What On Earth Is An MDS?

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People in healthcare love to talk in abbreviations. NPO, HOB, ADL, SOB (No, I didn’t just use a naughty word!), PRN, STAT. If listeners don’t know what these abbreviations mean, it can cause a lot of confusion.

One abbreviation you frequently hear in nursing homes is MDS. That’s because the MDS plays a considerable role in what goes on during a resident’s stay. Today I’ll attempt to explain what the MDS is all about.

What is an MDS?

The Minimum Data Set is part of a federally required clinical assessment for all residents of Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes in the United States.  It’s completed for all residents of these facilities, regardless of how they pay for their care.

What topics does the MDS address?

The MDS assesses a wide variety of characteristics related to each resident. A few of these include vision, mood, diagnoses, medications, and skin condition.

For this article, I won’t list all the topics covered on an MDS. However, I’m sure staff at your nursing home would be happy to let you look at a blank copy of the MDS if this interests you.

Information entered on an MDS comes from a variety of sources. Some of these include direct observations by staff, interviews with residents or their families, and a review of medical records.

Who completes the MDS?

Each facility can decide how they wish to divide up the MDS for completion. However, participants generally include nursing, therapy (OT, PT, SLP, etc.), social work, activities, and dietary staff.

An MDS coordinator oversees the completion of the MDS process at each facility. This usually means an RN with specialized training and certification.

When is an MDS done?

The nursing home must complete an MDS for every resident upon admission to the nursing home. In addition, specific government guidelines determine when additional MDS assessments need to be completed.

The details of an MDS schedule go beyond the scope of this article. However, I will tell you that the rules about when an MDS must be completed are extremely strict.

If a facility fails to complete an MDS on time, they risk losing reimbursement for the care of that resident. Also, they risk receiving a deficiency when the surveyors come for a routine inspection.

So, if someone tells you they don’t have time to do something because they need to finish an MDS, that’s probably true. Don’t assume it’s just an excuse!

What happens to the MDS information?

The MDS helps the care team to identify potential problems, needs, strengths, and preferences for each resident. This, in turn, guides staff in developing an individualized plan of care.

In addition, the MDS  determines the level of care a resident requires. This affects how much a resident pays for their nursing home stay, or how much reimbursement the nursing home receives for their care.

The nursing home transmits each MDS electronically to state and federal databases. As a result, the information provides valuable data and statistics regarding nursing home populations.

 

I know some of my readers have experience with the MDS process at nursing homes. What would you add?