Q&A: Has anyone encountered surveyors requesting consents for assist bars/enabler bars used for functional mobility not posing as a restraint per the interdisciplinary team assessment?

MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC / Q&A / Survey and Regulatory Compliance

Question: Has anyone encountered surveyors requesting consents for assist bars/enabler bars used for functional mobility not posing as a restraint per the interdisciplinary team assessment? Answer by Carol Maher, RN-BC, CPC, RAC-MT : A restraint assessment should be done when there are rails or “assist bars” on the bed. Depending …

PHQ-9 Monitoring Can Help Counter Mood/Depression Issues in Residents

Article / MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC

Depression and other mood disorders historically have been a significant risk for nursing home residents. “In 2011 and 2012, the percentage of users of long-term care services with a diagnosis of depression was highest in nursing homes (49 percent),” says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in QuickStats: …

Q&A: Is a Significant Change in Status Assessment required for a new stage 3 pressure ulcer?

Clinical Care Solutions / MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC / Q&A

Question: Is a Significant Change in Status Assessment required for a new stage 3 pressure ulcer? Answer from Janine Cortesa RN, BSN: A stage 3 pressure ulcer may signify the need for a Significant Change in Status Assessment (SCSA), but not necessarily. The RAI User’s Manual in chapter 2, states …

Q&A: Would you code a positive nasal swab for MRSA as a multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) in section I?

MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC / Q&A

Question: Would you code a positive nasal swab for MRSA as a multidrug-resistant organism (MDRO) in section I? Answer from Heide Keen, RN, BSN, RAC-CT: Most often, we find that MRSA of nares is colonized and not considered actively infectious, and not being medically treated. It all depends on the …

CMS MDS Item O0100 Web-Based Training (10/21)

MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC / Post-Acute Care News

NEW TRAINING AVAILABLE – Section O: O0100. Special Procedures, Treatments, and Programs Web-Based Training for SNFs The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course that provides an overview of the assessment and coding of Section O: O0100. Special Procedures, Treatments, and Programs. This 30-minute …

MDS Section K Online Training: Height, Weight, & Nutritional Approaches for SNFs (8/21)

IDT member / MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC / Post-Acute Care News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course that provides an overview of the assessment and coding of K0200: Height and Weight and K0500: Nutritional Approaches. This 30-minute course is intended for providers in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) and is designed to be used …

Q&A: How do you determine “while a resident” or “while not a resident” when a resident goes out to the hospital and returns?

MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC / Q&A

Question: How do you determine “while a resident” or “while not a resident” when a resident goes out to the hospital and returns? Answer from Scott Heichel, RN, RAC-MT, RAC-CTA, DNS-CT, QCP, ICC, IPCO: The line between “while not a resident” and “while a resident” is basically the Entry Date …

Introduction to the SNF QRP Web-Based Training From CMS (8/21)

Billing and Reimbursement / DNS / MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC / Post-Acute Care News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is offering a web-based training course for those who are new to the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP). This course is designed to provide a general overview of the program as well as a variety of links and resources …

Care Area Assessments: Don’t Let CAAs Be the Missing Link in the RAI Process

Article / MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC

The care area assessment (CAA) process sometimes mistakenly gets lumped under the “required but not critical to resident care” label of regulatory paperwork. While working the CAAs is indeed a mandatory step in the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) process for OBRA comprehensive MDS assessments, it’s also a crucial link between …

O0100: Learn Potential Coding Issues With This High-Impact MDS Item

Article / MDS 3.0 and the RAI Process / NAC

MDS item O0100 (Special Treatments, Procedures, and Programs) has 12 sections with two columns (24 total subitems) that identify specific services the resident received either while not a resident (column 1) or while a resident (column 2) during the 14-day lookback period. These O0100 items play a significant role in two …