As a MDS coordinator/ Medicare care manager, what all are you responsible for at your facility? How much do you make? How big is your facility?
I have been in my position two years and it seems the longer I am there, the more the DON piles on me
We have a 80 bed facility w/ an average 10-15 SNF
I do all assessments, careplans and case management
I am responsible for the restorative nursing program and the infection control program. I do all assessments of the patients in the hospital before admit (sometimes traveling up to 40 miles)
There are many more to say the least
I am a LPN and make only 18.00 an hour. I have been in this position 2 years.
Specializes in Care Coordination, MDS, med-surg, Peds.
cape codmermaid. Not gonna flame, but I truly don't agree. I am RN MDS Coordinator for 230 bed facility. I have half the building and all the Medicare. I do Care plan meetings for all the residents, set the calendar for quarterlies/annuals, attend Rehab meetings, etc. I also do weekend manager and on call duties. I don't have to work the floor unless i am oncall, and get called in. and thankfully, this doesn't happen often.
DO I feel that I could routinely work the floor AND do as good a job as I should on MDS? NO! Not with this caseload. It happens occasionally that I do work the floor, and i can handle occasionally. The upkeep on the care plan changes are almost a full time job in a building this size, not to mention all the other stuff.
One issue is time, with a new admission assessment taking(with RAPS) 4-6 hours to complete, the rest approx 1-3 hours each, not to mention the other stuff others have listed as duties, you can see how time is of an essence.
This week, alone, 9 new assessments(5Day or new medicaid), 4 other PPS, 9 quarterly or annual, 3 care plan meetings, one 2 hour meeting, one 30 min meeting.
Not really sure where I can fit in a shift on the floor, can you? as far as not being a team player... hummm...you wanna come play on my team?? (see above work load).....
Specializes in Gerontology, Med surg, Home Health.
We only wanted them to be on call once every 6 weeks, not to work the floor on a regular basis...and yes, I've been on the team...I was an MDS PPS coordinator so I know all about what the job entails.
There are jobs out here where we don't take call or work floor shifts. I have not been asked to hang an IV or work the floor in two and a half years now. My license is fine, but many nurses working in case management and MDS in our area have restricted licenses, not able to give meds w/o supervision, etc. I DO however work in a 200+ bed facility, with an average of 50+ admits a month, and our company requires a PPS schedule for all admissions, unless they are LTC. My co-worker does all long term care, and I herd the cats of the IDT into care plan mtgs, PPS mtgs and a million other meetings. I am hourly, and apparently flying under the radar, even though I got over a hundred hours in over the end of month close last month (in one pay period). IF a 5-day with raps took me more than 3 hours, I would be dead in the water. I work like a dog to keep up with the schedule, and still have a smile for the patients I come across. I pulled in a few dollars under $80 K last year.
All I can say is WOW! I too have a lot of additional responsibilities and it makes me crazy!! In my opinion, any administrator and DON should be well versed in MDS and realize that it is US who are generating the revenue. More time equals more time to generate revenue. I wish I knew what the answer was. Your responsibilities go WAY beyond anything I have ever seen. I say get a new job and fast!!
Well..some very interesting posts here. I was surprised by some of the resentment evident and would like to comment. I've been an RN for a very long time - not too much I have not done at 1 point or another. I've been "beyond the bedside" for about 10 years now - working on the IT side - but remaining active in the MDS arena. For anyone who believes an MDS Coordinator could - or should - have additional responsibilities / on call or floor coverage, I respectfully say " Bull".
The MDS 2.0 was more than enough of a workload - and if you say "been there, done that - it's nothing" - then perhaps you could have done it better. However, my point here is that 2.0 was a drop in the bucket compared to the ocean of work associated with MDS 3.0
8 pages expands to 28 for every MDS except a Discharge - that's only 22 pages. 4 extensive interviews must be completed exactly as CMS prescribes. Every bit of data must have supporting documentation...and transmission deadlines have been shortened...get the idea?
Rather than resent an MDS Coordinator for choosing to work "off the floor", respect them and give them the credit and support they deserve please.
Wow, thank you hybrid. I appreciate your comments and wonder how bad it's going to get for us MDS nurses before it gets better. Administration never thinks it should take much time for MDS and the stress can be crushing.
After all these years of MDS I continue to be amazed at administrators who do not grasp the importance of the MDS Coordinator. Considering that the MDS is the single instrument driving reimbursement, and that without the appropriate time and cooperation the Coordinator is hard pressed to "manage" the MDS process, logic dictates that the position itself would be elevated and fully appreciated. Administrators ( and all staff on the IDT) need to educated.
FTE's will increase dramatically with 3.0. The 4 interviews in 3.0 - if completed in compliance with CMS regulations - will add signficant time to the completion of MDS. The deeper focus on Ulcers and Pain will require accurate substantiating documentation - and who will have to track that? The MDS Coordinator!
New To The MDS World.......Need advice and online training Information
Hello I am new to the MDS world, I have always been interested now I have accepted the position at a small county run facility, Excited about getting started, is there any free online crash courses. I know we are switching to 3.0 but I don't even know about 2.0. Please help......
the website will lead you to multiple partners that do training. This is not an endeavor especially at this time of change for someone to not know what is involved.
This is the primary pay source for Medicare and also for those of us in case mix states... it is everything.
silverbat
617 Posts
cape codmermaid. Not gonna flame, but I truly don't agree. I am RN MDS Coordinator for 230 bed facility. I have half the building and all the Medicare. I do Care plan meetings for all the residents, set the calendar for quarterlies/annuals, attend Rehab meetings, etc. I also do weekend manager and on call duties. I don't have to work the floor unless i am oncall, and get called in. and thankfully, this doesn't happen often.
DO I feel that I could routinely work the floor AND do as good a job as I should on MDS? NO! Not with this caseload. It happens occasionally that I do work the floor, and i can handle occasionally. The upkeep on the care plan changes are almost a full time job in a building this size, not to mention all the other stuff.
One issue is time, with a new admission assessment taking(with RAPS) 4-6 hours to complete, the rest approx 1-3 hours each, not to mention the other stuff others have listed as duties, you can see how time is of an essence.
This week, alone, 9 new assessments(5Day or new medicaid), 4 other PPS, 9 quarterly or annual, 3 care plan meetings, one 2 hour meeting, one 30 min meeting.
Not really sure where I can fit in a shift on the floor, can you? as far as not being a team player... hummm...you wanna come play on my team?? (see above work load).....