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MDS Alert

RAI Compliance:
Get Your MDSs And Billing Ready For Inspection
Here's what the government is likely to target in 2004Wherever the OIG plans to go, fiscal... Read more
Resident Assessment:
Are Systemic ADL In accuracies Undermining Your Facility's Fiscal Status?
Use this checklist to find out for sure.ADL scores are the biggest driver of RUG payment, ... Read more
In The Spotlight:
Pine Run Health Center - Bring The MDS Big Picture Into Focus Through Regular Medicare Meetings
Find out how this SNF gets unlike minds on the same track. When it comes to the MDS, commu... Read more
RAI Compliance Tip:
Don't Take The Fall For Sentinel Events That Never Happened
 But explain 'sign off' policies to staff and surveyors. The last thing your nursing ... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
Coding '8' For ADLs
Question:  Can a facility code "8" for "activity did not occur" if the ADL flow sheet... Read more
Quality Reporting:
If Your Quality Scores Are Out Of Bounds, Surveyors Could Call A Foul
But is it a clinical issue, MDS coding - or neitherThey say not to believe everything you ... Read more
MDS & Billing News To Use
Use the Internet to stay on top of MDS changes. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Se... Read more
READER QUESTION:
How Much Room Do You Have To Change The ARD?
Question: Can the MDS team can change the assessment reference date during the assessment ... Read more
Please see our October issue - a combination of October and November 2003
Please see our October issue - a combination of October and November 2003... Read more
MDS Compliance:
Don't Let Resident Status Changes Put You On The Fast Track For Payment Denials And F Tags
If the MDS shows the resident has improved or gone downhill, follow these steps. Your... Read more
Payment Tip:
To Appeal or Not To Appeal When You Lack Supporting Documentation
If that's the question, here's the answer. Talk about frustrating: You know staff provided... Read more
RAI Update:
RAI Manual Update Affects Payment, Quality Reporting
Here's what the key changes mean for your facility. Those little changes to the MDS i... Read more
Pain Management:
Cover All The Bases When Residents Refuse Optimal Pain Control
This 6-point plan assures you've done everything you can do. Residents in pain who sa... Read more
In The Spotlight:
Good Shepherd Nursing Home - Get Frontline Caregivers On the MDS Frontlines
Here's how one facility shored up its MDS troops. Does it really pay to make your frontlin... Read more
Information Management:
An EMR System Can Boost Documentation Prowess
Follow this facility's lead. Good Shepherd Nursing Home has found a secret weapon to help ... Read more
Behavior Assessment:
Tool Aids Care Planning
Identifying behavior triggers tells you the 'rest of the story.' Prevention is the best me... Read more
MDS 3.0 Update:
Look For A Rollback In MDS 3.0 Implementation
CMS official says agency rethinking 2004-2005 deadline. How often have you heard it said t... Read more
MDS & Billing News To Use
CMS is giving providers a HIPAA break ... Good news on the billing front: CMS will continu... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
ADL Self-Performance and Support
How would you code the following resident's ADL self-performance and support required? &nb... Read more
MDS Compliance:
Is Poor 'Interrater Reliability' Pulling The RUGs Out From Your Bottom Line?
This quick test will tell for sure.  Is everyone in your facility on the same page in... Read more
Oops...There Goes The RUG
When assessed inaccurately, the following six items can lower RUGs payment or trigger a qu... Read more
MDS NURSES WANT TO KNOW
Help: The Resident Coded As Impaired At B4 Is Refusing Treatment  Question: What... Read more
Are Your MDS Assessments Cutting Residents Out Of Higher Paying RUGs?
They won't if you strategically set the ARD. If your facility automatically sets the asses... Read more
Don't Let The MDS 3.0 Catch You By Surprise
Here's what you can do now to prepare. Once the MDS 3.0 goes into effect, you may fee... Read more
In the Spotlight:
Glenburn Home: Using The MDS To Target Clinical Risk Management Efforts
The MDS provides the keys to quality improvement, which Glenburn Home in Linton, IN has us... Read more
Pain Management:
Turn the MDS Into A Pain Audit Tool
These MDS items can flag residents with undetected or under treated pain. Sherlock Holmes... Read more
What's Coming Down the MDS Pike? Change and More Change
Check out these highlights of the draft MDS 3.0. The MDS 3.0 is far from a done deal, but ... Read more
MDS News To Use
Just when you thought you'd nailed down the December 2002 revisions to the RAI User's manu... Read more
MDS Compliance Tip:
Translate Alphabetic ADL Nomenclature To Avoid Upcoding
What's in an alphabetic code for ADLs? Potential problems, if staff don't know precisely w... Read more
MDS NURSES WANT TO KNOW
Beware Survey and Other Consequences of MDS Inaccuracies Question: I'm a new MDS coordinat... Read more
Coding Quizzer:
Coding K5a (Parenteral/IV)
Which of the following would you NOT count in coding K5a?Select the correct answer: &... Read more
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Should facilities use the pain medications recorded on the MAR as a guidepost for recordin... Read more
Clip 'n Save:
Guide To Treating Wound Pain
All wounds are not created equal, which means they require different pain management strat... Read more
Available Years:  2003