Implementation of the Resident Assessment Instrument/Minimum Data Set in the Nursing Home as Organization: Implications for Quality Improvement in RN Clinical Assessment

The Resident Assessment Instrument/Minimum Data Set (RAI/MDS) used in nursing homes (NHs) participating in the Federal Medicare and Medicaid programs is a state-of-the-art, computerized clinical assessment instrument. RAI/MDS-derived data are essential, used for NH reimbursement, quality measurement, regulatory quality monitoring activities, and clinical care planning. Completing or coordinating the RAI/MDS, which may be conceived of as implementation, is a federally mandated responsibility of the RN involving clinical assessment, a core professional competency of any RN. How the RAI/MDS is implemented in each NH provides evidence of how each NH as an organization understands both the RAI/MDS process and its organizational level responsibility for promotion of RN competence in clinical assessment. Research literature related to RAI/MDS development, testing, and accuracy is used to identify what is known about organizational level implementation of the RAI/MDS. Evidence-based suggestions to enhance RN competence in RAI/MDS clinical assessments, given existing organizational barriers, are provided.