Ask the payment expert

Q: What might be the impact of the four resident interviews that are in the MDS 3.0 process?

A: Incorporating the nursing home resident’s “voice” through standardized interviews came to long-term care with the start of MDS 3.0. CMS research, through testing, demonstrated that the majority of the residents are able to answer the questions provided in the four interviews.

It is important to note that simple “yes” and “no” answers often do not elicit adequate information. Therefore, the scripted answers to questions afford more opportunity to expand on the answers to gain insight into the individual needs of our residents.

Has the nursing facility’s interdisciplinary team improved resident communication through one-on-one interviewing—particularly with the “suggested scripts” that utilize an optimal environment with reduced hearing, cultural and language barriers?

The four MDS 3.0 sections that require a direct resident interview as the primary source of information are as follows:

1)  Cognition, Mood, Preferences and Pain. Section C: Cognitive Patterns C0100-C0500: Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) reviews repetition of three words, temporal orientation, and recall with a resulting score.

2) Section D: Mood D2000: Resident Mood Interview (PHQ-9) evaluates mood symptoms presence and frequency including safety with a resulting score.

3) Section F: Preferences for Customary Routine F0400 and Activities F0500 codes the importance of daily preferences as well as the activity preferences of the resident.

4) Section J: Pain Assessment Interview J0300-J0600 identifies the nursing home resident pain presence, pain frequency, pain effect on function, and pain intensity.

 
Please send your payment-related questions to Patricia Boyer at [email protected].