I could be wrong, but I ususally don't count artifical
tears because it is for an ongoing condition, I thought for preventitive
reasons.
The MDS manual states on pg. 3-176 to “count the number of
different medications administered by any route (e.g., oral, IV, injections,
patch) at any time during the last seven days. … Medications include
topical preparations, ointments, creams used in wound care (e.g. Elase),
eyedrops, vitamins, and suppositories.” Added in 08/03 in the
update, it states, “Preparations used for preventative care should not be
coded.”
Tears, ocean
gtts, lid scrub products (if a medication) are usually used to treat a
condition and should be counted in your medication count. The
preventative care medications are usually the baza creams, etc.
If
medications are justified, then polypharmacy is not an issue. It becomes
an issue when residents are receiving medications that do not benefit
them. Natural tears to a lot of elderly residents help prevent eye
infections due to the eyes not secreting tears as well as they have in the
past.
Brenda
W. Chance, RN, RAC-C
MDS
Coordinator
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-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Wednesday, March 31, 2004
10:49 PM
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: artificial tears
Hello all,
wondering if others are coding benign meds
such as tears, ocean gtts, lid scrub products---i don't . they skew the
poly pharmacy count without benefit to residents POC.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
