MDS 3.0: Don's Involvement Ensures Successful Implementation (Don's Corner‪)‬

The next generation of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) is about to take its place in the nursing home world. Designed to be more clinically relevant while still achieving the federal payment mandates and quality initiatives, the MDS 3.0 is a big change. How a facility implements this new instrument will determine how accurate the data the surveyors see will be, how representative of the quality of care in the facility the Quality Indicators (QIs) and Quality Measures (QMs) will be, and whether the facility's Medicare Part A reimbursement will be consistent with the intensity of care it provides. A centerpiece of the MDS 3.0 is the major shift in assessment philosophy from emphasis on staff observation and record review to incorporating the resident's own voice as the primary source of information for some of the key items through scripted interviews incorporated into the form. Also, to improve the clinical effectiveness of the instrument, the MDS 3.0 integrates standard assessments and scales that have been validated across healthcare settings and incorporates current standards of clinical practice. The MDS is the major process in a nursing home; the transition to the MDS 3.0 is a big change. Fully and properly implemented, the MDS 3.0 can achieve all of its regulatory mandates and also be the foundation for resident-centered, resident-directed care. The leadership of the director of nursing (DON) can be the difference in ensuring successful implementation that also fully uses the clinical benefits of the assessment.