MDS Alert

This survey form provides a wealth of information to improve care.

If you think of the CMS-802 (roster/sample matrix) as just another form to fill out to keep surveyors happy, you're missing out on an opportunity to improve care, prevent accidents and preempt F tags.

Many facilities review residents' CMS-802 information on a weekly basis as part of their QA process, says Peter Arbuthnot, regulatory analyst for American HealthTech Inc. in Jackson, MS.

You can also use information on the CMS-802 to augment MDS-driven quality indicators/measures.

Some of the conditions noted on the form won't occur in the lookback for an MDS, notes Cheryl Field, RN, MSN, a consultant with LTCQ Inc. in Lexington, MA. Or staff may capture the information on a Medicare-only assessment that won't trigger the QI/QM facility report, she adds.

Make the Most of Your MDS Software Capability

Check to see how your MDS software can help you use the CMS-802 information for QA.

For example, "the Keane MDS software has a report ... that allows you to create query statements using the 802 criteria and find out who meets that criteria right now based on the most recent MDS information," says Yvonne Wenzler, a consultant for Keane Care in Seattle.

"If you asked the software which residents had falls, it gives you the residents' names. If you questioned whether one of those residents did fall, the program shows you what you answered on the MDS in that regard," says Wenzler.