MDS 3.0 Section M: Skin Conditions: Eight New Challenges (Coverstory‪)‬

When MDS 3.0 went into effect in October 2010, Section M: Skin Conditions was immediately perceived as a special challenge. It was not simply that the section expanded from approximately two-thirds of a page in MDS Version 2.0 to three full pages in MDS Version 3.0. The type of data required in the new version is rigorous and complex. Several old problems from MDS Versions 1.0 and 2.0 have been addressed and corrected in Version 3.0 (e.g., no "reverse" or back staging; no more "stasis" ulcers). All in all, the new MDS 3.0 Section M is an improvement over the older versions--but it requires adaptation and, in some cases, improved clinical infrastructure to tackle. It's not just about more boxes to be filled in. The details of eight specific challenges posed by MDS 3.0 Section M are addressed.