Patient Self Pay, do you need to do MDS? help!!!

[jeffrey930]

hello guys question, we have a patient from Dubai came to america to get some medical help, no insurance no social security. just got discharge yesterday 8 day stay in subacute unit. my question is do i have to do MDS to this patient? theres a section that ask for SS# and it won't complete unless i put something on it. In subacute if our patient is paying by private insurance example cigna, blue cross. I still have to do a 14day complete assestment, but if their self pay i'm lost. please help if you know the answer.

[Talino]

The DC = 8 is all that's needed.

No OBRA MDS is required on stays less than 14 days.

Not all private insurance require an MDS. If they do, you comply.

If there is no SS# or info is unknown, use the standard no-information code, a dash (-) or whatever your software's "not applicable" code is.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

MDSs are about more than just money. Of course you'd do one if he was in your building long enough despite his payor source.

My company insists we do an MDS on EVERYONE. We had one man admitted at 3:30pm and discharged at 6:30pm the same day. We won't get paid for him since he wasn't in the bed at midnight and he was here such a short time he would hardly make a blip on our QI QM...but corporate says we have to do the MDS.

[Ruas61, BSN, RN]

I would think you might want to also check state MDS help line and ask about the regulations in this situation.

Here in Minnesota we are required to do an MDS assessment on anyone admitted no matter what their payor source.

Please let us know what turns out of this.

[flashpoint]

A lot of insurance companies use the MDS as a basis for payment...a lot of LTC companies use is as the basis for private payment. It is also used for QI / QM, so usually no matter where the $$$ is coming from, you need to do one. If we get someone without a SSN, we call the state and get an ID number.