HCPro.com: PPS Alert for Long-Term Care

Looking for a tool to make your job easier? PPS Alert for Long-Term Care, exclusively for the RN or MDS coordinator, is your survival guide for complying with PPS.

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August 2008 (Volume 11, Issue 8)	view entire issue

CMS will add five-star ratings to Nursing Home Compare
This December, CMS will launch a five-star rating system on its Nursing Home Compare Web site to "give residents and their families an easy way to evaluate nursing home quality and to make meaningful distinctions between high-performing and low-performing homes," Kerry Weems, CMS' acting administrator, announced during a June press conference.

'Better off dead' MDS 3.0 question troubles some MDS nurses
MDS coordinators recently expressed concern about the potential effect that the resident mood interview in Section D, Mood, of the proposed MDS 3.0 could have on residents. The proposed MDS 3.0 interview is based on the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) interview, which is considered a gold-standard assessment.

Assess and individualize to code item M5c
The definition for MDS 2.0 item M5c, turning/repositioning program, on p. 3-157 of the RAI User's Manual, states: [A turning/repositioning program] includes a continuous, consistent program for changing the resident's position and realigning the body. 'Program' is defined as 'a specific approach that is organized, planned, documented, monitored, and evaluated.' Some MDS coordinators and interdisciplinary team members have interpreted that definition to mean that a general facility policy requiring scheduled turning or repositioning for dependent residents with pressure ulcers and/or those who are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers constitutes a program that can be coded on the MDS, says Teresa Mota, RN, CALA, RAC-CT, project coordinator and Nursing Home Quality Improvement Organization Support Center lead for the CMS Nursing Home Quality Initiative at Quality Partners of Rhode Island in Providence.

The RAPs: What they can do for you
Editor's note: This is the first article in a two-part series on the resident assessment protocols (RAP). Part two will provide tips on conducting a RAP review and creating RAP documentation. The RAPs often are the forgotten stepchild of the resident assessment instrument (RAI) process, as MDS nurses and the interdisciplinary team focus on either the MDS itself or the resident care plan.

PPS Q&A
Editor's note: "PPS Q&A" is written by Rena R. Shephard, MHA, RN, RAC-MT, C-NE, founding chair and executive editor of the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordinators and president of RRS Healthcare Consulting Services in San Diego.

Other recently-published articles from PPS Alert for Long-Term Care:

CMS releases MDS 3.0 draft item set

Fluid status monitoring: A good program starts with CNAs

Improving care and process through technology

Finding the right consultant for your facility

Focus on interviewing skills and working with vendors

PPS Q&A

The 2009 SNF PPS rates for Medicare

Make communication the key to successful care planning at your facility

Keys to keeping PPS assessments on schedule

CMS finally clarifies default billing

Learn the difference: Late vs. missed assessments

Counting therapy minutes: Use a triple-check review to ensure accuracy

PPS Q&A

Coding therapy on the MDS: Make sure minutes are coded accurately to avoid denials

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