Dashes to Dashes: MDS Clarified

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released draft changes for Minimum Data Set (MDS) item sets v1.16.0, MDS submission specifications v2.02, and Care Area Trigger specifications that will go into effect in October 2018. Click here for details.

There are many exciting changes slated for October: deletions of MDS items, additions of new MDS items, new skip patterns, and new warning/fatal error messages. It is possible that these changes are being made in anticipation of the implementation of the proposed RCS-1 patient classification system for Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) payments.

Of special interest to providers is the implementation of a new consistency check item that helps meet the SNF Quality Reporting Program data completion threshold: -3897 – Payment Reduction Warning: A dash (-) submitted in this quality measure assessment item may result in a payment reduction for your facility of two percentage points for the affected payment determination.

Contact: Susan Chenail, schenail@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383 ext. 116