Countdown to MDS ’23

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of October 1, 2023 What You Can Expect to See The reconciled medication list will have a new documentation requirement that will go into effect with the October 1, 2023 changes to the MDS 3.0.  This new requirement will have an impact on a facility's Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and Quality Measure (QM) item. What Is Changing This measure will assess the transfer of the reconciled...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of May 13, 2023 What You Can Expect to See This new Section Q update presents a key change to the wording: GOAL vs expectation. The Cambridge American Dictionary defines expectation as "the feeling or belief that something will or should happen," while goal is defined as "an aim or purpose." In the clinical setting, we are trained to create goals that are attainable. Asking the resident for a personalized goal...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of October 1, 2023 Section A1800 "Entered From" and A2100 "Discharged Status" have Changed One of the changes you will see when coding section A of the MDS this October 1, 2023, is found with A1805 - Entered From, and A2105- Discharge Status. A1805 was previously A1800 and A2105 was previously A2100. In the 'Entered From' section, you will notice that the list has expanded from 10 options to 13. Hospice will now be...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of October 1, 2023 What You Can Expect to See An additional item we will see in the upcoming MDS 3.0 v.1.18.11 in October 2023 is A1250 - Transportation. This is included in a new subset of criteria known as 'Social Determinants of Health' (SDOH). A1250 will appear at the start of the Medicare A stay and at the end of the Medicare A stay with a planned discharge; A0310B = 1 -or- A0310G = 1 and A0310H = 1. What Is...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of March 24, 2023 What You Can Expect to See New 3-day lookback/assessment periods are coming to the MDS world. There are different sections of the MDS that the Nurse Assessment Coordinators are going to have to code that require the 3 day lookback/assessment periods. Communication and coordination between hospitals, nursing homes and discharge planning will be even more imperative. Facilities need to ensure ALL of the...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of February 22, 2023 What You Can Expect to See The most noticeable changes to Section J are evident in the pain interview, specifically questions J0510, J0520 and J0530. The RAI Manual has long cited the Pain Interview in Section J as a means of "hearing the resident's voice." With these changes, we will be able to identify the residents' pain as it applies to sleep and therapy activities by frequency. Previously this...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of October 1, 2023 What You Can Expect to See Section B on the MDS is a component of the Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements (SPADEs), which is utilized across post-acute care settings (PACs) including inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), long-term care hospitals (LTCHs), skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and home health agencies (HHAs). Section B contains items of the Data Element for the Assessment...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of October 1, 2023 What You Can Expect to See Section A, Identification Information for Race/Ethnicity has expanded. One of the major changes is the deletion of section A1000 Race/Ethnicity. Section A1000 is set to expand and be replaced with Section A1005 Ethnicity and A1010 Race. When you look at Section A1000 Race/Ethnicity, you find a checklist with items A through F. These Items are part of the common uniform...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of December 23, 2022 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE We will see changes in Section N of the MDS 3.0 effective on October 1, 2023.  Section N0410 (Medications Received) has been eliminated and is being replaced with Section N0415 (High Risk Drug Classes: Use and Indication). The updated version expands the medication list to include antiplatelets and hypoglycemics including insulin. Also, the new section adds a column...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of December 16, 2023 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE CMS does not require the completion of the physician examinations and orders, but they remain a requirement for some states for reimbursement with case mix. However, CMS provides a convincing perspective of their benefit for enhancing quality of life and planning for care. CMS communicates to us in the RAI Manual: O0600: Physician Examinations Item Rationale...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of December 9, 2023 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE What is Changing with Section O? When you first look at the draft of section O item O0110 special treatments, procedures, and programs, there are three columns instead of the familiar and long-standing two columns.  Coding for section O0110A1-M2 items will no longer be broken down by, "While NOT a Resident" and/or "While a Resident." The proposed columns for section O0110...

  This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of December 2, 2022 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE What is Changing with Section GG? One of the major changes is the deletion of section G (Functional Status). What does that mean for section GG (Functional Abilities and Goals) and what should you expect to see? The Functional Abilities and Goals Admission (Start of PPS stay) title will change to Functional Abilities and Goals. The assessment period is the first...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of November 25, 2022 WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO SEE What is Changing with Section D? Many of us may have skipped over some changes in our rush to see what happened to section G.  But Section D also has some notable changes! When reviewing this section, we see right away that the PHQ-2 has been added to supplement the PHQ-9 in gathering mood data.  This may save time because you do not necessarily have to proceed to the...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of October 1, 2023 What You Can Expect to See The reconciled medication list will have a new documentation requirement that will go into effect with the October 1, 2023...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of May 13, 2023 What You Can Expect to See This new Section Q update presents a key change to the wording: GOAL vs expectation. The Cambridge American Dictionary defines...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of October 1, 2023 Section A1800 "Entered From" and A2100 "Discharged Status" have Changed One of the changes you will see when coding section A of the MDS this October 1,...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of October 1, 2023 What You Can Expect to See An additional item we will see in the upcoming MDS 3.0 v.1.18.11 in October 2023 is A1250 - Transportation. This is included...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of March 24, 2023 What You Can Expect to See New 3-day lookback/assessment periods are coming to the MDS world. There are different sections of the MDS that the Nurse...

This post is part of the MDS 2023 Countdown series.  Disclaimer. Current as of February 22, 2023 What You Can Expect to See The most noticeable changes to Section J are evident in the pain interview, specifically questions J0510, J0520 and J0530....