Skilled nursing providers were informed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that the SNF Data Validation Process for the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) and Quality Reporting (SNF QRP) programs will commence next month, marking a delay from the original starting period this past fall.

The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) announced the development in a Dec. 16 blog post.

The Data Validation Process evaluates the accuracy of quality measure data elements derived from the Minimum Data Set (MDS), which are used in the SNF VBP and QRP for assessing quality of care and measuring quality of care improvement. 

AHCA/NCAL said facilities initially selected by CMS will begin to receive their notification letters in iQIES in mid-January and then continue on a rolling basis from that point on.  

“Selected SNFs will be notified through their iQIES MDS 3.0 Provider Preview Report folder. The initial selection notification that will be uploaded to a selected SNFs iQIES 3.0 MDS Provider Previews Report folder will be titled Skilled Nursing Facility Data Validation Process - Initial Selection Notification,” the association said. 

AHCA/NCAL said elected SNFs are required to submit requested medical chart documentation to support validation of 10 MDS assessment records. Also, any selected SNF that fails to submit requested medical chart documentation within 45 calendar days of the audit notification will be considered noncompliant, resulting in the SNF losing 2 percent of its Medicare reimbursement for the applicable fiscal year.  

More information on the CMS programs is at https://tinyurl.com/yjcxkfsm.

Questions or comments? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.