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MDS Academy of Excellence

This high-impact training experience built to sharpen skills and drive excellence in skilled nursing facilities. Through interactive, real-time education, participants gain actionable insights to enhance accuracy, compliance, and team performance.

 

Open to facility leaders, MDS teams, and interdisciplinary staff, with contact hours available for Nurses.*

 

We have updated this MDS Academy of Excellence to infuse CMS updates and coding instructions, along with a focus on:

  • Optimizing Reimbursement and Accuracy

  • Driving Quality Programs

  • Organizing and Structuring MDS Department

  

Register for our current session, running now through May, 2026.

Program and Pricing​

In this five-part series, participants will learn and demonstrate competency in core areas that will assure accurate clinical and reimbursement outcomes propelling your organization for optimal success. Strengthen MDS competency with:

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  • Mock Coding Scenarios: As MDS consultants, we have collected commonly miscoded items on the MDS and infuse this in training scenarios to bring clarity to MDS Nurses and the IDT.
     

  • MDS Resource Library: Access our complete library of forms, tools and resources that power your MDS Department to be well-organized and efficient while maintaining regulatory compliance.
     

  • Realtime Collaboration: Our experts are here for you.  Throughout the program, collaborate live with real-time questions and discussion and see feedback and responses from peers.
     

Over the course of 3 months, 2-hour training modules will be offered 12:00 - 2:00 pm EDT with interactive pre and post course work. Each course is approved for 2 contact hours for Nurses. A total of 10 nursing contact hours can be earned.*

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This program is COMPLIMENTARY with no cost to participants. These 5 training modules, 10 nursing contact hours*, full resource library and live access to our consulting experts is valued at $500.

 

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Curriculum

Participants will refine their skills and learn strategies to effectively manage all aspects of the MDS Department with a special focus on:

​Part 1

March 10, 2026

12:00 - 2:00 EDT
 

Medicare A Skilling Criteria and PDPM Optimizing Accuracy

Medicare A Requirements

  • 3-day stay

  • 60-day spell of wellness

  • Advanced Beneficiary Notices

  • Skilled level of care

  • Physician Certifications and Re-Certifications

PDPM Optimizing Accuracy

  • Pre-admission records

  • Primary diagnosis

  • Predicting CMGs at time of admission

  • Tools to predict CMGs/payment

  • Interim Payment Assessment

  • Documentation compliance

  • Huddle meetings

  • Collaboration with IDT

​Part 2

March 24, 2026

12:00 - 2:00 EDT
 

Managed Care and Case Mix Management

Managing Managed Care

  • Insurance reimbursement

  • Updates to Case Manager

Case Mix Management

  • Medicaid payment calculations

  • Reading and interpreting case mix reports

  • Case Mix management

    • Tracking case mix​

    • Proactive reviews

​Part 3

April 14, 2026

12:00 - 2:00 EDT
 

Quality Measure Management

  • QM User Guide

  • Accessing and reviewing reports

  • Management strategies

​Part 4

April 28, 2026

12:00 - 2:00 EDT
 

Quality Reporting Program and 5-Star Rating

Managing QRP

  • QRP overview

  • Accessing and reviewing reports

  • Reviewing reports for accuracy

  • Management strategies

Nursing Home Compare & 5-Star Rating

  • Overview of NH Compare

  • Overview of 5-star system

  • Reviewing facility preview reports

​Part 5

May 12, 2026

12:00 - 2:00 EDT
 

Effective Management + Leadership of the MDS Department

  • Leadership and management of MDS department

  • MDS completion process

  • Accountability with IDT

  • Effective meeting management

  • Audit and appeals process

  • Communication with leadership

What attendees have to say

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I thought yours was one of the best I attended. It was very clear and understandable!

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