Archived News provides you with older news articles (in case you missed something). We periodically move news items from the home page to this page and will typically keep items on this archive page for about 2 years.

September 10, 2013
When we issued the bulk email about the latest update to the COWORKER Clinical Software we inadvertently stated the web address of this site as wwwContinuexClinicalNews.com. The correct web address is www.ContinuexClinicalNews.Comcastbiz.net. We apologize for the error. Please make note of the correct web address. September 6, 2013
Review the Missing Assessment Report on the Casper web site and see if you find this situation:
The ARD of an assessment is later than the ARD of the Discharge or Death in Facility.
What you need to do:

• If the discharge or death date is incorrect send in a modification to the Discharge Assessment or Death in Facility Tracker to correct the date.
• If the ARD of an assessment is later than the correct death or discharge date:
• a.If this is a required assessment submit a modification to change the ARD to the date of discharge or death.
  b.If this is not a required assessment and the assessment was not completed by the date of discharge or death, send in an inactivation for that assessment.
  c.If this is not a required assessment, the assessment was completed and the assessment look-back period was based on the discharge or death date, send in a modification for the ARD to match the date of discharge or death.
  

Here are the references from the RAI Manual:
Chapter 3 page A-26:
When the resident dies or is discharged prior to the end of the look-back period for a required assessment, the ARD must be adjusted to equal the discharge date.
Chapter 2, pages 2-17 and 2-18 concerning Comprehensive Assessments: If a resident is discharged prior to the completion deadline for the assessment, completion of the assessment is not required. Whatever portions of the RAI that have been completed must be maintained in the resident’s medical record. In closing the record, the nursing home should note why the RAI was not completed.
If a resident dies prior to the completion deadline for the assessment, completion of the assessment is not required. Whatever portions of the RAI that have been completed must be maintained in the resident’s medical record. In closing the record, the nursing home should note why the RAI was not completed.
Chapter 2, page 2-29 has similar language for non-comprehensive assessments: If a resident is discharged during this assessment process, then whatever portions of the RAI that have been completed must be maintained in the resident’s discharge record. In closing the record, the nursing home should note why the RAI was not completed.
If a resident dies during this assessment process, completion of the assessment is not required. Whatever portions of the RAI that have been completed must be maintained in the resident’s medical record. In closing the record, the nursing home should note why the RAI was not completed.
September 5, 2013
The newest version of COWORKER is 9.0.6051! Download it from the FTP site now!
September 3, 2013

CMS is requiring Nursing Homes to transmit any missing MDS 3.0 discharge assessments or trackers by September 30, 2013. There are two ways to determine if you have any missing assessments:

• 1. Go in to CASPER Reports and request an MDS 3.0 Roster report. Look to see if anyone shows up on this report and they are no longer in your facility.
• 2. Go in to CASPER Reports and request an MDS 3.0 Missing Assessment report. This report lists the most recent OBRA assessment (other than a discharge or death record) for any resident who has not had an OBRA assessment for 138 days prior to the report run date, and any resident for whom no OBRA record was submitted for a current episode that began more than 60 days prior to the report run date.

There may be residents on these reports for whom you have successfully submitted a discharge. Frequently this is caused by a “duplicate resident”. This is where resident identifiers have been entered differently on different MDS records, causing the QIES system to create a second Resident ID number. The records with erroneous information need to be modified to correct this situation.
If a discharge record was created but not transmitted, please transmit that record as soon as possible. If a discharge record was not created, CMS will allow you to dash-fill the clinical items for any resident who was discharged prior to October 1, 2012.
September 1, 2013
LTCPro Corporation announces the direct link to this webpage from your COWORKER log in screen. You are encouraged to utilize this link frequently to find out if new updates are available to to keep abreast on what Continuex Corporation is doing to enhance your COWORKER Clinical software.
September 1,2013
The LTCPro team is nearing completion of the October 1, 2013 MDS updates. Once the internal testing has been completed we will be posting an update on this new link indicating the update is available for downloading. There are several MDS changes that go into effect October 1, 2013 but you do not have to wait to download the update until that date. Any MDS with an ARD earlier than October 1, 2013 will utilize the current MDS forms. Any MDS that you start with an ARD of October 1, 2013 or later will utilize the new MDS forms. You will not want to start any MDS that will have an ARD or October 1, 2013 or later, before you download the update.