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PPS Alert for Long-Term Care

Editor's note: This week's edition of Ask SNFInfo includes an excerpt of an article titled "Take the first step toward transition: Start using MDS 3.0 interviews" from the May 2008 issue of PPS Alert. Expect more helpful tips and advice from PPSA in every issue to come!

It’s true that learning how to code specific MDS 3.0 items is premature, says Patricia Boyer, MSM, RN, NHA, president of the long-term care consulting firm Boyer and Associates, LLC, in Brookfield, WI. For example, MDS 3.0 item G1, activities of daily living (ADL) assistance, offers a more logical method for coding ADLs, without breaking out each ADL into self-performance (column A) and support provided (column B) like the MDS 2.0 does. But training staff members on how to code this new item or to collect supporting documentation is an exercise in futility without a finalized 3.0 instrument and an RAI User’s Manual for the MDS 3.0 (or the equivalent).

Nevertheless, nursing facilities shouldn’t take CMS’ training prohibition too literally. Providers that wait for the release of the final MDS 3.0 to begin preparing are likely to be in a scramble next year when the October 1, 2009, implementation date rolls around, says Boyer. "The MDS 3.0 represents a major change, and facility staff need some time to absorb all of the differences," she says.