Description:

MDS Certified professionals use the Minimum Data Set (MDS) system to record patient activity for use by the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This designation is an option for current registered nurses (RNs). MDS is commonly used in long-term care facilities, where it can be used to document a patient's physical and psychological status, the clinical care they are provided, their current social abilities and their end-of-life care plans. MDS Certified nurses fill out paperwork using the MDS system and submit it to higher-level MDS coordinators, who review it and submit it to Medicare or Medicaid.

Educational and Licensing Requirements:

Registered nurses (RNs) are eligible to attain MDS certification. The MDS certification requires additional education through a certification program. You can receive MDS training by earning Resident Assessment Coordinator Certification, or RAC-CT. The RAC-CT program, standardized by the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordination (AANAC), has a total of ten courses; seven of these courses
are required, while three are electives that provide you with an opportunity to specialize. MDS 3.0 training is included in several courses, along with clinical assessment and care planning, Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI)/MDS regulations, Medicare and RUG. The elective topics include survey readiness, survey management and enforcement, human resource management, leadership, pain assessment and risk management. You need to pass ten final exams to earn the RAC-CT certification, which needs to be renewed every two years. The recertification process includes passing a course on field updates and common coding errors. If you have Certified Nurse Executive status, then recertification isn't necessary. If you're already certified in MDS 2.0, you'll need to complete the MDS 3.0 certification requirements.