Regarding PDPM reimbursement, you need an MDS nurse to ensure your facility receives payment for its care and services. It is crucial to look for a nurse who can diligently carry out their duty and find pleasure in helping you save and provide care. The MDS nurse should be someone who can speak and point out areas that need change. The person should also show aggression in securing your reimbursement. Therefore, an MDS nurse should have the following characteristics.
Deep Knowledge of PDPM Reimbursement
You cannot work with an MDS nurse if they have little or no knowledge of PDPM reimbursement. The person providing MDS support should know the things that affect the reimbursement of PDPM. For example, they should know and remind the staff about the days a specific resident is under Medicare and how using this coverage affects different processes. During their interview, assess their knowledge of PDPM reimbursement. How did they help their previous facility? How exceptional is their MDS team?
Socialization
Your MDS nurse should be a manager. They need to be excellent communicators and comfortable talking to others. You can ask the nurse various questions or put them in a situation where you can evaluate their communication. Check how they answer questions and handle multiple cases.
Leadership
When getting an MDS nurse, you need someone who can be a leader and embrace their role well. The person should be able to do their job well and understand the system’s processes. It can be a good idea to hire an internal MDS nurse since they already know your system and software. They have also connected with the staff. That means it will be easy to get all the information they need. Check how the person interacts with the residents and how well they know the policies in the facility. How much do their coworkers respect them? Can they keep time? You should check these vital things to confirm if the prospect is a good leader.
Computer Skills
The MDS nurse will spend most of their time in front of the computer documenting care in the software to meet the reimbursement needs. Therefore, the person must possess computer skills to help them on filing the data. They must know more than starting a computer or moving the cursor. Ensure they know spreadsheets and charts. Advanced computer knowledge is an added advantage.
Clinical Knowledge of PDPM
The MDS nurse is not just anyone. It should be a person with clinical knowledge for them to create a care plan. They must be able to work with your staff to provide care to residents to fulfill their duties. Therefore, to ensure your PDPM reimbursement needs are met, hire an MDS nurse with clinical knowledge of how PDPM works.
Final Thoughts
When you need an MDS to cater to your PDPM reimbursement needs, it is vital to ensure you get someone who can perform. You can choose someone from your staff or outsource. Getting someone who knows how PDPM reimbursement works and the things that impact it is crucial. Ensure they also have the attributes mentioned above.
