ABOUT
US
MISSION: "Discover what no one else knows: How to do a thorough assessment is no secret."
Discover what many leaders in Skilled Nursing Facilities & Long Term Care Facilities do not know. Many Directors of Nursing and Administrators do not know the definition of "fall" and are shocked when that topic is discussed in our MDS Training. Whether finding out something about your resident that no other staff knows or discovering an error in the MDS manual that CMS will need to clarify, being thorough makes an MDS assessment more accurate.
MDS/RAI Advisor provides full MDS training and MDS-related educational opportunities in California to accurately assess residents and accurately code the MDS. MDS/RAI Advisor caters to nurses and other Interdisciplinary Team members of Skilled Nursing Facilities to provide the following:
We got answers...
from Sections A through Z.
MOTTO: "Help them help you."
Help your staff know the MDS process and, in turn, they will help provide the best plan of care, documentation and reimbursement for your facility. Private, in-house training in your facility can be arranged. One-time facility review of the MDS process can be arranged depending on location and schedule. A follow-up visit or quarterly visits are additional options- the choice is yours. Please contact us for rates.
MDS (Minimum Data Set)/RAI (Resident Assessment Instrument) Advisor provides consultant services to the MDS Nurse and Interdisciplinary Team in Skilled Nursing Facilities regarding the MDS according to CMS guidelines for better quality of care and proper Medicare reimbursement.
Improve quality of care: In 2010, MDS had a major revision to what is now known as MDS 3.0. The MDS 3.0 has interviews that were added to allow the resident's voice- to include expression of the resident's personal preference.
Avoid losing revenue from miscoding: Having more than 20 years in Long-Term Care, the lead MDS Advisor utilizes that experience to find areas in each chart to improve the resident's care. An MDS Advisor is instrumental in finding areas of improvement and to provide solutions thereby minimizing costly scenarios.
Improve 5-Star Rating: MDS/RAI Advisor reviews Quality Measure reports, audits charts and develops plan of action to improve the facility's 5-Star rating, if applicable.
Lower staff turn-over: MDS/RAI Advisor understands that many facets of the RAI need clarification. MDS Nurses, Social Services, Activity Department and Dietary Services will be provided support and guidance so that they can focus on caring for the residents and staying in the facility for continuity of care.
Contact us if you need further information of the services. Private, in-house training and facility visits to review the facility's MDS process can be arranged for most of Southern California. Special arrangements can be made for other locations in California.
For more details about the upcoming MDS Courses by MDS/RAI Advisor, click here.
WHO DOES MDS ASSESSMENTS
IDT
Who Can Do MDS Assessments?
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Some websites have WRONG information about who can do MDSs. A BSN degree is NOT required to do MDSs. There are many awesome, expert lead MDS nurses who are LVNs/LPNs! One does NOT have to be MDS certified to start doing MDSs. Licensed nurses are NOT the only ones that can input MDS data! Talk to your facility's MDS coordinator or MDS nurse and you can confirm all of these. Better yet, read on. Find out below what the actual regulation says...
The RAI (Resident Assessment Instrument) consists of the MDS and the CAA (Care Area Assessment). Members of the IDT (Interdisciplinary Team) are usually assigned to answer certain sections of the MDS and the CAA portions, depending on the facility's policy and procedure and depending on the job descriptions and depending on your State.
In California, these IDT members who have been trained on how to answer (code) the MDS can input data on the MDS: Social Service Designee, Dietary Supervisor/Designee, Therapists, Activity Directors or Assistants, CNAs, DON, Administrator, LVNs and RNs. These IDT members may fill out the CAA as well. Therapists (PT/OT/ST) who are not in-house usually do not sign the MDS but provide answers to sections pertaining therapy treatments. The Business Office and/or Admission Department input resident demographics into the facility's software that sometimes automatically transfers into the MDS assessment. BUT one thing is for sure: An RN must sign the MDS as complete when all the sections are completed.
Want a simple answer? Here's one: IDT members can answer sections of the MDS and an RN must certify the MDS as complete.
Want the legal, long-form answer verbatim? Below are the regulations regarding completion of the MDS from pages 1-7 and 1-8* of the MDS manual, also known as the RAI manual. The manual is currently entitled Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Long Term Care Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User's Manual version 1.14*:
The RAI process Federal regulations at 42 CFR 483.20 (b)(1)(xviii), (g), and (h) require that
(1) the assessment accurately reflects the resident’s status
(2) a registered nurse conducts or coordinates each assessment with the appropriate participation of health professionals
(3) the assessment process includes direct observation, as well as communication with the resident and direct care staff on all shifts.
Nursing homes are left to determine
(1) who should participate in the assessment process
(2) how the assessment process is completed
(3) how the assessment information is documented while remaining in compliance with the requirements of the Federal regulations and the instructions contained within the manual.
Given the requirements of participation of appropriate health professionals and direct care staff, completion of the RAI is best accomplished by an interdisciplinary team (IDT) that includes nursing home staff with varied clinical backgrounds, including nursing staff and the resident’s physician. Such a team brings their combined experience and knowledge to the table in providing an understanding of the strengths, needs and preferences of a resident to ensure the best possible quality of care and quality of life.
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*Note: The RAI manual pages may vary depending on errata or when a new version is released.
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WHAT SETS US APART
- CONTACT HOURS APPROVED BY CA BRN & CA BVN-PT
- PRINTED RAI MANUAL INCLUDED
- LIVE, 3-DAY COURSE
MDS/RAI Advisor provides the only live MDS Training (Minimum Data Set Training) approved by both the California Board of Registered Nursing Provider CEP # 16627 and Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians Provider # V10855 as continuing education course provider available to the public for 13 contact hours to RNs and LVNs. (To verify the course approval with the appropriate Board of Nursing, click on links above.)
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The contact hours are also valid for other States who accept board-approved continuing education contact hours. Others are approved by third parties which may not be accepted by the Boards.
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Another difference is that there is no need to spend another $150 for the RAI manual! For the 3-day MDS 3.0 Training, a printed RAI manual is already included in the price. Others only provide a print out of a manual of training materials but not the actual RAI manual from CMS.
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And if you are currently reading all the way down here at the bottom, you might as well find out that the last thing that sets us apart is that we try to make our courses NOT boring. We have attended many MDS-related trainings over the years. We know how it can be monotonous and not very interesting. We try to make our sessions a little different by adding a bit of fun ;).
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For more details about the upcoming MDS 3.0 Training by MDS/RAI Advisor, click on MDS Training tab on top of page or click here.​ For other MDS-related courses such as Medicare/PPS: Advanced Course or MDS Refresher, click here.
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