MDS Alert
How Do Mandatory Patient Lifting Requirements Affect ADL Coding?
Question: Our facility is thinking about implementing ergonomic-related safety requirements for nursing staff and therapists to use a two-person assist when transferring heavier or more dependent patients, or we may use a mechanic lift with two persons operating it in specified cases. If we do so, how would we go about assessing and coding ADLs?
Answer: Always code the MDS based on what actually occurred. Thus, if two people provided assistance,then that is what you should capture on the MDS.
One note of caution: If one person is actually providing the assistance, and a second person is standing by, you should only capture the hands-on assistance. There is not a coding category that captures handson physical assistance and supervision/oversight in the same transfer for either column A or column B.
Expert advice provided by Rena Shephard, MHA, RN, RAC-MT, C-NE, president and CEO of RRS Healthcare Consulting Services in San Diego, and founding chair and executive editor of the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators.
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