The 10 best practices we've learned in MDS 3.0

Nov. 1, 2010

By Chris Bennetts
President & CEO
Our first news story provided you with background information about the recent CMS changes. We reviewed LaVie Rehab’s preparation through critical strategic and operational planning. But of course the proof of all that planning is in the execution.

I’ve been in the business long enough to clearly remember the reaction to the inception of PPS in 1998. Initially there was an overreaction to a new reimbursement system. But we learned quickly, as we had to do, since provision of quality patient care is our business. Thankfully the 2010 changes occur after over 10 years experience with the concept of PPS, so we know what we’re doing, we just have to adapt to the new methodology.

So how are we adapting to these changes? What challenges are we seeing? What can we learn from the initial few weeks?
It is important to stress that our patients’ needs did not change at midnight on Sept. 30, 2010! We continue to have a clinical remit; our patients always need our skilled intervention.

Here are the 10 best practices we've learned related to the management of MDS 3.0:

  1. Planning: Plan, adjust, plan again
  2. Time management – Meeting the patient's schedules
  3. Admissions – Know when patients are confirmed for admission and under which payer source
  4. Evaluate and treat on Day One so that the day and minutes count
  5. Document as much as possible at point of service with involvement from the patient
  6. Schedule your patients to meet their preferred daily routine.
  7. Flex staffing to meet the hours when patient care is most needed
  8. Treat according to the new regulations. Ensure all minutes are recorded and counted as stipulated
  9. Group therapy is a wonderful way to treat patients and encourage socialization. It is fun for the patient and the therapist alike. Groups can be scheduled at any time within the week and allow flexibility in the daily schedule.
  10. Communicate, communicate and communicate, both within the rehab department and the multi-disciplinary team! Make sure you let your teammates and your DOR know if your planned minutes can’t be met. Make sure the MDS Coordinator, Social Services and nursing know your projections for treatment intensity, scheduling and discontinuation from therapy. 

Above all, reassure yourself that if you take the patient to their optimum level of functional independence, document comprehensively and bill appropriately, everything else will take care of itself. For together we can do anything.