MDS Alert

Coding Quizzer:

Coding RT In Section P

Question:  Can you code respiratory therapy treatments provided by a nurse in Section P1?

Answer: If a "trained" nurse or a respiratory therapist has provided 15 minutes of treatments per day daily for the last seven days, then the facility should record [the total number of days and minutes of RT] on the MDS in Section P1. A "trained" nurse is one who receives specific training on the administration of respiratory treatments and procedures. The nurse may have received the training during a previous work experience or as part of  an academic program. (Nurses do not necessarily learn these procedures as part of their formal nursing education.)
 
The following services qualify as respiratory therapy in this section: coughing, deep breathing, heated nebulizers, aerosol treatments, assessing breath sounds and mechanical ventilation. Do not include hand-held medication dispensers. And count only the time that the qualified professional spends with the resident. (See pages 3-185 and 3-186 of the updated Resident Assessment Instrument user's manual.)


Source: Diane Atchinson, RN, RN-CS, MSN, ANP, president, DPA Associates Inc. in Kansas City, MO.

Other Articles in this issue of

MDS Alert

View All