how do you divide the load?

[amglpn]

We are a 113 bed SNF w/ anywhere from 25-55 medicares We have 2 MDS nurses. One experienced and one not. How would you or do you divide it?

Thanks

Andrea

[mdsmadness]

I am in an 88 bed facility and I am the only MDS so I do not have that issue (wish I did). I did talk to someone a couple weeks ago at the RAC class and they divide it that one does the PPS assessments and the another does remaining assessments. Definately the experienced one in your case could do the PPS part. Food for thought.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I've worked in many places and if the medicare census was as high as yours, there would be 2 MDS people. One would be responsible for the PPS Medicare MDSs and the other would do the OBRAs and the managed cares.

[Rexie68]

we have 139 beds, same medicare/skilled load as you....anywhere from 20-40 skilled at a time. 1 rnac and myself, the lpnac. i do all the mds'......medicare, hmo, annual, significant change, quarterly, omra...and write all the nursing care plans. i run icc meetings on thursdays, my boss does on tuesdays. she usually runs pps meetings two days a week, but if she's not there, i do it....usually once every week or two. she makes the care plan schedule and picks the ards: also hmo weekly updates/skilled authorizations. she also is responsible for medicare part d authorizations. not sure what else she does, but it's not my job to ask. she is often ill (perhaps not "often"...maybe twice a month, but it seems like a lot when it lands on one of those days from hell) (suffering from fibromyalgia) so when that happens i run the show alone....and i miss her when she's not there!!!! anyway, it's tough to get it all done, but i think all mds people are in that boat. we do have the added benefit of a data entry person for 4 hours every day...she inputs the information from the mds into the computer and prints them out for us. also does any miscellaneous jobs we need done, such as copying info from the chart. welcome to the world of mds'!!!!

[amglpn]

Thanks for the replies. And yeah I know the 'MDS WORLD' I was just wondering how others did it.

[NurseExec]

I am a DON in a 120 bed, with an avg medicare census of 50. I have three MDSCs, one RN, and two LPNs. The RN is the team leader, and is my designee for sigs. I have two MDSCs doing strictly medicare, while the other does all LTC and daily care planning throughout the facility. We have a PPS meeting daily, and a weekly outcomes/discharge planning meeting. We changed to this work split about a year ago, and it's working very well for us.