MDS Alert

Reader Question:

Determine Significant Error with IDT's Help

Question: What qualifies as a “significant error” on the MDS —  and in which situations does a significant error need to be corrected?

Alabama Subscriber

Answer: According to the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual, on page 2-30, a significant error requires a Significant Correction to Prior Comprehensive Assessment (SCPA). The interdisciplinary team (IDT) would determine whether anything in that resident’s assessment was in error, but the RAI Manual provides the following guidance on how to decide whether any error is significant:

“A ‘significant error’ is an error in an assessment where:

1. “The resident’s overall clinical status is not accurately represented (i.e., miscoded) on the erroneous assessment; and

2. “The error has not been corrected via submission of a more recent assessment.

“A significant error differs from a significant change because it reflects incorrect coding of the MDS and NOT an actual significant change in the resident’s health status.”

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