Survey says.......!!

Significant impovement is a most commonly overlooked SCSA. While the treatment is still ongoing, the progress can be documented as an expected outcome. Once stabilized and the resident is not what he presented when a full MDS was completed, the SCSA is compelling.

Seasoned MDS coordinators are hard to come by and 'am sure your employer won't fish for an untested one.

Live to fight another day. Remember, you are now one further step smarter!

Hi--don't despair! The most important thing about "care"--is that you still do!!
A few tips for your MC/PPS patients:

1. Most software programs calculate and SHOW you the ADL score--compare that score from assessment to assessment
2. Pay attention to the actual RUG derived from the MDS--the "A, B, C" and "1, 2, 3" values. Print a sequential per patient RUG report every so often, and compare the end values.
3. Some software programs offer you the option for the software to check your MDS for the significant change criteria--or at least a report which shows you the changes from one MDS to another in certain sections. Let the software do the work! (if your software DOESN'T have such options, or if you don't know how to find/use the options, call your friendly software support team!)
4. Educate your team members so that they, too, can participate in recognizing whether or not a "significant" change has occurred. You are not the only one responsible for the process.

And don't YOU consider a significant change in your employment status!
Good luck!

I don't think you are being super sensitive, I would like these "surveyors" to walk a mile in our shoes. We are over worked and unappreciated. I mean MDS Coordinators have a lot of work to do, papers to see and information to collect. So give me a break if you accidentally mixed them up, it is called a mistake that can be corrected. Think of it this way if we didn't make mistakes, they would be out of a job. Just kidding, they keep us on our toes. They have a job to do too, I guess.

Don't think you're oversensitive....the whole survey process is horrible.
Most surveyors don't have a really good understanding of the MDS process. One hollered at me once for inaccurate coding because the patient was on Seroquel and it wasn't on the MDS. I had to point out to the rude woman that the ARD was XYZ and the Seroquel wasn't ordered until 9 days after the ARD. It took her 10 minutes before she got it. And then one told me we should have done a sig. change on a resident because he had gone out to the hospital. ...he went for a new dialysis catheter and ended up staying because he got an infection. He was exactly the same when he returned so there was no sig. change.
At least take comfort in knowing that no matter how many MDS mistakes you might make, no resident suffered any harm from that mistake.

Survey time! The greatest time of the year! When I was working in MDS we were overloaded!!! But what MDS nurse isn't? I know where you are coming from...they are supposed to get better. I guess it would depend on HOW significant? Two or more changes? Usually we just scanned section G,H,M or the other usual suspects. We checked manually for S/C checks. That section H thing though is just a miscode, really unfair. I always said inspectors needed to be vengeful to get the job...Ok, ok they're people too...