Interview when in isolation for Covid

[litbitblack, ASN, RN]

I  am the MDS coordinator/ADON for a private pay facility. We had to open our COVID unit for 2 of our residents. This unit is isolated from the rest of the facility with an outside entrance and has dedicated staff to work it so they are not able to work anywhere else and no one else can go in the hall or they can't go in the rest of the building. My question is.....How do we complete the interview part of the MDS for all of the disciplines that have to interview? Have someone else interview them and use their answers? This is the 1st we have had to deal with this...Thanks for the input in advance

[Talino]

CMS dose not designate interviewers. That’s left at the facility’s discretion. With adequate training and simply adhering to the guidelines and instructions, the interviews can be performed by anyone. 

The objective is to minimize exposure with the infected. A single direct patient care provider can be assigned to perform ALL types of interviews.  The results of which becomes valid proof which can be used by the discipline to enter in his/her MDS section.  Certainly, said discipline is still responsible to attest to the accuracy, not the interviewer.

It’s a PHE. You simply need to show alternatives to comply with regulations.