addresses to which these messages are sent, please email QRPHelp@swingtech.com and be sure to include your facility name and CCN along with any requested email updates.
February 2, 2024
SUMMARY REPORT PUBLISHED: SNF QRP Listening Session: Possible Expansion of MDS Data Submission to All SNF Patients Regardless of Payer
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has published a summary report on the virtual Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Listening Session that was held on August 29, 2023 by Acumen, LLC. This session was held to seek feedback from administration and management staff, software vendors, and clinical staff on the possible expansion of collection and submission of Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment data used for the SNF QRP to include all residents receiving short-term skilled care in a SNF regardless of their payer. The report presents a summary of the presentation for each discussion topic, stakeholder input for each of the discussion questions, and key findings. The discussion topics included identifying the resident population for expanded MDS data collection and submission, identifying the expanded resident population on the MDS, potential burden associated with expanding MDS data collection and submission, and the impact of changes in level of care on MDS data collection and submission. The summary report also includes the feedback received via email to the dedicated email inbox, SNF-Listening-Session-2023@acumenllc.com, that was open for 30 days following the event. The report can be found on the SNF QRP Measures and Technical Information page.
January 31, 2024
Care Compare January Refresh of SNF QRP Data – Now Available
The January 2024 refresh of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).
For more information, please visit the SNF QRP Public Reporting website.
January 19, 2024
NOW AVAILABLE: CMS FAQ Document and Methodology Report for the Post-Acute Care Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports
In October 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports to post-acute care (PAC) providers: the Discharge to Community (DTC) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report and the Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary (MSPB) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report.
To answer frequently asked questions and to provide methodological information about these reports, CMS released the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Document and the Methodology Report. The materials can be access through these links:
- CMS Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Document (PDF)
- CMS Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report Methodology Report (PDF)
January 16, 2024
SNF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available
The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the April 2024 refresh.
For more information, please visit the SNF QRP Public Reporting website.
January 12, 2024
NOW AVAILABLE: Draft MDS 3.0 Item Sets version 1.19.1
The draft Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Item Sets version (v)1.19.1 and Item Matrix are now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. The MDS Item Sets v1.19.1 will be effective beginning October 01, 2024.
December 15, 2023
NOW AVAILABLE: CMS Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports Live Q&A Materials
On November 16, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hosted a live Q&A session about the CMS Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports for post-acute care (PAC) providers in the Home Health (HH), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH), and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) settings, which were released in October 2023. The PAC Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports stratified the Discharge to Community and Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary measures by dual-enrollment status and race/ethnicity.
The live Q&A session gave participants an opportunity to ask CMS subject matter experts about the report’s methodologies and interpretations.
The webinar’s recording, slides, and transcript can be found at the Training webpage for HH, IRF, LTCH, and SNF.
December 13, 2023
NEW RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Confusion Assessment Method (CAM©) Video Tutorial
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a video tutorial for the assessment of C1310. Signs and Symptoms of Delirium taken from the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM©) which is now collected on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) v1.18.11. This training asset demonstrates a cognitive assessment used to code the items within C1310.
This resource can be accessed through the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Training page.
December 1, 2023
SNF QRP Claims-Based Measure Manual and Accompanying Files– Now Available
The Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Claims-Based Measures Manual and accompanying documents are now available. These documents contain information on how to calculate claims-based measures used in the SNF QRP.
For more information, please visit the CMS SNF QRP Quality Reporting Measures and Technical Information website.
November 3, 2023
Reminder of Upcoming Data Submission Deadline
The submission deadline for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) 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 April 1 – June 30 (Q2) of calendar year (CY) 2023 are due with this submission deadline.
All data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. on November 15, 2023.
It is recommended that the applicable Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) reports and NHSN analysis reports are run prior to each quarterly reporting deadline to ensure that all required data were submitted. We encourage you to verify all facility information prior to submission, including CMS Certification Number (CCN) and facility name.
View the list of measures required for the November 15, 2023 deadline on the SNF Quality Reporting Program Data Submission Deadlines webpage.
For submission information, visit:
Swingtech sends informational messages to SNFs that are not meeting Annual Payment Update (APU) threshold on a quarterly basis ahead of each submission deadline. If you need to add or change the email addresses to which these messages are sent, please email QRPHelp@swingtech.com and be sure to include your facility name and CCN along with any requested email updates.
October 25, 2023
Care Compare October Release of SNF QRP Data – Now Available
The October 2023 release of the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) data is now available on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC).
For more information, please visit the SNF QRP Public Reporting website.
October 23, 2023
The PDF file labeled “MDS3.0RAIManualv1.18.11R.Errata.v2.October.20.2023” is now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. The errata document contains revisions to the MDS 3.0 RAI Manual version (v)1.18.11R to provide clarity and additional guidance in Section D and Chapter 6 to support item D0100, Should Resident Mood Interview be Conducted? serving as a gateway item for the Resident Mood Interview (PHQ-2 to 9©) and D0500, Staff Assessment of Resident Mood (PHQ-9-OV©). Minor revisions also included are corrections to language in Section Q to provide proper guidance on Care Area Assessment (CAA) requirements, corrections to language in Chapter 2 to provide proper guidance on combining Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) discharge assessments, an updated Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES) warning error message in Chapter 5, updated screenshots in Section A and Section O, and an updated MDS Item Matrix. The errata document also includes all issues from previous MDS 3.0 RAI Manual v1.18.11R errata releases.
Changed manual pages are marked with the footer “October 2023 (R).”
The errata document begins with a table that lists all identified revisions and the pages to which they have been applied. Following the table are the actual corrected replacement pages for insertion into the printed manual.
October 20, 2023
UPDATED: Final MDS 3.0 Item Sets v1.18.11 v6
The final Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Item Sets version (v)1.18.11 have been updated and are now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. Changes in this version (listed below) align the item sets with the Errata V3.01.3 for MDS Data Specifications V3.01.1 (FINAL) (PDF) posted September 21, 2023, on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Technical Information page. For a full list of changes to the final posted item sets since v1, see the Item Set Change Table Supplement that accompanies the posting. The MDS Item Sets v1.18.11 were effective beginning October 1, 2023.
M0300G1 on NPE Replaced erroneous skip pattern <Skip to N2005, Medication Intervention> with the correct one: <Skip to N0415, High-Risk Drug Classes: Use and Indication>.
O0300A on NP and NQ Corrected transposition of verbs in skip patterns (changed <Skip> to <Continue> in choice 0 and <Continue> to <Skip> in choice 1).
O0400 on NC and NQ Removed completion language <Complete only when A0310B = 1 (complete O0400D2 when required by state)>.
O0400 on NP and SP Removed completion language <Complete only when A0310B = 1>.
O0420 on NC, NP, and NQ Removed completion language <Complete only when A0310B = 1>.
October 16, 2023
NOW AVAILABLE: CMS PAC Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports with Online Webinar and Fact Sheet
As part of our commitment to advance health equity and strengthen the Medicare Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have released two Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports to post-acute care (PAC) providers: the Discharge to Community (DTC) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report and the Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary (MSPB) Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report. To provide insight on outcome differences across social risk factors, the Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports stratify these two PAC Quality Reporting Program measure outcomes by Medicare-Medicaid dual-enrollment status (duals and non-duals), as well as patient race/ethnicity (Non-White and White patients). This data is meant to provide feedback to providers about their performance for certain populations who may have been historically disadvantaged. These reports are educational for providers, and to identify opportunities for providers to focus their internal quality improvement initiatives to provide all individuals their best opportunity to achieve their best potential health outcomes.
CMS released the PAC Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports through the Internet Quality Improvement & Evaluation System (iQIES) reports folders. To locate your Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports in iQIES, please follow the instructions listed below:
- Log into iQIES at https://iqies.cms.gov/ using your Health Care Quality Information Systems (HCQIS) Access Roles and Profile (HARP) user ID and password. If you do not have a HARP account, you may register for a HARP ID.
- From the Reports menu, select My Reports.
- From the My Reports page, locate and select the Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports folder link.
- Displayed for you is a list of reports available for download.
- Select the report name link to view the Health Equity Confidential Feedback Report data
Additionally, CMS posted an Online Webinar recording with slides, transcript, and Fact Sheet providing an overview of the Health Equity Confidential Feedback Reports on each of the following PAC pages:
- Home Health Quality Reporting Training & Education webpage;
- Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Quality Reporting Training & Education webpage;
- Long Term Care Hospital Quality Reporting Training & Education webpage; and the
- Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Training & Education webpage.
October 13, 2023
SNF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available
The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the January 2024 refresh.
For more information, please visit the SNF QRP Public Reporting website.
October 2, 2023
Notice of Upcoming SNF QRP Measure Removals
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is alerting Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) providers of upcoming measure removals from the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP). The following quality measures are planned for removal from the iQIES Review and Correct Reports, Facility-Level Quality Measure (QM) Reports, and Resident-Level QM Reports in January 2024:
- Application of Percent of Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Patients with an Admission and Discharge Functional Assessment and a Care Plan That Addresses Function
- Application of IRF Functional Outcome Measure: Change in Self-Care Score for Medical Rehabilitation Patients
- Application of IRF Functional Outcome Measure: Change in Mobility Score for Medical Rehabilitation Patients
Once removed from reports, users will no longer have access to any data or measure results for these measures.
These measures will last appear in the April 2024 Provider Preview Reports for the July 2024 Refresh of SNF QRP data. Starting with the October 2024 Release, these measures will be removed from Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog. Once removed, the historic publicly reported measure data will continue to be available in the Nursing Homes Including Rehab Services Data Archive files on the Provider Data Catalog.
Please direct any questions on these measure removals or questions related to quality measures on the SNF QRP Reports to the SNF QRP help desk at SNFQualityQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.
Page Last Modified:
04/15/2024 11:45 AM