By Caralyn Davis, Staff Writer | July 07, 2020 | Full article available to Members at AAPACN
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) makes clear in the title of MDS section GG (Usual Performance and Goals) that the assessment subitems in items GG0130 (Self-Care) and GG0170 (Mobility) are designed to capture a resident’s usual ability or usual performance. This begs the question: How can nurse assessment coordinators (NACs) and other members of the interdisciplinary team (IDT) ensure they capture usual performance in unusual times, such as in the middle of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?
“Everyone’s nervous because nursing home residents are dealing with a new way of living, and staff are dealing with a new daily practice,” points out Melanie Tribe-Scott, BSN, RN, RAC-MTA, QCP, director of education and marketing for MDS Consultants in Medina, NY. “However, you still want to get the most complete picture of the resident possible, and you still should assess section GG the same way you always have—following the coding instructions in section GG of chapter 3 in the Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual.”