MDS Alert
MDS, Clinical & Coding News:
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Do your residents or their families have questions about returning to the community? CMS has developed a brochure to help people understand the process, said the agency's Janet Miller in the September 15 SNF/LTC Open Door Forum. Entitled "Your Right to Get Information About Returning to the Community," the brochure can be downloaded on the Medicare website at www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/11477.pdf. Providers can obtain the brochure at productordering.cms.hhs.gov. If they don't have an account, they have to set one up, but it's relatively simple to do, Miller advised. Providers can customize the brochure, she noted. You can fill in the local contact agency information, the facility's social worker/discharge planner, and the local ombudsman. The brochure says "the nursing home staff is required to ask you questions about your care. One question they will ask is, 'Do you want to talk to someone about the possibility of returning to the community?' Saying 'yes' tells the staff you want more information. It doesn't mean you have to leave the nursing home. The staff will regularly ask this question, since your needs and the services available in the community may change over time." Taking this step at discharge can help prevent postdischarge injuries and rehospitalizations. Give the resident and/or family caregiver tips to prevent falls when the resident goes home. The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) has a video in which physical therapist Diane Nichols provides some fall-proofing tips: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHzyX356MgM, according to a press release the organization issued for the third annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day on Sept. 23. The release also references an APTA tip sheet on how to use walkers and canes safely: "The walker or cane should be about the height of your wrists when your arms are at your sides. When using a walker, your arms should be slightly bent while holding on, but you shouldn't have to bend forward at the waist to reach it. Periodically check the rubber tips at the bottom of the cane or walker. Be sure to replace them if they are uneven or worn through." Read the press release at www.apta.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Media&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=75770. Are you ready to go with the 2011 ICD-9 code updates, which went into effect on Oct. 1? Experts advise you to update your cheat sheets, if you use them, and get rid of old ones. And make sure your information systems vendor has updated your system with the new codes. You should also purchase a new 2011 ICD-9-CMD coding manual. With the flu season approaching, be aware of these six new codes for the 2011 ICD-9 update: Editor's note: The information in the above news item comes from Eli's Home Health ICD-9. To order a free sample, call 1-800-874-9180.
MDS Alert
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Do your residents or their families have questions about returning to the community? CMS has [...]