Advanced Search

MDS Alert

Management:
4 Critical Skills MDS Nurses Must Possess For Success
Experts share inside secrets to mastering a demanding role The MDS coordinator doesn't ha... Read more
Management:
Interviewing An MDS Nurse Candidate? 3 Strategies Help You Choose The Right Person
Beware: The ideal candidate isn't always who you think it will be. Hiring an MDS nurse is... Read more
Medicare Compliance:
Make Sure The Rehab Therapy Minutes Coded At P1b Don't Add Up To A Compliance Disaster
Does your tally include minutes that the FI could discount? You want to make every therap... Read more
Medicare Compliance:
Avoid Payment Recoupments: Keep Your Rehab Group Therapy Minutes In Line
To ensure you're following the rules, use this formula. Part A group rehab therapy can be... Read more
Assessment:
Consider Section AC (Customary Routine) And B (Cognitive Patterns) When Making Roommate Assignments
Set the stage for positive psychosocial outcomes. The right roommate assignment can open ... Read more
Management:
Tap The CMS-802 As A Quality Assurance And Risk Management Tool
This survey form provides a wealth of information to improve care. If you think of the CM... Read more
What Do You Think?:
Can You Count These Wound Treatments As Physical Therapy Minutes On The MDS?
The answer is yes, if ... Question: Can a facility count electrical stimulation or electr... Read more
Quality Of Life:
Let The Games Begin: 2 Ways To Find Out Who Residents Really Are
Show, don't tell -- give staff ideas about what residents like to talk about. Ready for s... Read more
In The Spotlight:
Follow This Organization's Lead In Using Quality Indicators And Measures As A Risk Management Compass
A combo of strategies will take your outcomes in a positive direction. ABS Management in ... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
How Many Therapy Minutes Would You Count For The Following Scenario?
See if your answer jibes with what CMS says. Ready, set ... get your calculators out and ... Read more
Continuing Education:
Audioconference: Care Planning Got You Down?
Live audioconference gives the lowdown on how to work smarter, not harder, on care plans... Read more
Infection Control:
2 Clinical Tips Will Keep You From Missing An MRSA Case
Suspect a resistant bug when you see these clinical scenarios. Detect and treat methicill... Read more
MDS & Survey News
Is your facility complying with Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) for me... Read more
Quality Assurance:
Review Validation Reports To Detect Warning Message Patterns
Don't let these problems escape your RAI compliance radar.Validation reports can let you k... Read more
Clip and Save:
Heed Warning Message About Late Transmissions
Keep your timeline on target to stay out of surveyors' crosshair.... Read more
Medicare:
Bill Not Until You Have Done This
CMS has changed its stance on default rates.If you forget to do an MDS, you can simply bil... Read more
SPECIAL FOCUS:
Fall Prevention And Management--4 Rules Will Help Ensure Your Fall Prevention And Management Program Measures Up
This simple plan will keep you out of F323 land.With the tougher F323 tag now in effect, y... Read more
Continuing Education:
Take Culture Change And Continence Programs To A New Level
Dial in to What Leaders Need To Know About Long-Term Care Culture Change, presented by S... Read more
Tool:
Medication Checklist Helps You Flag Residents At Risk Of Falling
Look way beyond Section 04 to identify these.The American Medical Directors Association fa... Read more
Special Focus:
Fall Prevention And Management--2 Must-Do's Will Help You Stay On Top Of Falls
Create a system where falls don't fall through the cracks.To identify systemic problems ca... Read more
MDS Coding:
Don't Take A Survey Fall For Undercoding On The MDS
Here's how CMS defines a fall.A fall caught in time is still a fall on the MDS in Section ... Read more
Medicare:
Beware--Omissions In Wound And Rx Coding Can Wound Your Payment Rates
Working this decision-making tree will be fruitful.Time heals all wounds--or many of them-... Read more
Documentation:
Ensure The Clinical Record And Care Plan Back Up The MDS For Wounds
If they don't, you could end up doing some serious backtracking with auditors.Providing ex... Read more
MDS Coding:
Capture These Skin Treatments In Section M5
But before you code, double-check the definitions of each Rx.Skin ulcers of any stage over... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
Don't Be Left Out In The Cold--Know Where To Code Frostbite Wounds
Your SNF admits an elderly gentleman with dementia who wandered outside with only one mitt... Read more
Continuing Education:
Earn 3.75 Continuing Education Contact Hours In Nursing
If you're interested in obtaining 3.75 continuing education contact hours in nursing for t... Read more
RAI Compliance Tip:
Shore Up Your Restraint Assessments Before You Reel In F221 Tags
Surveyors may be looking for this key piece.A device can be a restraint in one case--and n... Read more
MDS & Billing News
--Make sure you're complying with new diagnosis coding for dysphagia that goes into effect... Read more
Reader Question:
Does Revised F323 Fall Definition Trump MDS Coding Instructions?
Question: We've noted that the recently released F323 survey guidance includes a definitio... Read more
MDS Accuracy:
Is 'Garbage In, Out' Syndrome Trashing Your MDSs?
5 ways to keep your assessments and coding from going astray.Over time, inaccurate MDS ass... Read more
ADL Coding Tipster:
Dig Deeper When You See Limited Assistance
That holds especially true for a rehab patient.You don't want inaccurately reported limite... Read more
Pressure Ulcers:
New Staging Guidelines Increase Pressure To Juggle Standard Of Care And MDS Coding
Navigate the growing gap between the NPUAP guidelines and MDS.The updated National Pressur... Read more
Medicare:
If A Resident Has Dehydration, Look To See If You've Captured These Conditions, Services
This way your coffers won't run dry due to untapped payment.If a resident has dehydration,... Read more
Risk Management Tip:
Chart The Good News About A Resident With A Wound
Spell out how the resident is doing well.Suppose a nurse doesn't document that a patient w... Read more
Best Practices:
Prevent Unnecessary Rehospitalizations With Triage And Lab Strategies
Don't be known as the SNF that bounces residents back to the hospital.Concern about rehosp... Read more
What Do You Think? Which ICD-9-CM Code Should You Use For Dehydration?
The ICD-9 manual used to have only one catch-all code for volume depletion, which was 276.... Read more
Best Practices:
Certain MDS Items Flag Residents With Higher Acuity
Let your documentation spell out your assessment, care.If your preadmission or admission a... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
Would You Code Abnormal Labs At P9 For These Residents?
Question No. 1: Mrs. Smith receives warfarin (Coumadin) for a recent bout of thrombophlebi... Read more
Trends:
Could The CARE Postacute Assessment Tool Replace The MDS?
Find out why you should care about the CARE.Potentially coming to SNFs, home health, inpat... Read more
Continuing Education:
Hear The Latest And Greatest About Urinary Incontinence, Pressure Ulcer Care
Get a 15 percent discount on your next audioconference. Incontinence affects more tha... Read more
Clip and Save:
Evaluate Infection Assessment
Find out if your approach needs debugging.Does your facility complete a comprehensive asse... Read more
MDS & Billing News
--Ready for a Medicare Part A reimbursement boost? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid... Read more
Best Practices:
Follow The ABCs Of Identifying, Treating Pressure Ulcer Infections Effectively
Assessment tips will improve your clinical, survey outcomes. Detecting and stopping a pre... Read more
Medicare Payment:
Are You Coding Wound Infection On The MDS And UB-04?
Avoid wounding surveys, claims denials. It's not enough to identify and treat a wound inf... Read more
RAI Compliance:
Validate Your Validation Reports To Show All Is Well With
3 strategies will help you avoid payment recoupments or worse. Managing the MDS and billi... Read more
RAI Compliance:
Before You Next Code IV Fluids At K5a, Read This
DAVE 2 has some news for you. The MDS watchdog, DAVE 2, recently released a tip sheet for... Read more
Risk Management:
Get In The Coding Flow For Dehydration
Nail down how the dehydration QI/QM really works. Yes, dehydration is a sentinel event th... Read more
MDS Coding Tip:
Check Out The Coding Instructions For J1c (Dehydrated; Output Exceeds Input)
Reviewing the basics can avoid mistakes. Check J1c when the resident has two or more of t... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
Code These DAVE 2 Scenarios For IV Fluids + An IV Medication
The correct answer lies in the clinical details. DAVE 2 recently issued a tip sheet on co... Read more
Care Planning:
Keep Your 'I Care Plans' From Triggering Behavioral Sx, F329 Tags (Unnecessary Medications)
Tips help ensure you meet cognitively impaired residents' needs. Beware, "I Care Plan" pr... Read more
RAI Compliance:
2 Things You Never Want To Do With The RAPs
Taking these shortcuts can wrap you up in F tags. Surveyors may call you on the carpet if... Read more
Continuing Education:
Take Advantage Of These 3 MDS And Clinical Care Audioconferences
You get a 15 percent discount. Mark your calendar for these educational opportunities fea... Read more
MDS, Billing & Survey News To Use
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has clarified that therapy evaluations m... Read more
RAI Management ~ Cut Out The Chase And Waste In Your MDS Process
These strategies will save you time, money and frustration. You can find ways to streamlin... Read more
Case Study ~ Here's How To Ensure The MDS Nurse Knows Residents' Clinical Issues
Find out how RN managers serve as MDS coordinators for their units. Talk about a tough ass... Read more
Clip & Save ~ Nursing To Billing:
Keep Claims Straight With This Form
                         ... Read more
Best Practices ~ Include Family Input At Admission To Meet These 3 Key Goals
Improve your care, risk management and payment. Families can give you invaluable informati... Read more
Resident Assessment ~ Get The Rest Of The Story From The Resident's Family For Delirium, Sensory Deficits, Mood Indicators And More
Ask not and your MDS, care plan and survey record may end up wanting. Could your resident'... Read more
Coding Quizzer ~ Don't Let Cognitive Impairment Derail Pain Assessment
How would you code this resident's frequency and intensity of pain?Coding Scenario: Mrs. S... Read more
Medicare ~ Don't Slip Up On Documenting Rehab RUGs
Answer these questions to see if your Part A claims are on solid footing. True or false? T... Read more
Care Planning ~ 2 Ways To Stave Off Dehydration As A Sentinel Event
Identify residents with hidden risk, use creative ways to encourage intake. Coding dehydra... Read more
Risk Management ~ Step Up Your Efforts To Ensure Adequate Hydration In Hot Weather
Even if your facility has air conditioning, residents can be at risk for dehydration when ... Read more
Quality Assurance ~ Improving Hydration Can Prevent These Common Clinical Problems
Does the resident have any of these conditions? Low hydration can cause a number of clini... Read more
MDS & Billing News ~ Make way for a slew of new ICD-9-CM codes come October.
You'll change the way you code for dysphagia, lymphomas, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)... Read more
Take Advantage Of These 3 MDS Audioconferences
You get a 15% discount. 1. Master the RAI & See Your Payment, Care and Surveys Soa... Read more
Medicare:
Have You Heard? CMS Is Revving Up Medical Review
What you need to know and do to prevent RUG downcoding, denials.If anyone needs convincing... Read more
Compliance:
Don't Let These Rehab RUG Hot Spots Burn You On An Audit
The time to unravel these patterns is sooner rather than later.Your RUG patterns can tell ... Read more
RAI Process:
Get In Step With These 5 RAP Practices
Follow this guide to care plan and survey success.Using the resident assessment protocols ... Read more
Test Yourself:
You Be The FI--Would You Pay These 2 Claims?
Find out whether you and CMS are on the same page.Read the following cases and decide if y... Read more
Documentation Tip:
Clean Up Your Care Plan Problem List
Consider using the SOAP approach.Looking for a way to stay on top of each resident's probl... Read more
Care Planning:
Help Caregivers Pocket What They Need To Improve Care, Quality Of Life
This simple working care plan approach can F-tag proof your facility.Sometimes a small cha... Read more
Tool:
Check Out This Example Of A Pocket Care Guide
A resident's quality of care/life is in the details.... Read more
Payment:
Erase Default Rates For 5-Day MDSs, Demand Bills
Weigh carefully whether to do MDS assessments.Think of the default rate as the bottom-rung... Read more
Assessment & Documentation:
Create A Clear Picture Of Resident's Continence Status
4 tips help you assess, code, care plan effectively.You can't cure or code a problem if yo... Read more
Continuing Education:
Meet Your Staff's Educational Needs
Capitalize on the 10% discount for audioconferences. Mark your calendars for “D... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
Exercise Your Coding Skills For 'Walking In Corridor'
Try your hand at these 3 very different scenarios.How would you code these three residents... Read more
Reader Question:
Do You Need A Dehydration Dx To Code IV Fluids (K5a)?
The wrong answer will leave your facility high and dry, payment-wise Question: I'm a new M... Read more
Please see our May issue - a combination of May and June 2007
Please see our May issue - a combination of May and June 2007... Read more
Payment:
Don't Let Your Nursing Documentation Torpedo Rehab RUGs
4 ways to stay on the same page as rehab therapists.If nursing and therapy documentation d... Read more
Care Planning:
Tune In A Clear Picture Of Residents With Cancer
Use the MDS to avoid gaps in your care plan.When developing a care plan for a resident wit... Read more
Tool:
Personalize A Resident's Care: Check Out The Personal Severity Index (PSI)
These MDS items tell you a resident may be ready for end-of-life care.You may sense a resi... Read more
Medicare:
Reap Fair Payment For Residents With Cancer Rx
3 rules help you avoid payment and compliance pitfallsResidents receiving chemo that's not... Read more
Psychosocial Care:
Get To The Bottom of Mood, Anxiety Indicators
Ask not ... and your care plan will be wanting.Section E1 lists several indicators of depr... Read more
Best Practices:
These Psychosocial Interventions Can Be Powerful Antidotes To Depression
Surveyors expect facilities to do more than provide medication.Yes, your facility will tri... Read more
In The Spotlight:
Let The I's Have It In Your Facility By Crafting The Right 'I Care Plan'
How to navigate the ins and outs of this person-centered care approach.In the quality-of-l... Read more
Clip And Save:
Looking For An Interview Template For Assessing Mood?
There's no reason you can't use the draft MDS 3.0 to augment assessments... Read more
Management Tip:
Look For This Top Indicator That A CNA Will Make A Great Caregiver
This characteristic can go a long way toward promoting quality of life.The No. 1 behaviora... Read more
Diagnosis Coding:
4 Tips Take The Guesswork Out Of Dementia Coding
Dementia for those over 65 isn't necessarily senile.The diagnostic maze for coding dementi... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
Don't Let Coding Discharge Potential Throw You Off
Try your hand at this scenario.How would you code this situation in Section Q1?Mr. S is a ... Read more
Continuing Education:
Plan Ahead To Meet Staff Education Needs
Improve your MDS know-how and quality of care.Our upcoming Eli-sponsored audio conferences... Read more
MDS & Billing News
Good news: You'll have an extra year to get up to snuff with your National Provider Identi... Read more
Reader Question:
Solve This Cancer Coding Challenge
Question: Our resident had surgery for colon cancer. We are providing wound care and colos... Read more
Medicare Payment:
Will Your Skilled Care Documentation Fly With The FI?
5 essential tips prevent payment recoupments or worse. Coding the MDS accurately so a res... Read more
ADL Assessment:
Get In The Payment Groove: Use These Bed Mobility Assessment, Coding Moves.
Short changing this late-loss ADL robs the care coffers. If your facility is like many, y... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
Turn This Conversation With A CNA Into Bed Mobility Coding.
Put your analytical skills to the test. How would you code a resident's bed mobility base... Read more
Coding Accuracy:
Failing To Do This Will Leave Your Bed Mobility Coding Ailing
2 quick double checks will save your facility thousands of dollars. Accurately coding bed... Read more
Resident Assessment:
Jumpstart Your Culture Change Revolution: Enlist The MDS As A QoL Tool
Don't be behind the bandwagon ... climb aboard with these key strategies. Culture change ... Read more
Quality of Life:
Target Physical Losses That Have A Devastating Impact
Improving these 4 areas can make a major difference to a resident. To improve a resident'... Read more
Care Planning:
Address Falls (J4) As A Safety And Quality-Of-Life Issue
Solve 2 problems at once. If you see falls coded in Section J4, you know the facility has... Read more
Medication Management:
Expand Your Efforts to Taper, Discontinue Meds Under F329
If you're only doing this for antipsychotics (O4a), watch out. To taper or not to taper a... Read more
MDS & Billing News
The MDS plays a lead role in the new Quality Indicator Survey process. The Centers for Me... Read more
Ready To Earn 4.5 Contact Hours In Nursing Continuing Education?
If you're interested in obtaining 4.5 continuing education contact hours in nursing for t... Read more
Clip and Save:
Use The RAP To Identify, Address Causes Of Incontinence
Incontinence is a care and quality of life issue. If the resident has urinary incontinenc... Read more
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT:
Stay In Good Survey Form: Keep The CMS-802 Info Ready To Go
Follow these steps to get your survey off on the right foot. You might think of the CMS-80... Read more
QUALITY OF CARE:
Use The MDS To Make Sure Residents' Meds Are Helping
These 3 snags can lead to F329 tags. The MDS can tell you if all is well with a resident's... Read more
MEDICATION MANAGEMENT:
These Tips Help You Match Diagnoses, Conditions To A Resident's Meds
Identify whether a resident really has a need for a medication. Pills are for ills or to p... Read more
CASE STUDY:
Meet The Short-Stay Challenge In Completing The CMS-802
This subacute facility knows where to collect information for the form -- and quickly... Read more
CODING QUIZZER:
Is This Resident Delirious?
Cut through the coding confusion. How would you code this case example in Section B5 (ind... Read more
CLIP & SAVE:
Beware Differences Between MDS, CMS-802 Definitions
Find out where the crosswalk diverges. Picture this: A surveyor demands to know why the CM... Read more
PAYMENT:
Keep Your Medicaid Case-Mix Straight
Use these strategic tactics to achieve fair payment. MDS teams in states where the MDS dri... Read more
MEDICAID:
Check Out The Case-Mix States
Three have case-mix systems of a different feather. You have more than a 50 percent chance... Read more
MEDICARE PRIVACY:
Don't Let HIPAA Breaches Trip Up Your Facility
HHS security guidance targets electronic PHI. HIPAA is back on CMS' radar screen, so watch... Read more
WHAT DO YOU THINK?:
Can An LPN Stage Pressure Ulcers?
Here's how to find out the answer. Whether an LPN can stage pressure ulcers is one of thos... Read more
CLIP & SAVE:
Has Your Facility Shored Up Its HIPAA Security For These Devices?
Take steps now to ensure EPHI is secure or CMS might cite you. When HHS releases HIPAA sec... Read more
MDS & BILLING NEWS TO USE:
Prepare for the new UB-04 form.
By May 23, all institutional paper claims must use the new UB-04 form to accommodate the n... Read more
REIMBURSEMENT:
Make Sure Therapy, Restorative Minutes In Section P Add Up To Fair Payment
Here's how to keep the RUGs on the money. Time flies when you're busy. But if your MDS tea... Read more
COMPLIANCE:
Before You Code At P3: Does Your Restorative Program Meet These Key Criteria?
If not, you may be in for payment recoupments. Providing restorative nursing is one thing,... Read more
SPECIAL FOCUS:
PRESSURE ULCER STAGING & CODING ~ 3-Step System Eases The Pressure Of Staging, Coding Pressure Ulcers Correctly
How to navigate the standard of care and MDS requirements. Over- or understaging pressure ... Read more
RAI COMPLIANCE:
Know The Consequences Of Understaging Pressure Ulcers
Here are the F tag and RUG realities. What you code on the MDS is what you get in the QM/Q... Read more
SURVEY MANAGEMENT:
Don't Let A Stage 1 Pressure Ulcer With Visible Deep Tissue Damage Turn Into A Damaging Survey
Make this smart move when dealing with a deceptive decub. Envision this: A post-op patient... Read more
QUALITY OF CARE:
Assess, Document 'The Rest Of The Story' For Residents' Behavioral Symptoms
Recognize the limits of Section E4 as the be-all and end-all. When evaluating residents' b... Read more
TEST YOURSELF:
Analyze This: A Resident's Potential RUG Placement
Directions: Read the following case example, which includes enough information to answer t... Read more
QUALITY MEASURES:
Boost Your Pneumococcal Vaccination Rates, QM Scores
Take your best shot at immunizing eligible residents, coding W3. To protect your residents... Read more
INFECTION CONTROL:
Immunocompromised Residents Need A Booster Dose Of Pneumococcal Vaccine
Watch out for residents with these conditions. Here's one list you'll want to have close a... Read more
CLIP & SAVE:
The Draft MDS 3.0 Eliminates Reverse Staging, Captures Pressure Ulcers Present At Admission
See what the future may hold for coding decubitus ulcers.... Read more
MDS & BILLING NEWS
Good news for Part B rehab patients: The therapy exceptions process will remain in place t... Read more
CLIP N SAVE:
CONTINUED
... Read more
MEDICAL NECESSITY:
Breathe Easy When You Skill A Resident For Oxygen Therapy
O2 is no automatic shoe-in for a Part A stay. Coding oxygen at P1ag will RUG a resident i... Read more
MDS ACCURACY:
Don't Let Your Facility Eat The Costs Of ADL Care
4 strategies keep eating scores from dinging the RUGs. To boost paltry RUG scores, home in... Read more
PAYMENT:
Boost Residents' ADL Scores By Capturing IV Fluids At K5a
Stay in the cash flow with this inside advice. Failing to code an IV can result in a lower... Read more
CODING QUIZZER:
Code These Scenarios For Section G1h (Eating)
Ready, set ... get ready to code 1, 2 or 3. Code the following examples for Column A and B... Read more
CLIP & SAVE:
Know The Score For G1h (Eating)
Here's how the RUG grouper calculates the points. The RUG grouper only uses the self-perfo... Read more
DIAGNOSIS CODING:
Before You Code Section I: Perform These 2 Double Checks
These steps taken in time can head off care, compliance woes. Incorrectly identifying and ... Read more
QUALITY MEASURES:
Beware--A Dash Won't Give You A Shot At Improving Your Flu Vaccination QM
Yes, you can code a dash but ... here's the rest of the story. Putting a dash at W2b for "... Read more
CLIP & SAVE:
Don't Get Stuck With A Poor Showing On The New Flu Vaccination QMs
Understanding the calculation will help immunize your facility against F tags.... Read more
CE OFFERING:
Ready To Earn 4.5 Nursing Continuing Education Contact Hours?
Read these objectives and take the online test. If you're interested in obtaining 4.5 cont... Read more
COMPLIANCE:
Random Audits Catch Not-So-Random MDS And Documentation Problems
Check out these facilities' simple strategies. To ensure your facility's documentation bac... Read more
PRACTICE TIP:
Ensure Your Nursing Facility Is Ready To Roll With Backup Documentation
An ounce of effort up front can prevent heavy-duty problems later. Implementing a consiste... Read more
WHAT DO YOU THINK?--Can You Implement Strategies To Help Prevent Additional Development Requests?
The answer is no ... and yes. If you think of an additional development request (ADR) as t... Read more
MDS & Billing News
Get ready for updated code files for SNF consolidated billing. The annual updated list of ... Read more
CODING ACCURACY:
This Coding Combo For Influenza Vaccination Will Trigger A Fatal Record Error
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says the state database should give you a... Read more
READER QUESTION:
To Code Or Not To Code … ADL Assistance In The Hospital
Question: Can nursing homes capture ADL care on the MDS if it was provided during the hosp... Read more
Available Years:  2007  2006  2005  2004  2003