I am still confused about coding for pain management. In one reply this past week one
person stated that if pain med is effective and relieving pain then they code 0. I
always thought if they had pain you code it. I talked with another MDS coordinator in
my area and she states that if the pain regime is controlling the pain you code 0 even
though they have pain at times. In the RAI mannual it states The Resident's goal for
pain management is being met. So if thier pain level is under thier ALOP could you
code a 0. Lots of times these Residents do not fully understand thier acceptable
level of pain or the pain scale. I am confused again as to how to understand if
thier goal for pain management is being met. She also mentioned that someone from
Qualis Care explained it to her this way. So the way we learn to code our pain is
effecting our scores on Nursing Home Compare even if we are coding wrong. So these
compares may not be accurate. I would appreciate if someone could help clarify this
problem again as I am confused . Thanks Mary Lynn
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