The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released two new training events on January 13, 2021. They are both web-based: “Section M: Skin Conditions-Assessment and Coding of Pressure Ulcers/Injuries” and “From Data Elements to Quality Measures-Cross-Setting QRP”.
The “From Data Elements to Quality Measures” course provides a high-level overview of how data elements within CMS patient/resident assessment instruments are used to formulate quality measures (QM’s) across post-acute settings, including skilled nursing facilities. The course also provides a short review of the Quality Reporting Program (QRP) cross-setting QM’s, how data elements feed into cross-setting QM’s, how QM’s are calculated and appear on QM reports, and how to access and utilize this data for quality improvement.
The “Section M: Skin Conditions-Assessment and Coding of Pressure Ulcers/Injuries” 90-minute course provides an overview of the assessment and coding of pressure ulcers/injuries.
In addition to the newly released courses, other available CMS courses include:
- Section GG Training Course
- Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS)
- Confusion Assessment Method (CAM©)
- SNF QRP COVID-19 Tip Sheet
The CMS training courses can be accessed here.
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Accurate coding of the MDS is absolutely crucial to ensure accuracy of quality measures for your facility. Quality Measures (QMs) are available online to your residents, their families, and potential customers, and provide them with information regarding the quality of care being delivered by your staff. These QM’s should guide your facility to determine the level of your quality improvement efforts. Inaccurate coding will lead to inaccurate QM’s, which may be seen as fraud in billing practices, and could lead to a deficiency for F641 – Accuracy of Assessments. Facility leadership, including the MDS coordinators, should be trained and knowledgeable on accurate coding and the importance of quality measures, and should have access to the most current version of the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual available here.
Discussion Points
- Review your policies and procedures to determine if revisions are needed to ensure accurate coding of the MDS. Revise your policy as needed when updates are published.
- Train all appropriate staff on how to code the MDS accurately and how your quality measures are formulated, and document that the training occurred.
- Periodically audit to ensure that MDS coding is accurate by all individuals who are inputting data for the completion of MDS’s at your facility. Determine that staff completing any sections of the MDS have the most current version of the users’ manual to guide them.
