Links to CMS updates, and much more.
CMS uses the Internet as its main vehicle for updating providers on MDS and PPS, as well as distributing many of its documents. This makes access to the Internet necessary for long-term care providers participating in Medicare and Medicaid.

CMS's Website is enormous and contains information aimed at providers in all segments of the healthcare industry, as well as consumers. Recognizing the importance of CMS information, Keane Care periodically reviews CMS's web site and identifies pages critical to long-term and post-acute care providers.

CMS Home Page

Medlearn Matters Articles
Easy-to-understand articles on new and recently changed Medicare rules and policies.
Medicare Learning Network
Educational products for Medicare providers such as web-based training courses, training guides, brochures, fact sheets, CDs, and videos.
Beneficiary Notices Initiative
Forms to communicate with residents, such as the SNF Advance Beneficiary Notice (of Medicare non-coverage).
CMS Forms

CMS Online Manual System

DAVE Project
Data Assessment and Verification Project (DAVE) is authorized to audit MDS assessments and claims.
Quarterly Provider Update (SNFs)
Lists regulations published last quarter, this quarter, and under development.
Acronym Search
Explanation of terms formed by combining the first letters of titles, such as MDS.
Open Door Forum: Skilled Nursing Facilities / Long-Term Care
Ongoing series of conference calls that provide a dialogue between CMS officials and providers.
Medicare Contractors, Fiscal Intermediaries, Carriers
Contact information.
Nursing Home Compare
Detailed information about the past performance of every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home in the country.
Nursing Home Quality Initiative
Reference materials on CMS' Quality Measures, FAQs.
Public Affairs
CMS Press releases, fact sheets, and testimonies.
Survey and Certification
Survey and Certification Letters, updates; reference materials for surveyors, researchers, and providers.
Home Health Compare
Information about Medicare-certified home health agencies.
Medicare Modernization Act of 2003
CMS' Quarterly Provider Update.
Sharing Innovations in Quality
Information on clinical standards and guidelines useful to professionals in the nursing home setting.
MDS, Quality Indicator, and RUG Frequency Reports
Summaries of MDS data.
Glossary
Explanations of terms found on the CMS Website.
If you are looking for something specific on CMS's site and can't find it, try using their site-wide search engine at cms.hhs.gov/search/.