MDS 2023: The Countdown

October 1, 2023 will bring a new MDS for us all to manage.  While there's still many details to finalize, the MDS Consultants team has gone through the known changes in detail to share with you these section-by-section primers.  Disclaimer. Each post is current as of the date of publication.  CMS is expected to make further changes.

Read the whole series to get prepared!

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New Pain Interview in Section J

By Cassidy Stuart RN, BSN

CMS released the MDS 3.0 version 1.18.11 item sets in December 2022. The item sets will be effective October 1, 2023. Additional information can be expected in the months prior to implementation. What You Can Expect to See The most noticeable changes to Section J are evident in the pain interview, specifically questions J0510, J0520…

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Section B – Hearing, Speech and Vision Changes

By Kristine Martinez, BSN RN RAC-CTA

CMS released the MDS 3.0 version 1.18.11 item sets in December 2022. The item sets will be effective October 1, 2023. Additional information can be expected in the months prior to implementation. Section B on the MDS is a component of the Standardized Patient Assessment Data Elements (SPADEs), which is utilized across post-acute care settings…

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Race and Ethnicity – Changes in Section A

By Patricia "Erin" Lowery RN, BSN, Clinical Director

CMS released the item draft sets for version 1.18.11 MDS 3.0 in December 2022.  Section A, Identification Information for Race/Ethnicity has expanded. What You Can Expect to See One of the major changes is the deletion of section A1000 Race/Ethnicity. Section A1000 is set to expand and be replaced with Section A1005 Ethnicity and A1010…

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The New Section N: Use and Indication of High-risk Drug Classes

By Debbie Muoio LPN, RAC-CT, QCP Senior Level Clinical Documentation Strategist

We will see changes in Section N of the MDS 3.0 effective on October 1, 2023.  Section N0410 (Medications Received) has been eliminated and is being replaced with Section N0415 (High Risk Drug Classes: Use and Indication). The updated version expands the medication list to include antiplatelets and hypoglycemics including insulin. Also, the new section…

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Where did Physician Examinations and Orders Go?

By Lyndsay Torcasio RN, RAC-CT, Senior Director of Onboarding and Operations

CMS does not require the completion of the physician examinations and orders, but they remain a requirement for some states for reimbursement with case mix. However, CMS provides a convincing perspective of their benefit for enhancing quality of life and planning for care.   CMS communicates to us in the RAI Manual: O0600: Physician Examinations…

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What’s New in Section O – Special Treatments, Procedures, Programs?

By Rebecca Chamberlin, RN, BSN, Senior Director of Onboarding and Operations

What is Changing with Section O? When you first look at the draft of section O item O0110 special treatments, procedures, and programs, there are three columns instead of the familiar and long-standing two columns.  Coding for section O0110A1-M2 items will no longer be broken down by, “While NOT a Resident” and/or “While a Resident.” The…

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What to Expect in Section GG

By Jessica Stucin RN, BSN, LNHA, Clinical Reimbursement Specialist,

What is Changing with Section GG? One of the major changes is the deletion of section G (Functional Status). What does that mean for section GG (Functional Abilities and Goals) and what should you expect to see? The Functional Abilities and Goals Admission (Start of PPS stay) title will change to Functional Abilities and Goals.…

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The New and Improved Section D

By Gloria Brent, RN, RAC-CT
The New and Improved Section D

What is Changing with Section D? Many of us may have skipped over some changes in our rush to see what happened to section G.  But Section D also has some notable changes! When reviewing this section, we see right away that the PHQ-2 has been added to supplement the PHQ-9 in gathering mood data.  This…

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Section G is Missing

By Katie Rodriguez LVN , Senior Director of Onboarding and Operations, Clinical Reimbursement Specialist

What is Changing with Section G? MDS 3.0 changes for October 2023 removed section G completely. This leaves many questions yet to be answered, including: How will the quality measures be affected? How will reimbursement rates be calculated? What are the criteria for the ADL function CAA worksheet? Will all these things change and be…

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