I want to be an MDS Coordinator
The MDS Nurse Coordinator role is very important in LTC as it drives reimbursement and is used by surveyors to navigate around the nursing home clinical issues during survey.
The top 6 things to consider when choosing to be or employ an MDS Nurse Coordinator are:
1. The Nurse must like to meet deadlines. the entire RAI process is time line driven. Timing errors can lead to lost revenues. Late assessments are billed at the default rate which is substantially lower than the catual RUG rate.
2. The Nurse must like completing paperwork, be highly organized and detailed oriented. Although MDS Nurses do not at first see it, one of their primary job duties is record keeping. They must complete or see to the completion of assessments, documetation to support medical necessity, collateral documentation, certifications, order completion, care conference schedules and much more.
3. The Nurse mut be computer-literate. The day of handwritten completion is no longer for the MDS and LTC is moving toward the EHR (Electronic Health Record). Someone who does not want to touch a computer or hates to use it will not be a good fit for the position.
4. The Nurse must be comfortable to hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign. The MDS must be accurate. The Nurse must be able to say "no". focus on details, and limit interruptions. Loss of focus on the ADL section that should have ADL score of 16 but comes up ADL of 15 can loose $53.58 per day or almost $20,000 a year.
5. The Nurse must like the business side as well as the clinical aspect. The MDS is tied to reimbursement. Understanding that choosing the correct ARD (Assessment Reference Date) as well as encoding things properly can mean revenue and is critical for success. Developing systems to track, capture and document while realizing the financial impact decisions will have is a major responsibility.
6. The Nurse must enjoy being a team player and interacting with all interdisciplinary team members. At other times, the Nurse must be the police officer keeping things in compliance and on time. Communication to and from the team in verbal and written form is vital to successful completion and identification of significat chnages and errors.
With these top six things to consider, are you ready? Still unsure? Ecumen Nurse Consultants are available to assist you .
0 Comments
Name and email are required. We promise not to share your email address with anyone.