At long last the LTC world is rejoicing as CMS has posted several chapters of the long awaited RAI Manual for the MDS 3.0.  Chapters 1, 3, and 5 have been posted on the CMS website.  These chapters alone, along with the multiple MDS 3.0 versions comprise over 500 pages of reading material.  Chapter 3, as in the preceding manual, provides item-by-item coding instructions for all required sections and items in the comprehensive MDS Version 3.0 item set. The RAI consists of three basic components: The Minimum Data Set (MDS) Version 3.0, the Care Area Assessment (CAA) process and the RAI utilization guidelines. The Care Area Assessments have yet to be published.  They will be discussed in Chapter 4. The CAA process helps the clinician to focus on key issues identified during the assessment process so that decisions as to whether and how to intervene can be explored with the resident. Components of the process include: Care Area Triggers (CATs), CAA Resources and CAA Summary. The following link will provide access to the MDS 3.0 manual. http://www.cms.hhs.gov/NursingHomeQualityInits/25_NHQIMDS30.asp

The manual is in a zipped format. If you are unable to open the file, please contact Harmony for assistance.