MDS Coordinator sub-forum

Hello to all. I am thinking of changing career path in 1-2 years. I have been working as a medicare RN auditor. I am looking towards a geriatric specialty. What facilities can I work , what is an MDS , the patient ratio in these facilities? Should I get a geriatric cert or go ahead w/ the gerontology masters? Help please ?

I am an old nurse, but new MDS Coordinator. I have a question about the pain section. Sorry, I don't know the exact section, but it has No pain, Daily pain or pain less than daily and goes on to mild, moderate etc. I have been coding it as daily pain if a resident is on a scheduled pain med, and mild or moderate depending on whether it was a med like Tylenol or a narcotic. My corporate advisor recently came and she thought it was only for breakthrough pain. That would put somone with no pain at all and no meds in the same class as one getting Lortab TID. Is she right about this? She also said she could be wrong and to bring it up at our next corporate meeting. I've read the manual and didn't find anything like that.
Thanks

Hi--you do NOT code that the person has pain unless he/she tells you so, or responds yes if you ask. If the person is on an effective pain med program, the answer might be daily, but should not be "horrible." Normally you would code this for breakthrough pain, once the regimen is established and "works."
good luck!

If someone is on a pain medication and it is working, then they have no pain. I've had more than one discussion about this with my MDS person because she was coding severe pain for anyone with an order for Percocet.

Your rehab manager probably has a chart with the rehab RUGS, and unless you can carry everyone's ADL score around in your head, I doubt a mnemonic would be of any value. The minute breakdown for rehab RUGs is 150/325/500/720, and as long as your ADL score is above 7, you're in the rehab category. By the 14 day I can't remember whether extensive services are being done, so I check my flow sheet when we do PPS, hope this helps.