The QRM team has been busy learning the proposed CMS changes for FY2024, working with our teams, clients, and partners to understand the changes as well as developing tools, processes, and educational opportunities to address them.
There are many changes that cause concern. While we can debate which is most concerning, a topic that continues to surface is the removal of MDS Section G, which will force CMS to use MDS Section GG when calculating the Quality Measures that impact 5-Star Ratings, the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP), the Valued-based Purchase (VBP) program, and, in many cases, state Medicaid incentive payment programs. With such far-reaching effects, providers must ensure their teams understand these changes and have a plan in place to capture this information properly and accurately.
Section GG may be one of the most difficult sections of the MDS to properly score. It requires Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) involvement, clear and adequate documentation, and assessments that occur in tight windows. The risk to your Quality Measures and outcome scores is real.
Now imagine being required to collect similar function and mobility information and then being required to score it two different ways. Confusing? Absolutely! Yet that is what has been happening and what will continue to happen as facility IDTs collect Section GG information, and then some of the Section G items as they use the OSA for Medicaid payment. Yes, the risk grows.
QRM’s webinar, “The Beat Goes On: Section GG Takes Center Stage,” released June 15th, 2023, reviews opportunities for planning and preparing for the upcoming changes. In this webinar, now available on demand, we break down Section GG requirements and the impacts of Section G removal, providing a complete review of the OSA function and mobility scoring requirements.
As we continue through this time of change, we’d love to hear from you. What are your concerns as we get closer and closer to October 1, 2023? Let’s share and grow together!
