MDS Alert

WHAT DO YOU THINK?:

What Kind of Support Documentation Do You Need for This Service Coded on the MDS?

Question: When we have a resident who receives IV fluids to prevent dehydration in the nursing facility, what kind of support documentation do we need to code the service on the MDS?

Answer: "CMS states that the IV fluids have to be for hydration or nutrition," says Patricia Boyer, MSM, RN, NHA, president of Boyer & Associates LLC in Brookfield, Wis. Thus she usually instructs people "to document lab studies or I&O records that support that." When you're preventing dehydration, the resident may not yet show instability, she notes. Thus, the documentation would have to identify the risk factors requiring the hydration, Boyer adds.

Also, the physician order should specify the indication for the IV fluids, says Marilyn Mines, RN, RAC-CT, BC, director of clinical services for FR&R Healthcare Consulting in Deerfield, Ill.

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