MDS Coordinating 101: What It Takes to Excel
By MDS Training Institute

Welcome to the world of MDS Coordinating! If you’re new to the role, let’s start with this: don’t rush. This isn’t the kind of job you master in a week—or even a few months. In fact, we want you to take as much time as possible during your training. Soak it in, ask questions, make mistakes, learn from them, and repeat. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

MDS Coordinators are the unsung heroes behind clinical reimbursement and compliance in skilled nursing facilities. Every assessment you complete affects not just the resident’s care plan—but the financial health of the facility as well. You’ll be responsible for ensuring that your documentation tells the full clinical story, that every box is coded correctly, and that you’re meeting all regulatory deadlines. And we’re not talking about just a handful of rules here—there are over 900 pages of regulations and guidance you’ll need to get comfortable with.

Sound overwhelming? It can be. But let’s be honest—if you’re reading this, you’re probably someone who enjoys a good challenge.

The Learning Curve

Let’s keep it real: the first year will be full of lightbulb moments—and a few frustrations. That’s normal. The MDS process is deeply complex, involving clinical assessment, federal regulations, ICD-10 coding, care planning, Quality Measures, and financial reimbursement systems like PDPM. You’re not just learning a task list—you’re learning an entire system that intertwines nursing, finance, and compliance.

Give yourself permission to be a student of this work for at least two years. Yes, you’ll begin to “get it” sooner, but becoming confident and consistent takes time. The best MDS Coordinators are always learning. Even seasoned veterans still attend training sessions, read CMS updates, and collaborate with others in the field. You’ll never truly stop learning—and that’s part of the beauty of it.

What It Takes to Excel

To thrive in this role, you need a few key qualities:

• Curiosity: Never settle for “I don’t know.” Research it. Ask someone. Look it up in the RAI Manual. There’s an answer—you just have to find it.

• Attention to Detail: One wrong code can result in denied reimbursement or compliance issues. Precision matters.

• Resilience: You’ll make mistakes. What counts is how you respond—fix them, learn from them, and grow.

• Commitment to Compliance: You must be just as passionate about doing things the right way as you are about maximizing reimbursement.

• Team Communication: You can’t do this job in isolation. You’ll need strong partnerships with nursing staff, therapists, administrators, and billers.

Final Thoughts

Take a breath. You’re at the start of something incredibly important and rewarding. You’re stepping into a role that directly impacts the lives of residents and the stability of facilities. Take the time you need to learn it right. Don’t rush the process. This isn’t just a job—it’s a professional journey.

Welcome to MDS Coordinating. Let’s get to work—slowly, thoroughly, and with purpose.