STAT: Survey Tips and Tactics 2025 – Resident Assessment

May 14, 2025 Recorded Webinar

Discover how nursing homes are being cited with their annual surveys. The Long-Term Care Survey Process and regulatory language will be reviewed. Each month will delve into a specific survey topic. Common citation examples will be given with interactive discussion from members sharing their survey experiences, best practices, and lessons learned. Obtain useful tips and tactics for the monthly highlighted topic. Resources and other reference material will be shared.

Ensuring the accuracy of resident assessments is a growing priority in the revised State Operations Manual (SOM) Appendix PP, with strengthened surveyor guidance for evaluating compliance. Surveyors are instructed to identify patterns of inaccurate coding that may impact payment, care planning, or quality reporting, with citations issued at a minimum of pattern or widespread scope when noncompliance is found. Facilities found to have systemic inaccuracies—such as MDS assessments or clinical documentation practices that inflate PDPM scores, suppress Quality Measures (QMs), or untrigger Care Area Assessments (CAAs)—may face serious regulatory consequences, including referrals to the State Board of Nursing and the Office of the Inspector General. This session will examine the updated surveyor expectations, discuss common pitfalls in resident assessment accuracy, and provide strategies to ensure compliance while maintaining integrity in reporting and reimbursement.