Long-Term Care

Section P: Is dextrose in an IV considered a medication?

MDS 3.0 Update, June 14, 2010

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Editor’s note: The following answer was provided by Jennifer A. Butt, RN, RAC-CT, C-NE, clinical reimbursement manager for the consulting division of Landmark Health Solutions in Haverhill, MA. For more information about Ms. Butt, please see our About page.

Q: For Section P, IV medications,  is dextrose in an IV considered a medication?
 
A: This is a frequently asked question. It was in fact addressed for clarification at the Train-the-Trainer conference. Multiple viewpoints were brought to the table and hopefully in the final version of the manual, this will be clarified. At this time, page 3-154 of the RAI User’s Manual states that “Additives such as electrolytes and insulin which are added to the resident’s TPN or IV fluids should be counted as medications and documented in section O and P1ac-IV Medications. Glucose does not fall into those categories therefore would not be considered a medication.”
 



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