Tools and Resources

PROCESS REMINDER: Level of Care Reason for Screening Guidance

It is extremely important that providers select the appropriate reason for screening option and service type when submitting Level of Care screens. Please see the guidance listed below:

Nursing facility applicant: Only select this option if an individual is a new applicant for a nursing home. Do not select this option if an individual is already residing in a nursing home.

PASRR only: Nursing facility resident who is not currently in an inpatient psychiatric hospital/unit at this time: Only select this option if the Level of Care is occurring as a part of the PASRR process. Select the appropriate option below.

1. This nursing facility resident has experienced a significant change in status or has not adequately responded to PASRR recommended services and may require a Level II evaluation
2. A previous PASRR short-term approval for nursing facility stay is expiring or has expired (e.g., Exempted Hospital Discharge, Emergency and Delirium)
3. This nursing facility resident has never had a PASRR Level I screen
4. This nursing facility resident has never had a PASRR Level II evaluation and shows signs or symptoms that indicate she/he may have a PASRR condition

PASRR only: Nursing facility resident who is currently hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital/unit: Only select this option if an individual is currently psychiatrically hospitalized and the Level of Care is occurring as a part of the PASRR process. Select the appropriate option below.

1. An evaluation is needed to ensure nursing facility readmission is appropriate
2. The individual may be readmitted to the nursing facility and a PASRR evaluation will be conducted once the readmission occurs

Nursing facility resident who is converting to Medicaid: Only select this option if someone is applying for medicaid.

Nursing facility resident who is requesting retrospective review of this individual's level of care status beginning with a date in the past.

Nursing facility resident whose approval period is expiring and needs additional time in the nursing facility: Only select this option if the individuals is residing in a nursing home and their previous Level of Care is expiring. Select the appropriate option below based on their payment source (Medicaid, Medicaid Pending, Medicare/Medicaid, and Medicare/Medicaid Pending)

Annual Review: This option should only be selected if the previous LOC approval was for 364 days.

Short-Term Approval Expiration: This option should be selected if the previous LOC approval was for any other period of time (ex. 30, 60, 90, 120 days)

Self-Pay, Private Insurance, Medicare

Nursing facility resident who has had a previous LOC approval, but has had significant medical improvement and the submitting facility is providing an update of that improvement

Swing bed applicant or swing bed resident applying to Medicaid: Only select this option if the individual is a new Swing Bed applicant OR a current Swing Bed resident applying for Medicaid.

Waiver, grant, or other service/program applicant: Only select this option if the individual is a new applicant for a waiver service. Do not select this if an individual is already a waiver or service program recipient.

Waiver, grant, or other service/program recipient whose approval period is expiring and needs additional time in the service/program: Only select this option if the individual is receiving waiver services and their previous Level of Care is expiring.
 

BEST PRACTICE: PathTracker Troubleshooting 

If you notice an individual's profile has a red exclamation point, or you believe that someone’s information is incorrect on the census, please click into the person’s name in the PathTracker Census to open their profile, and then check the episodes grid. You will be able to see where the information was pulled from which will give context to any of your questions. Once you have reviewed this, if you still have questions, please contact the Help Desk. 

Note 1: it should be noted that if you submitted a Retrospective Level of Care for an individual, you will see the end date for this assessment in PathTracker, as it is submitted after the initial assessment. Be sure to note the initial assessment end date, as you will need to resubmit before that assessment expires.

Note 2: if an individual's most recent assessment was completed in the old Legacy system, you may see overdue symbols for these individuals in PathTracker. You can check this by going into the individual's episodes grid to see if their most recent assessment was in Legacy. If this is the case, always reference the end date that is listed inside the Legacy assessment, which you can access by clicking the blue document button. We use the end date inside the assessment to send out our expiration letters.

 

SUPPORT: Contact the ND PASRR Help Desk

Do you have questions about program processes or a current referral? Contact your North Dakota PASRR Help Desk for more information:

• Phone: 833.997.2777
• Email: Ascend-NDPASRR@maximus.com

PROCESS UPDATE: Review Recent PathTracker Changes

Please be aware that PathTracker now automatically updates the End Date column to the most recent assessment in AssessmentPro that had an End Date for individuals. PathTracker will automatically sort by individuals who have assessments with approvals that will end soon. 

This is something that Facility Providers will benefit from, as you will be able to see who needs to have a new assessment completed by just checking PathTracker. You can still sort by name by clicking on the Name header in PathTracker.

Additionally, PathTracker has also created symbols to identify if the individual's assessment approval is going to end soon:
 

or is overdue: 

Troubleshooting:
 
If you notice an individual's profile has a red exclamation point, or you believe that someone’s information is incorrect on the census, please click into the person’s name in the Pathtracker Census to open their profile, and then check the episodes grid. You will be able to see where the information was pulled from which will give context to any of your questions. Once you have reviewed this, if you still have questions, please contact the Help Desk. 
 
Note 1: it should be noted that if you submitted a Retrospective Level of Care for an individual, you will see the end date for this assessment in Pathtracker, as it is submitted after the initial assessment. Be sure to note the initial assessment end date, as you will need to resubmit before that assessment expires.
 
Note 2: if an individual's most recent assessment was completed in the old Legacy system, you may see overdue symbols for these individuals in Pathtracker. You can check this by going into the individual's episodes grid to see if their most recent assessment was in Legacy. If this is the case, always reference the end date that is listed inside the legacy assessment, which you can access by clicking the blue document button. We use the end date inside the assessment to send out our expiration letters.
 

BEST PRACTICE: Regularly Updating PathTracker

Please keep in mind that the more up-to-date PathTracker is, the more accurate our short-term expiration notifications will be. PathTracker must be regularly updated any time new information becomes available. 

Every time a person admits to your facility, any time they discharge or transfer to a new location, every time someone re-admits, or in the event an individual passes away, always reflect the information in PathTracker. 

Click here to review our PathTracker Training on the North Dakota PASRR Tools & Resources site. Don't hesitate to reach out to the Help Desk if you have questions about this process.
 

PASRR GUIDE: Difference Between Short-Term Expirations and Annual Reviews 

As a reminder, as of February 1, 2022, North Dakota Department of Human Services determined that individuals who have a service type of Nursing Facility and have a Medicaid payment type (Medicaid/Medicaid Pending/Medicare & Medicaid/Medicare & Medicaid Pending) will no longer receive a Level of Care or a Level II outcome that does not have an end date. Instead, they will be given a Time Limited Approval for a maximum of 364 or 365 days so that they have an Annual Review.

When submitting a screen due to an upcoming expiration, please select the appropriate option on the Level of Care form.

• Annual Review: This option should only be selected if the previous approval was for 364 or 365 days. 
   
• Short-Term Approval Expiration: This option should be selected if the previous approval was for any other period of time (ex. 30, 60, 90, 120 days) 

SUPPORT: Contact the ND PASRR Help Desk

Do you have questions about this upcoming change, other program processes or a current referral? Contact your North Dakota PASRR Help Desk for more information:

• Phone: 833.997.2777
• Email: Ascend-NDPASRR@maximus.com

Please keep in mind that the state of Public Health Emergency is officially ending on May 11, 2023. As of this Friday, May 12, 2023, COVID-19 Categoricals will no longer be an option for assessments.

If you have any questions about this important process change, please contact the ND PASRR Help Desk.


SUPPORT: Contact the ND PASRR Help Desk

Do you have questions about this upcoming change, other program processes or a current referral? Contact your North Dakota PASRR Help Desk for more information:

• Phone: 833.997.2777
• Email: NDPASRR@maximus.com

PROCESS UPDATE: Review Recent PathTracker Changes

Please be aware that PathTracker now automatically updates the End Date column to the most recent assessment in AssessmentPro that had an End Date for individuals. PathTracker will automatically sort by individuals who have assessments with approvals that will end soon. 

This is something that Facility Providers will benefit from, as you will be able to see who needs to have a new assessment completed by just checking PathTracker. You can still sort by name by clicking on the Name header in PathTracker.
 

Additionally, PathTracker has also created symbols to identify if the individual's assessment approval is going to end soon:
 

or is overdue: 

Troubleshooting:
 
If you notice an individual's profile has a red exclamation point, or you believe that someone’s information is incorrect on the census, please click into the person’s name in the Pathtracker Census to open their profile, and then check the episodes grid. You will be able to see where the information was pulled from which will give context to any of your questions. Once you have reviewed this, if you still have questions, please contact the Help Desk. 
 
Note 1: it should be noted that if you submitted a Retrospective Level of Care for an individual, you will see the end date for this assessment in Pathtracker, as it is submitted after the initial assessment. Be sure to note the initial assessment end date, as you will need to resubmit before that assessment expires.
 
Note 2: if an individual's most recent assessment was completed in the old Legacy system, you may see overdue symbols for these individuals in Pathtracker. You can check this by going into the individual's episodes grid to see if their most recent assessment was in Legacy. If this is the case, always reference the end date that is listed inside the legacy assessment, which you can access by clicking the blue document button. We use the end date inside the assessment to send out our expiration letters.

BEST PRACTICE: Regularly Updating PathTracker

Please keep in mind that the more up-to-date PathTracker is, the more accurate our short-term expiration notifications will be. PathTracker must be regularly updated any time new information becomes available. 

Every time a person admits to your facility, any time they discharge or transfer to a new location, every time someone re-admits, or in the event an individual passes away, always reflect the information in PathTracker. 

Click here to review our PathTracker Training on the North Dakota PASRR Tools & Resources site. Don't hesitate to reach out to the Help Desk if you have questions about this process.
 

SUPPORT: Contact the ND PASRR Help Desk

Do you have questions about program processes or a current referral? Contact your North Dakota PASRR Help Desk for more information:

• Phone: 833.997.2777
• Email: Ascend-NDPASRR@maximus.com

PROCESS REMINDER: Regularly Updating PathTracker

Please keep in mind that the more up-to-date PathTracker is, the more accurate our short-term expiration notifications will be. PathTracker must be regularly updated any time new information becomes available. 

Every time a person admits to your facility, any time they discharge or transfer to a new location, every time someone re-admits, or in the event an individual passes away, always reflect the information in PathTracker. 

Click here to review our PathTracker Training on the North Dakota PASRR Tools & Resources site. Don't hesitate to reach out to the Help Desk if you have questions about this process.
 

BEST PRACTICE: Faxing Required Documentation

As of December 2022, the State of North Dakota requires a History and Physical and ADL Flowsheets to submit a Level of Care with a Nursing Facility Service Type. If you do not have the required documentation ready for upload and choose to fax it instead, please ensure that you are printing out the specific coversheet that is being generated for the individual in AssessmentPro by clicking the fax icon. 

When you fax the documentation to AssessmentPro using this coversheet as the first page, it will upload the information to the person's profile automatically. This helps with assessment turnaround times. Please refer to this training document for detailed instructions on this important process.

SUPPORT: Contact the ND PASRR Help Desk

Do you have questions about program processes or a current referral? Contact your North Dakota PASRR Help Desk for more information:

Phone: 833.997.2777

Email: Ascend-NDPASRR@maximus.com