MDS Alert

Reader Question:

Medicare Part A Discharge May Not Determine Physical Discharge

Question: My facility has a Medicare Part A resident whose Medicare Part A stay has ended, but the resident has another payer source and does not have any plans to be discharged from the facility. How do I adjust the assessment schedule?

Missouri Subscriber

Answer: Continue with the OBRA schedule from the Medicare beneficiary’s original date of admission (which is MDS item A1900), the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual says. You must also follow through with the assessment for Part A PPS Discharge.

If the resident’s Part A benefits resume within three days, you’re looking at an interrupted stay, so don’t do the Part A PPS discharge assessment — or begin a five-day assessment when the Part A coverage resumes. If the Part A benefits resume after three days, begin the PPS schedule again with a five-day assessment, coding out MDS item A0310B as 1. 

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