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CMS delays MDS 3.0 implementation

LTC Nursing Assistant Trainer, March 12, 2009

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During the March 6th SNF Long-Term Care Open Door Forum, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it is delaying the release of the MDS 3.0 until October 2010.

Rather than rushing to meet the original October 2009 implementation date, Sheila Lambowitz, director of the division of institutional postacute care at CMS, said the agency wants to take its time and ensure that all stake holders and systems can be updated to work efficiently with the MDS 3.0.

CMS is currently working on revising the timeline and will release that in the next couple of months. But according to Tom Dudley, a CMS official, the data specs and final draft won't be released until October 2009.

The implementation delay stems from concerns that the original start date did not provide enough time for software vendors, state agencies, and other systems to properly prepare for the MDS 3.0. The MDS is a tool used by skilled nursing facilities to assess residents and determine Medicare payments.

“The delay until October 2010 is a positive thing – this gives the states, software vendors, and other stakeholders the time they need to prepare for implementation,” says Rena R. Shephard, MHA, RN, RAC-MT, C-NE, founding chair and executive editor of the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators and president of RRS Healthcare Consulting Services in San Diego. “But this is also a positive for providers – it gives them they time they will need to develop and carry out a plan for training and implementation. I hope they will use it well – this advance preparation can be very important to successful implementation.”

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