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...
5 Ways to Improve Communication Regarding Wound Care
Because of the interdisciplinary nature of wound care, communication is critical to maintain the process of healing. This applies to all types of chronic wounds including pressure ulcers and ulcers related to arterial and venous disease. There are several avenues of...
Government Study Cites Flawed Medical Device Approval Process
FACT: Many wound-care products are considered "medical devices" with limited data on efficacy. A new study released by the Institute of Medicine points out that the FDA’s approval process for medical devices is flawed. Medical devices include high profile items such...
Aging Inside Angola State Penitentiary
In November 2010 I photographed aging prisoners in Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana. After the GSA meeting in New Orleans I drove 150 miles through the wetlands, past Baton Rouge, then north up Highway 66. The facility was surrounded by 12-foot razor-topped...
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. ...
Pressure Ulcer Guide Exhibited in Las Vegas at NPUAP
I just got back from the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel Biennial Meeting in Las Vegas, where my Pocket Guide to Pressure Ulcers was exhibited and given its debut in digital format. The guide was authored by myself and Elizabeth Ayello PhD, RN, and has sold...
Common Questions on Coding for MDS 3.0 Section M: Skin Conditions
I recently gave another training session for nursing home professionals for MDS 3.0 Section M: Skin Conditions. In the audience were nurses, directors of nursing, administrators, MDS coordinators and a smattering of physical therapists, doctors, and social workers. ...
Straight Talk on Reverse Staging of Pressure Ulcers
The issue of “reverse staging” or “backstaging” of pressure ulcers as they heal is often a cause for confusion, even for some experts. With this blog post I hope to clarify things and explain why reverse staging is now discouraged when assessing wounds, and place the...
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...
CMS Tightens Up Pressure Ulcer Classification in Long-term Care
Revised Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Section M: Skin Conditions greatly expands the process of skin assessment in nursing homes. The accompanying Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Instruction Manual has instructions on how to identify and code pressure ulcers and...