MDS Alert
CMS to Take a Close Look at Burden Imposed by Discharge Assessments
PDF
But the agency wants the nursing facility community to identify some of the root causes of this issue. The extra workload associated with doing discharge assessments has become a growing concern among nursing facilities -- one that a CMS official recently addressed. In the Jan. 27 SNF/LTC Open Door Forum, the agency's Mary Pratt noted that CMS is "in the early stages of doing some analysis of first quarter data to see what that tells us about the information that we are getting at the time of discharge. And over the next several months, we will be convening clinicians with firsthand experience, as well as other experts in the area, to help give us a balanced perspective on discharge assessment requirements," she added. Pratt said CMS is "very much interested in finding ways that make sense and can help reduce the burden associated with these assessments." "Of particular note," Pratt continued, CMS would like the community to look at identifying some of the root causes of these frequent resident discharges to the hospital. "Essentially these are flags" that may be opportunities for improvement -- either for the hospital or the nursing home. Pratt noted that CMS suspects that could be "the root of the problem for some of these burdensome assessments ... ." Tips: Look at rehospitalizations where the resident could probably have been treated in the nursing facility, advises Ron Orth, NHA, CPC, RAC-CT, president of Reimbursement Solutions in Milwaukee, Wis. Preventing rehospitalization also involves using "advanced directives and educating physicians that the facility can take care of some problems in the facility."
MDS Alert
- Care Planning:
Revamp Risk Management for These 4 MDS 3.0 Areas
On the list: anticoagulant therapy and another med now coded in Section N. The MDS [...] - MDS 3.0 Trends:
CMS to Take a Close Look at Burden Imposed by Discharge Assessments
But the agency wants the nursing facility community to identify some of the root causes [...] - Payment & Compliance:
Take Your Medicare Meeting Productivity to a New Level
Tip: Make sure someone at the meeting knows if the resident has a clinical need [...] - Tool:
Template for Medicare Meetings Helps You Keep Info in a Row
Check out this tool for staying on top of what you need to know. - Assessment and Coding:
Stage Pressure Ulcers Correctly on the MDS 3.0 With These Key Strategies
Be aware of this difference between a stage 2 and stage 3. Staging pressure ulcers [...] - Risk Assessment:
Some SNFs Are Tapping Ultrasound Technology to Enhance Skin Assessment
The approach jumpstarts care plan interventions. Wesley Healthcare Center uses ultrasound scans as part of [...] - Compliance:
Make Sure These Documents Jibe for Rehab Residents
This documentation shortcut can cause ADL undercoding. Medical reviewers will likely look at more than [...] - Quality of Care:
Hone Your Behavioral Care Plan With a 'Scatter Plot'
This simple approach can provide the answer to why a resident is behaving aggressively. If [...] - Coding Quizzer:
Select the Right Option for This Scenario
Try your hand at coding these two RAI User's Manual examples below: Scenario No. 1: [...] - WHAT DO YOU THINK?:
Can You Count Therapy Assistance When Coding ADLs?
Question: Can a facility count ADL assistance provided by rehab therapists in the facility when [...] - Compliance Trends:
Beware RAC Scrutiny of These 2 Rehab-Related Areas in SNFs
Put this HHS OIG report on your radar screen. If you've been hoping that the [...] - MDS & Billing News
Have you incorporated this billing change? Effective for services with dates on or after Jan. [...]