MDS/Medicare Coordinator job...Need info please

RNPATL, DNP, RN · Jul 15, 2004

Hello. I have done a "search" on this subject and have a completely negative image of this job now....but I am going to ask you all anyway....
I have been offered a job as a Medicare Coordinator at a LTC facility. The facility is fairly new (within the last 8 years), and is in a fairly small town.
The number of Medicare residents is around 10 but the administrator is hoping to have 25, that is her goal.
Anyway, I know NOTHING about what this job entails but I am ready for a new position. I have been an RN for 14 years and worked in the same area for that entire time.
But after reading some of the posts, I am having major second thoughts. :uhoh21:
I am extremely organized and learn very fast. I would have 2 MDS coordinators who are LPN's working with me. I will NOT be pulled to the floor and at my interview was told that this job is 8 hour days, 5 days per week.
The facility is well staffed and maintained.
Can anyone PLEASE share with me what I might be in for?
We have a 63 bed skilled nursing bed unit.
20 bed dimentia unit.
Thanks for ANY and ALL help on this one!!!!

If you are leaving floor nursing because you are tired of the rat-race and really just want a break from the floor, then becoming an MDS Coordinator is really a nice job. I did MDS's for a little over a year. It was very interesting in that I was able to research the resident's history and look globally at the resident's overall care needs and develop a functional plan of care. In addition, it was very nice to lead the multidisciplinary team and get feedback from everyone. For the first time in a long time, I thought I was doing something very worth while and something that provided some reasonable benefit for the resident, the facility and for the nursing staff.

There are many aspects of the job that must be learned. First and foremost, you will need to learn the scheduling system and when MDS's are due to Medicare and how often they have to be completed. Next, you will need to learn the term RUGS. These are your reimbursement classifications that the MDS tallies after you have completed and entered your assessment in to the main computer system. In addition, you will need to understand ther term RAPS as well as how to use them to articulate a well rounded and compliant care plan. These can be very complex, but once they are learned, they are very easy to follow.

If I were you, entering this field pretty green, ask your administrator or director of nursing about how long the orientation process is going be for you. In addition, sounds like you have two other nurses that are going to be good resources for you. Just remember .... in most States, the LPN's can not assess and if they are completing an MDS - as the RN, you will be signing off on all that the LPN's do. This can be tough in the beginning when you do not know these nurses or how well they assess and how accurate their MDS completion is. Once you develop that level of trust, I am sure it will be fine.

I have often thought about going back to MDS's while I am finishing out my graduate degree as the job is so much less stress. But there are very few opportunities locally for me.

Anyway .... good luck and hope you enjoy the new position.

jaxnRN · Jul 15, 2004

Thanks Patrick. I am glad to see that there is one positive response about this job. I just don't want to leave my current job and then be very unhappy in another. Jobs here are not easy to come by like they are in larger towns and cities.

I appreicate your reply. :)

CapeCodMermaid, RN · Jul 15, 2004

Less stress????? I was the MDS coordinator at my facility for a while...tons of stress. 142 beds...at any given time we had between 25-30 Medicare patients and 5 or 6 Managed care patients. If you're organized and can tune out the rest of the nonsense it can be a great job, but it does have it's own stressors. Get a good PPS scheduling calendar to make your job easier.

nurse555 · Jul 15, 2004

I am the MDS coordinator for my facility. Although I have only been doing this for a few months, I love this job. I was at the point where after 11 years as a nurse I was ready to leave the profession entirely. When I started this it was on the job training basically as I had no "training". I have attended some wonderful seminars and have learned a lot by this and by reading old posts here.

Good luck!

Robin

Destinystar · Jul 16, 2004

as far as mds is concerned it seems that it is a job that either nurses hate or love. i did it from 1995-2000. i really liked it. the part about confining yourself to only 8 hours a day is not something i was ever able to accomplish. the mds is time sensitive. there were days when i did not have any due and there were days that i had quite a few due. seems like i had to juggle my schedule. like work overtime on the days i had many due and maybe go home early on the days i did not. i usually had to work a minimum of 8 hours a day and then about 10 hours a day at least twice a week. the mds is not complicated just an assessment tool. the challenging part was time management and having to stick to a schedule for due dates, and care plan conferences, etc. kind of moved at a very fast pace. i thought that the mds gave me a good opportunity to improve my assessment and care planning skills. learned quite a bit. sounds like you have the organizational skills. my guess is you will like it.

hello. i have done a "search" on this subject and have a completely negative image of this job now....but i am going to ask you all anyway....
i have been offered a job as a medicare coordinator at a ltc facility. the facility is fairly new (within the last 8 years), and is in a fairly small town.
the number of medicare residents is around 10 but the administrator is hoping to have 25, that is her goal.
anyway, i know nothing about what this job entails but i am ready for a new position. i have been an rn for 14 years and worked in the same area for that entire time.
but after reading some of the posts, i am having major second thoughts. :uhoh21:
i am extremely organized and learn very fast. i would have 2 mds coordinators who are lpn's working with me. i will not be pulled to the floor and at my interview was told that this job is 8 hour days, 5 days per week.
the facility is well staffed and maintained.
can anyone please share with me what i might be in for?
we have a 63 bed skilled nursing bed unit.
20 bed dimentia unit.
thanks for any and all help on this one!!!!

Carrie162 · Jul 18, 2004

I am currently working as an MDS Coordinator in a LTC facility. Our census runs about 120, with a medicare census of about 10 right now, but that's really slow. Usually it's about 20-25. Right now I'm doing it alone because a colleague left, but I'm doing some overtime. I've never kept it to five eight hour days. I do all the Medicare assessments, and all the LTC annual assessments, admission assessments, and SCOS assessments. It's a job that I love, and you will like it if you are a detail-oriented person who likes making lists, searching for the smallest details, and crunching the numbers. It's really a job for someone very anal-retentive, as I've been called. The MDS is time sensitive, so you have to be right on top of your game. If I were you I would advocate for a strong orientation or training with outside agencies. I would ask what tools they have to make sure they capture the information to make the best rug category. Some tools and checklists can make your life easier. Best of luck!

yasmina · Jul 23, 2004

if i can do pps, you can too. i have no extra people w/ me, and have picked up. if you are up for a challenge...go for it.

Hello. I have done a "search" on this subject and have a completely negative image of this job now....but I am going to ask you all anyway....

I have been offered a job as a Medicare Coordinator at a LTC facility. The facility is fairly new (within the last 8 years), and is in a fairly small town.

The number of Medicare residents is around 10 but the administrator is hoping to have 25, that is her goal.

Anyway, I know NOTHING about what this job entails but I am ready for a new position. I have been an RN for 14 years and worked in the same area for that entire time.

But after reading some of the posts, I am having major second thoughts. :uhoh21:

I am extremely organized and learn very fast. I would have 2 MDS coordinators who are LPN's working with me. I will NOT be pulled to the floor and at my interview was told that this job is 8 hour days, 5 days per week.

The facility is well staffed and maintained.

Can anyone PLEASE share with me what I might be in for?

We have a 63 bed skilled nursing bed unit.
20 bed dimentia unit.

Thanks for ANY and ALL help on this one!!!!