New Rules for Pressure Ulcer Risk Assessment in Nursing Homes

MDS version 3.0, the mandatory assessment tool for residents of skilled nursing facilities, was finally implemented October 2010 after years of planning.  Section M: Skin Condition has been completely revised and expanded.  This blog post will address MDS 3.0...

Pressure Ulcer Prevention for Patients in Wheelchairs

In most cases pressure ulcer prevention can be accomplished by risk assessment followed by common sense choices for pressure reduction.  In these days of evidence based medicine, health care providers need to listen to the evidence and implement best practices to...

The Myth of the Mechanical Fall

Recently on hospital teaching rounds a medical resident presented an elderly man who fell.  The patient suffered no fall-related injuries but was diagnosed with pneumonia and congestive heart failure.  The resident called the event a “mechanical fall,” and the interns...

Online Training for MDS 3.0 Section M: Skin Condition

  This is the video of the pressure ulcer assessment and coding training session for MDS 3.0 Section M: Skin Condition that I delivered in Las Vegas on August 10, 2010.  It was posted online by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on January 20, 2011. ...

Does MDS 3.0 Section M Avoid the Unavoidable?

The revised Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) with the new MDS 3.0 Section M: Skin Conditions radically expands the assessment process for pressure ulcers in Medicare certified skilled nursing facilities.  In contrast to the prior version, there are data fields for...

Geriatrics by Legislation: The Trend of the Future?

Recently Governor Paterson signed a law that mandates New York doctors to offer balanced information on choices for end-of-life care – a step in line with principles of geriatric practice and informed decision making.  All nursing homes are already mandated by...