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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!

Currently with the MDS 2.0, specific MDS interview items often have little relevance to the care planning process, says Leah Klusch, BSN, RN, executive director of the Alliance (OH) Training Center. For example, a staff member interviews a resident about his customary routine (MDS 2.0 Section AC) in the year prior to his admission to the facility. The resident says, “I never took baths. I always took showers.” So item ACp, showers for bathing, is checked. However, at some facilities, this resident’s preference might not have an effect on how his care is delivered, Klusch explains.

The central issue is that “for the most part in nursing homes, interdisciplinary teams really aren’t functioning as interdisciplinary teams,” 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. “They don’t do a lot of problem-solving and developing action plans as a team. So the 3.0 is a wonderful opportunity for team members to do their assessments based on resident interviews whenever possible, whatever their discipline, and to come together truly as an interdisciplinary team. The team can share with each other what they have learned about the resident and develop an action plan together, perhaps rotating the responsibility for writing down the bullet points and organizing them into a care plan.”