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MDS 3.0 Update

HCPro's MDS 3.0 Update is a free bi-weekly e-newsletter that provides MDS coordinators and skilled nursing facility staff members with up-to-date information regarding the MDS 3.0.

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2009 | 2008

MDS 3.0 Update

Issue 30, November 16, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: Do activity coordinators completing the MDS 3.0 need to be certified recreational...

• Understanding the changes under RUG-IV

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Issue 29, November 2, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

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• CMS releases final MDS 3.0

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Issue 28, October 19, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

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• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: Our facility doesn't have a bed hold at present time due to a low numbers of beds occupied by...

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

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• Interviewing tips for success

  The MDS 3.0 will implement new guidelines for conducting interviews that will help capture the...

Issue 27, October 5, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: How will the judgment to divide concurrent therapy minutes among the residents receiving the...

• Improve your MDS team for a more accurate, efficient MDS process

  Teamwork enhances corporate compliance, quality of care, and often reimbursement. The effort to...

Issue 26, September 21, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: Can you code internal bleeding on the MDS if a resident's hemoglobin was low during the...

Issue 25, September 7, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: Will the MDS 3.0 allow us to capture concurrent therapy minutes?

• CMS releases billing instructions for H1N1 vaccine

  CMS recently release an MLN Matters article outlining the instructions for billing the...

• Feeling lucky?

  Enter MDSCentral's latest survey and win a copy of The QIS Mock Survey Guide.

Issue 24, August 24, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: I have a question regarding the 60-day spell of wellness and Medicare. We are admitting a...

• Say goodbye to section T of the MDS

  The FY 2010 SNF final rule, which CMS released July 28, includes components that will change some...

Issue 23, August 10, 2009

• CMS releases FY 2010 SNF PPS final rule, RUG-IV payment system

  CMS released the final rule for fiscal year (FY) 2010 payment updates to SNFs on July 28, leaving...

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: A resident covered by Medicare Part B is picked up by rehab. However, the resident is also on...

Issue 22, July 27, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: If a resident with dentures is able to tolerate a regular diet, how should I code Section K of...

• CATs versus RAPs

  The latest MDS 3.0 draft introduced the long-term care industry to Care Area Triggers (CAT), which...

• What's new at MDSCentral

  If you haven't visited MDSCentral recently, here's what you've missed.

Issue 21, July 13, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: A resident in our facility is covered by a Managed Medicaid plan and also has Medicare Part C...

• Upcoming ADL changes

  It can be difficult to keep track of all the changes facilities will face with the implementation...

Issue 20, June 29, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: If a Medicaid resident has an assessment completed with an ARD of 06/29 and an R2B of 07/05, is...

• Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes

  As the long-term care industry moves toward a resident-centered approach to care, the quality of...

Issue 19, June 15, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: I'm the RNAC at a small hospital-based transitional care unit, and most of our residents are...

• Kennedy's healthcare reform bill includes a long-term care provision

  Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), chairman of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and...

• What's new at MDSCentral

  If you haven't visited MDSCentral recently, here's what you've missed.

Issue 18, June 1, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  What should we do when a resident cannot complete an interview?

• MDS 3.0 a focus of the Open Door Forum

  CMS officials reviewed the changes included in the latest MDS 3.0 Draft Item Set and addressed...

• What's new at MDSCentral

  If you haven't visited MDSCentral recently, here's what you've missed.

Issue 17, May 18, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: How do the Care Area Triggers (CAT) in the new MDS 3.0 draft differ from the Resident Assessment...

• CMS releases new MDS 3.0 draft

  CMS released an updated MDS 3.0 Draft Item Set on May 7 and the new version includes significant...

Issue 16, May 4, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: I would like our social service staff to begin using the mood interview questions from Section D...

• LTC associations requested MDS 3.0 implementation delay

  In early January, several long-term care industry associations, including the American Association...

Issue 15, April 20, 2009

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: Now that the MDS 3.0 has been has been delayed, should my facility put all prep work on hold?

• Updated MDS 3.0 timeline available

  CMS posted an updated MDS 3.0 timeline on its Web site Thursday, revised to reflect the October...

Issue 14, April 6, 2009

• Coding pain on the MDS 2.0

  Q: I am having a hard time understanding why we are coding for pain when nurses are managing pain...

• Assessment reference dates under MDS 3.0

  By allowing interviews to be conducted the day after the ARD, the MDS 3.0 draft contradicts the...

Issue 13, March 23, 2009

• MDS 3.0 is delayed: Now what?

  Since CMS delayed MDS 3.0 implementation until October 2010, readers have asked us what they should...

• Quick Poll: Facilities are limiting education spending this year

  Many of our readers reported that their facilities have cut spending on continuing education and...

• STRIVE update

  Members of the Staff Time and Resource Intensity Verification (STRIVE) project Technical Expert...

Issue 12, March 9, 2009

• MDS 3.0 tip: Be aware of changes to coding fractures

  The most recent MDS 3.0 draft asks under Section J, Health Conditions, whether residents had any...

• Q&A with Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown

  Q: Under the MDS 3.0, when do I have to complete the pain assessment interview?

• CMS delays MDS 3.0 implementation

  On Thursday, March 5, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the...

• What’s new at MDSCentral

  If you haven't visited MDSCentral recently, here's what you've missed:  

Issue 11, February 23, 2009

• Evaluating mood under the MDS 3.0

  Q: Under the MDS 3.0, will I still have to keep a 30-day log for mood?

• MDS 3.0 Tip: Section I, Active Disease Diagnosis, contains new time element and diagnoses

  Under the most recent MDS 3.0 draft, Section I, Active Disease Diagnosis, contains some significant...

• What’s new at MDSCentral

  At MDSCentral, Regulatory Specialist Diane Brown recently explained why the MDS 3.0/2.0 crosswalk...

• Quick Poll: Has the economy changed your facility’s continuing education budget?

  Several readers have told us that their SNFs are eliminating or cutting back on continuing...

Issue 10, February 9, 2009

• CMS to revise MDS 3.0 timeline

  CMS is revising its MDS 3.0 timeline, but agency officials say CMS is still aiming for an October...

• Coding activity preferences under the MDS 3.0

  Q: What section of the MDS 3.0 contains activities?

• What's new at MDSCentral

  If you haven’t visited MDSCentral recently, you’ve missed some exciting news and...

• Ask Diane: How do I find a new software vendor for MDS 3.0?

  Q: My automation vendor just contacted me and told me the company will not be going forward with...

Issue 9, January 26, 2009

• Choosing a new software vendor for MDS 3.0

  Searching for a new automation vendor is a complex process, but here are a few guidelines to keep...

• MDS 3.0 Tip: Scheduling resident interviews

  Several resident interviews must be completed within a three-day window based on the Assessment...

Issue 8, January 12, 2009

• Preparing staff for MDS 3.0 interviews

  Are training materials available to help long-term care facilities prepare staff members to conduct...

• MDS 3.0 Tip: Familiarize yourself with Item C1100, Procedural Memory

  The MDS 3.0 staff assessment for mental status includes a new item, C1100, Procedural Memory...