Insurance Coverage for the MDS Co-ordinator

[Corey]

ï I will assume that there are not recently decided malpractice cases against MDS co-ordinators because I was too lazy to drive out to the law library and look it up on WestLaw, and I'm too cheap to have one at home.  However, I will assume that the "case" would be derived out of the alleged failure of the MDS nurse to adequately perform the "duties" assigned to the nurse in regards to that patient.  And that then leads back to the slew of job descriptions swirling about the MDS position.  In some facilities, the MDS nurse only co-ordinates the actual assessment done by other people, and signs that the assessment and care plans were complete.  I will, theoretically at this point at least, assume limited responsibility to a particular patient.  However, many of us are performing assessments personally, filling in the form for other disciplines - giving us at least a "look" at their assessment (and it's accuracy), holding the care plan with the family, and writing the care plans for the unit nurses.  Many, many of us are responsible for updating the things every three (3) months, or in some facilities, whenever the patient falls or sneezes.  In those cases, next to the doc, the MDS nurses is the care planner and the person responsible for assessing it's provision and quality.  In that case, my $1, 000, 000 policy per occurrence doesn't seem like such a good bet, but it's the best I can afford considering what I am paid.  (That's on top of whatever "policy" the facility claims to offer me.)   Corey ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, November 13, 2003 5:24 PM Subject: Re: November issue Nursing Homes In a message dated 11/9/2003 6:52:52 PM Pacific Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: 1.  Feature article is about MDS and the legal implications ie litigationââI know this is a touchy subjectâbut any legal experts out there have an opinion on  the âaverageâ malpractice insurance policy for staff nurses â is it adequate insurance coverage for the MDS coordinator? EXCELLENT question!