APPENDIX D

Description of Major RUG Categories

Extensive Services - residents receiving heavy nursing care, including respirator/ventilator care, parenteral feeding, suctioning, or with a tracheostomy. These residents are some of the costliest in nursing care.

Rehabilitation - residents receiving frequent nursing rehabilitation, including range of motion and training activities aimed at restoring or maintaining resident function.

Special Care - heavy care residents with particular serious conditions, such as coma or quadriplegia, serious burns, septicemia and radiation therapy that primarily determine their care needs.

Clinically Complex - residents with particular medical or skilled nursing problems (dehydration, dialysis, lung aspirations, aphasia, and pneumonia). These residents are less debilitated than the special care category because they have more functional capability.

Impaired Cognition - residents with short-term memory loss and impaired decision-making who may or may not have behavior problems.

Behavior Only - residents with high frequency and severe levels of at least one behavioral problem, such as physical aggression, verbal abuse or hallucinations.

Reduced Physical Function - all residents who do not qualify for any of the above categories; they are principally characterized by reduced levels of ADL functioning.

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