MDS Alert

MDS Alert is now offering nurses the opportunity to earn 4.5 contact hours in continuing education per quarter by reading the newsletter and submitting answers to the enclosed test questions. Testing will be available at the end of each quarter (March, June, September and December).

Eli Research/The Coding Institute is providing the first quarter of contact hours for free to all subscribers as a courtesy to our valued readers.

Directions: Read each of the designated issues of the newsletter and then circle the correct answers to the test questions on the enclosed form. To earn up to 4.5 free CE contact hours in nursing, e-mail or snail-mail your answers to the test questions. E-mail the answers to mdsceu@eliresearch.com.

Simply number the questions and put the answers next to the correct number. Snail mailers can clip the test form, circle the correct answers and mail their answers to:

ATTN: MDS CEUs • The Coding Institute
PO Box 12038 • Durham, NC 27709

Another option: Clip and fax the completed test form to 800-789-3560. Please write "Attention: MDS CEUs" on the cover sheet.

Before submitting the test answers, please complete the registration questions with your name, facility name or other affiliation, and address and contact information. Those who achieve a grade of 80 percent or higher will receive an e-mailed certificate in PDF form to download and print.

If you have questions or don't hear back about your test within two weeks, e-mail mdsceu@coding institute.com or call 888-779-3718, extension 326. Or you can e-mail the editor at EditorMON@aol.com or call the editor at 615-370-5042.

Measurable Learning Objectives

March 2006 MDS Alert
1. Identify the reason a nursing facility must do an Other Medicare Required Assessment (OMRA).
2. Discuss the considerations for setting the assessment reference date for an OMRA.
3. Name three MDS items that will trigger the Pressure Ulcer Resident Assessment Protocol.
4. Discuss three clinical factors that can affect a resident's ability to participate and progress in rehabilitation therapy fully.
5. Identify three clinical areas that are not included on the Braden Scale for assessing a resident's risk for developing pressure ulcers.

February 2006 MDS Alert
1. Discuss when a new Stage III pressure ulcer might qualify as a significant change based on the RAI user manual's requirements.
2. Identify the timeframe for performing a significant change in status assessment.
3. Discuss how to handle a situation where you code a resident as having a UTI based on a physician's working diagnosis with lab results pending when the lab later confirms the resident has a negative urine culture.
4. Identify three types of restorative nursing services that might be appropriate for a resident in the rehabilitation low plus extensive services category.
5. Identify four MDS items you'd look at in assessing potential reasons why a resident has insomnia and requires a hypnotic (coded in Section O4).

January 2006 MDS Alert
1. Identify the nursing services received in the hospital lookback or in the nursing facility that qualify a resident for extensive services.
2. Explain how case-mix index maximization works in terms of rank ordering the urban and rural Resource Utilization Groups (RUGs).
3. Identify five MDS items that can flag potentially deficient physician care.
4. Discuss how to use the MDS to identify potential shortfalls in meeting residents' palliative care needs.
5. Name three diagnoses that a facility can use to identify residents who require or may require palliative care in the future.