MDS Alert

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Does Addressing This Communication Barrier Count as a Restorative Program?

Question: Can a restorative program (P3j) be coded when the deficit is a language barrier (only speaking a foreign language)? The RAI manual mentions functional communication skills, but does this include a language barrier?

Answer: The manual differentiates between speaking a different language versus having a functional problem. At P3j, the MDS is meant to capture Nursing restorative/rehab programs -- often initiated after formalized physical, occupational, or speech rehabilitation therapy. Speech therapists are not involved in teaching foreign languages. If this person has no "functional" speech impediment and the only problem is "communication," then communication issues are captured in Section C.

Source: Kansas Health Care Association's e-newsletter. Reprinted with written permission

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