If you operate a skilled nursing facility, are you ready for MDS 3.0?

As you know, the MDS is a critical part of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) program for skilled nursing. The data gathered with the MDS is used for RAP/CAAs, payment, surveys and quality measures.

In addition, the MDS is  used as a powerful tool for implementing standardized assessment and for facilitating care management in nursing homes and non-critical access hospital swing beds.

MDS 3.0 is designed to improve the usefulness of the MDS as well as to include the resident in the assessment process and to use standard protocols used in other settings. The CMS believes MDS 3.0 is a great improvement over MDS 2.0 because 2.0 failed to rely on residents’ input — the very people skilled nursing facilities serve.

The CMS timeline had MDS 3.0 implementation starting Oct. 1.

You can find more information about MDS 3.0 by visiting the CMS website’s page on Nursing Home Quality Initiatives.

Since resident interviews is such a big change between MDS 2.0 and MDS 3.0, we will discuss this part of MDS 3.0 at more length.

A major goal in MDS 3.0 was to increase residents’ voices by introducing more resident interview items. This change is included in Appendix D of the MDS 3.0 RAI Manual, “Interviewing to Increase Resident Voice in MDS Assessments.” This appendix offers suggestions on how to make interviews simple and more effective.

You may find the sections of MDS 3.0 that contain changes in resident interviews:

Section C – Cognitive Patterns

Section D – Mood

Section F – Preferences for Customary Routine & Activities

Section J – Pain (in Health Conditions)

Section Q – Return to Community/Overall Goals

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