Long-Term Care Survey Alert

MDS 2.0 clarifications, MDS 3.0 crosswalk are on the list.

If you're not on top of the latest MDS clarifications, your facility could be out of compliance.

Key example: The July 2008 RAI user's manual update encourages  facilities to do a significant change in status assessment when a resident elects hospice. This is to ensure a coordinated care plan between the hospice and the nursing facility, explains Marilyn Mines, RN, RAC-CT, BC, manager of clinical services for FR&R Healthcare Consulting in Deerfield, IL.

How to code K2: A recent MDS coding tip sheet clarifies how to code height and weight at K2a and K2b. For a new admission, measure the person's height in inches. For current admissions, check the clinical records, and if the person's height was documented more than a year ago, measure it again. Round up the person's height to the nearest whole inch.

To obtain a weight for coding K2b, check the clinical record. "If the last recorded weight was taken more than one month ago or the previous weight is not available, weigh the resident again. If the resident has experienced a decline in intake at meals or snacks, or a decline in fluid intake, weigh the resident again. If the resident's weight was obtained more than once during the preceding month, record the most recent weight," instructs the tip sheet. When coding a resident's weight, round up the figure to the nearest whole pound. (Read the tip sheet at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NursingHomeQualityInits/20_NHQIMDS20.asp.)

The latest MDS 3.0 news: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has posted a crosswalk of the current MDS 2.0 version to the draft MDS 3.0 at www.cms.hhs.gov/nursinghomequalityinits/25_nhqimds30.asp. CMS notes that while it expects the vast majority of the items in the initial draft crosswalk will be on the final MDS 3.0, there could be some changes.Look for the final MDS 3.0 items by March 2009, says CMS.