understanding and coding MDS 3.0 Item GG0100B: Indoor Mobility (Ambulation) - Prior Functioning

MDS 3.0 Item GG0100B: Indoor Mobility (Ambulation) - Prior Functioning

Introduction

Purpose: Understanding a resident’s prior level of indoor mobility before their current illness, injury, or admission is crucial for creating an effective care plan. MDS Item GG0100B assesses the resident’s ability to ambulate indoors before their current condition, helping to set realistic rehabilitation goals and provide personalized care. Accurately assessing prior indoor mobility is important in supporting the resident’s potential recovery or maintaining their functional abilities in a long-term care setting.

What is MDS Item GG0100B?

Explanation: MDS Item GG0100B is part of Section GG: Functional Abilities and Goals, which focuses on a resident's functional abilities both before and during their stay in a long-term care facility. Specifically, GG0100B addresses the resident’s ability to move around indoors before their illness, injury, or admission to the facility. Indoor mobility refers to a resident’s ability to walk independently or with assistance within their living environment, such as walking from room to room. This item provides valuable insight into the resident’s prior independence and helps tailor care plans to support the resident’s mobility goals.

Guidelines for Conducting and Coding MDS Item GG0100B

Conducting the Assessment: To assess the resident’s prior indoor mobility, staff should gather information from:

• Interviews with the resident or family members
• Medical records or previous health assessments
• Observations from caregivers who provided care prior to admission

This assessment focuses on the resident’s level of independence with indoor mobility before their illness or admission, including how they moved from room to room or performed activities that required ambulation.

Coding Instructions: MDS Item GG0100B uses a scale to indicate the resident’s prior ability to ambulate indoors. The coding options are:

• 3 - Independent: The resident was able to move around indoors without any assistance.
• 2 - Needed Some Help: The resident required some help from another person for indoor ambulation.
• 1 - Dependent: The resident was completely dependent on another person for mobility indoors.
• 8 - Unknown: Information about the resident’s prior indoor mobility is not available.
• 9 - Not Applicable: The resident’s indoor mobility prior to the current illness or admission is not relevant.

Example Scenario: If a resident was able to walk independently within their home before their illness or injury, you would code GG0100B as 3 - Independent. If the resident needed assistance or used a walker or cane for indoor mobility, you would code GG0100B as 2 - Needed Some Help. If no information is available about their prior mobility, code GG0100B as 8 - Unknown.

Best Practices for Accurate Coding

Thorough Information Gathering: It is crucial to collect accurate information about the resident’s prior indoor mobility by consulting with family members, reviewing medical records, or interviewing previous caregivers. This helps ensure the coding reflects the resident’s actual abilities.

Documentation: Document the sources of information used to assess the resident’s prior indoor mobility. Whether obtained through family interviews or medical records, clear documentation ensures that the resident’s previous mobility level is accurately represented in the care plan.

Collaboration: Share the results of the assessment with the interdisciplinary care team. Understanding the resident’s prior mobility level will help set appropriate rehabilitation goals and support strategies for regaining or maintaining mobility in the long-term care setting.

Conclusion

Summary: MDS Item GG0100B is essential for assessing a resident’s prior ability to move indoors independently before their illness or admission to a long-term care facility. Accurately assessing and documenting this information helps the care team create a plan that supports the resident’s mobility needs and maximizes their potential for recovery or maintenance of function.

Click here to see a detailed Step-by-Step on how to complete this item set.

Reference

This guide is based on the CMS's Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual, Version 1.19.1, October 2024, Page GG-4.

Disclaimer

Please note that the information provided in this guide for MDS 3.0 Item GG0100B: "Indoor Mobility (Ambulation) - Prior Functioning" was originally based on the CMS's Long-Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument 3.0 User’s Manual, Version 1.19.1, October 2024. Every effort will be made to update it to the most current version. The MDS 3.0 Manual is typically updated every October. If there are no changes to the Item Set, there will be no changes to this guide.

This guidance is intended to assist healthcare professionals, particularly new nurses or MDS coordinators, in understanding and applying the correct coding procedures for this specific item within MDS 3.0. Additionally, this guide refrains from handling personal patient data and does not provide medical or legal advice.