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Wisconsin Department of Health Services

If You Have Complaints about Wisconsin Health Care

Information about Division of Quality Assurance (DQA)

DQA Web Pages Information

Provider Types Regulated by DQA

DQA Listservs

Consumer Information

DQA Facility Directories

DQA Provider Training

DQA Numbered Memos

DHS Forms

Construction/
Remodeling of Health Care Facilities

WI Nurse Aide Training and Registry Info

Caregiver Program/ Background Checks

WI Adult Programs Caregiver Misconduct Registry

RAI/MDS 3.0 Information

This web page provides links to information pertaining to the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) and Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0.  Many of the links on this web page will exit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.

MDS 3.0 will apply to MDS assessments with Assessment Reference Dates (ARD) of 10/1/2010 or later, entry records with an entry date of 10/1/2010 or later, and discharge/death in facility records with a discharge date of 10/1/2010 or later.

RAI/MDS Items

CMS has posted a revised MDS 3.0 RAI Manual (V1.08) that will be effective April 1, 2012. The RAI Manual is available as a zip file and contains the complete manual and is available under the Downloads area of the CMS MDS 3.0 RAI Manual website (exit DHS)

CMS has released two April 2012 Errata documents identifying changes including updated MDS 3.0 RAI Manual pages.  These documents are also available on the CMS website listed above.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is sponsoring MDS 3.0 basic training in several locations around the state in April and May, 2012.  Please see the MDS-Basic 2012 training brochure for information about this program including training dates and locations, and how to register. 

Clarification document to March 2012 Provider Conference, previous clarification documents, provider call transcriptions, and additional information is available under the Downloads area of the CMS SNF PPS RUG IV Education and Training (exit DHS) web page.

RAI Panel Q&As

The RAI Panel consists of several State RAI Education Coordinators that provide consultation to CMS and answer questions related to RAI/MDS issues.

RAI Panel Q&As for August, 2011 (PDF,56 KB)

RAI Panel Q&As for July, 2011 (PDF,75 KB)

RAI Panel Q&As for June, 2011 (PDF,122 KB).

VIVE - Video on Interviewing Vulnerable Elders was funded by the Picker Institute and produced by the UCLA/JH Borun Center.  The VIVE video can be accessed on the Picker Institute website at http://pickerinstitute.org/vive/ (exit DHS).

Section Q

DQA/DLTC Joint Memo# 11-007 MDS Section Q Referral to Local Contact Agency Process, issued 02/28/11

Section Q Implementation Questions and Answers updated December 22, 2010 (PDF,149 KB)

CMS Section Q Brochure (exit DHS)(PDF,97 KB)

CMS Community Living Initiative and additional Section Q resources/information (exit DHS)

Section S and State Optional Items

Wisconsin will NOT have a Section S for MDS 3.0 and will not be adding State Optional items to any of the item sets.

Provider Educational Opportunities

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services is sponsoring MDS 3.0 basic training in several locations around the state in April and May, 2012.  Please see the MDS-Basic 2012 training brochure for information about this program including training dates and locations, and how to register. 

CMS has made available YouTube Training Videos for MDS 3.0 on the CMS MDS 3.0 Training web page.(exit DHS) 

Technical Resources

Only OBRA and Medicare PPS Assessments Allowed to be Submitted

On the January, 2011, SNF Open Door Forum conference call, CMS explained only MDS 3.0 assessments that are OBRA assessments or Medicare Part A PPS assessments should be submitted to the QIES ASAP MDS System. Assessments completed for Medicare Advantage Plans or for other insurance purposes should not be submitted. CMS acknowledged this is a change from MDS 2.0, which allowed submission of all MDS assessments. Note: OBRA assessments are required to be completed and submitted for all residents regardless of payer source.

Change in MDS Correction Policy

Effective with submissions on April 1, 2011, CMS will no longer allow facilities to modify the MDS 3.0 reason for assessment items, assessment reference date (ARD), discharge date, and entry date. If a modification record is submitted attempting to change any of these items, the record will be rejected. These MDS items must be corrected by inactivating the old record and submitting a new record. Chapter 5 of the RAI manual will be revised to reflect this change.

Submission Information

CMS has developed a MDS 3.0 Submission, Submission Status, and Final  Validation Reports Helpful Hints (PDF, 798 KB) document that provides information for how to:

  • Submit MDS 3.0 files after using the link on the MDS 3.0 Welcome Page

  • Obtaining submission acknowledgement message including the Submission ID

  • Use Submission Status to determine if the submission file was processed successfully

  • How to obtain Final Validation reports in the Folders tab of CASPER

  • How and when to use the MDS 3.0 Submitter Final Validation Report for instances when a normal Final Validation is not generate or if records in a submitted file are not included in a Final Validation report.

QIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) Website

The MDS Provider User's Guide is available under the MDS 3.0 link on the QIES Technical Support Office website (exit DHS).  This guide provides detailed information for the submission of MDS 3.0 records by nursing home and swing bed providers.  The Error Messages are located in Chapter 5 of the MDS Provider User's Guide.

The QTSO website also includes a link for RAVEN (exit DHS) software and there is also a webpage for Vendor MDS Information (exit DHS) including Question and Answer documents from CMS/Vendor teleconferences.

User IDs/Passwords Required

Users must have both a CMSNet (Verizon) User ID and a MDS Personal Login ID to submit MDS records/and or to access CASPER reports.  Both of these IDs and passwords are assigned to an individual and should not be shared.  

CMSNet (Verizon) User ID

A CMSNet (Verizon) User ID and password are required to access the CMS MDS System for submission of MDS records and/or to access CASPER Reports.  New users need complete the CMSNet Access Request Form to obtain an account.  This form and an Installation Guide are available on the QIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) website at:   https://www.qtso.com/cmsnet.html#CMSNetForm

MDS Individual Login ID Requirement

A MDS Individual Login ID is required in order to access the MDS Submission System and CASPER Reports. In order to acquire an Individual Login ID, a request must be submitted to the QIES Technical Support Office using the MDS Individual User Account Request Form available on the QIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) website at  https://www.qtso.com/accessmds.html (exit DHS). 

A facility is allowed to have a maximum of two Individual Login IDs. It is the facility’s responsibility to revoke access for any users who no longer require access to facility data.  Revoking the account of a user who no longer requires access to facility data permits you to request a individual login ID for an additional user.

MDS Individual Login Passwords

A user selects their own individual login password when they register for a MDS individual login account.  The password must meet stringent password rules that are available to view on the password web page.  Passwords are set to expire in 60 days.  Users must enter a new password when they are prompted to change their password or they may use the QIES User Maintenance application that is available on the MDS Welcome Page to change their password at any time prior to the 60 day expiration date.  

Forgot MDS Individual Login Password and Inactivated Accounts

If the incorrect individual login password is entered too many times, the account will be made inactive.  If the user does not log into CASPER reports within 90 days, their account will also be made inactive.  Inactive accounts will not be able to submit MDS assessments.

One indication of an inactive account or an expired password: after attempting to login the following message appears, "Authorization Required", indicating the server can't verify the appropriate access credentials.  

To reactivate a MDS personal account, follow these steps:

  1. On the State MDS Welcome page select the QIES User Maintenance link.
  2. Select  "Forgot your password or Inactive Account?".
  3. Enter your Personal Login ID and answer the three security questions and follow the directions provided.

Providing answers to the security questions were part of the process for registering for an individual MDS account.  Users will have three attempts to correctly answer the security questions, after that, they are locked out and must contact the QIES Help Desk to reset their account, 800-339-9313.  

To avoid getting locked out be sure to log into CASPER or the QIES User Maintenance application at least once every 90 days.

Quality Measures/Quality Improvement Information

Beginning April 1, 2012, the new MDS 3.0 QM data will be available in CASPER under the MDS 3.0 QM Reports report category. The following reports may be generated:

  • MDS 3.0 Facility Quality Measure Report
  • MDS 3.0 Monthly Comparison Report
  • MDS 3.0 Resident Level Quality Measure Report
  • MDS 3.0 QM Package Reports – this package includes:
    - MDS 3.0 Facility Quality Measure Report 
    - MDS 3.0 Resident Level Quality Measure Report
    - MDS 3.0 Submission Statistics By Facility Report

Section 11 of the CASPER Reporting Users Manual provides provides information for how to generate the MDS 3.0 QM reports.  This manual is available on the CMS MDS 3.0 System Welcome page. 

The MDS 3.0 Quality Measure User's Manual is available under the Downloads area of the CMS MDS 3.0 Technical Information web page (exit DHS) 

Medicare Nursing Home Compare (exit DHS)

CMS Five Star Rating System information (exit DHS)

CMS Nursing Home Quality Initiatives (exit DHS)

Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes (exit DHS)

Metastar - Wisconsin's Quality Improvement Organization

Medicare Payment Information

CMS SNF PPS (exit DHS)

CMS FY 2012 RUG-IV Education and Training (exit DHS)

Medicare Benefit Policy Manual (exit DHS)

Medicare Claims Processing Manual (exit DHS)

National Government Services (exit DHS)- Medicare claims 

Medicaid Payment Information

MDS 3.0 Section Z items Z0200 and Z0250 are not required to be coded and may be left blank.

Effective October 1, 2010, nursing home providers will begin using the MDS 3.0/RUGS IV-48 classification system for Medicaid residents. The new system does not affect Medicaid Fee for Service billing or rates in the current rate period of July 1, 2010 - June 30, 2011.  The first picture date that will reflect this change will be December 31, 2010, and the first fee for service rates based on RUGS IV-48 will be July 1, 2011. 

Additional Wisconsin Medicaid Payment information:

Wisconsin Clinical Resource Center

The Wisconsin Clinical Resource Center (WCRC) (exit DHS)  project is jointly sponsored by the Wisconsin Health Care Association (WHCA) and Wisconsin Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (WAHSA), through funding from the Wisconsin Division of Quality Assurance (DQA).  The WCRC Advisory Group serves to identify, guide and review content provided in the website and training, along with representation from DQA.  Development support is provided by the Center for Health Systems Research & Analysis (CHSRA).

The WCRC website is designed as a user-friendly resource to provide key information about eight care areas to include pressure ulcers. The WCRC Pressure Ulcer Module (exit DHS) includes tools, guidelines, regulations and additional resources for learning.   

Note: Nursing home staff that need assistance with the login information for the WCRC website should contact CHSRA (exit DHS)

Additional CMS Resources

Skilled Nursing Facility Center (exit DHS)

SNF/Long Term Care Open Door Forum (exit DHS)

CMS SNF Consolidated Billing (exit DHS)

Nursing Home Certification and Compliance (exit DHS)

Medicare Learning Network (exit DHS)

Nursing Home Value Based Purchasing (exit DHS)

CMS Medicare (exit DHS)

Related Resources

Nursing Home Pressure Ulcer Information

DQA E-Mail Subscription Service (Listserv)

DQA Contacts

For questions on the RAI, coding MDS items, or clinically related contact:

Margaret Katz, RN, RAI Education Coordinator
(715) 836-6748

For questions related to submitting MDS records to the CMS/State MDS System, interrupting Validation reports, and accessing CASPER to obtain QI/QM reports and other MDS related reports contact:

Chris Benesh, MDS Automation Coordinator
(608) 266-1718

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Last Updated: May 18, 2012