483.20—Resident assessment.

The facility must conduct initially and periodically a comprehensive, accurate, standardized, reproducible assessment of each resident's functional capacity.

(a) Admission orders. At the time each resident is admitted, the facility must have physician orders for the resident's immediate care.

(b) Comprehensive assessments— (1) Resident assessment instrument. A facility must make a comprehensive assessment of a resident's needs, using the resident assessment instrument (RAI) specified by the State. The assessment must include at least the following:

(i) Identification and demographic information.

(ii) Customary routine.

(iii) Cognitive patterns.

(iv) Communication.

(v) Vision.

(vi) Mood and behavior patterns.

(vii) Psychosocial well-being.

(viii) Physical functioning and structural problems.

(ix) Continence.

(x) Disease diagnoses and health conditions.

(xi) Dental and nutritional status.

(xii) Skin condition.

(xiii) Activity pursuit.

(xiv) Medications.

(xv) Special treatments and procedures.

(xvi) Discharge potential.

(xvii) Documentation of summary information regarding the additional assessment performed on the care areas triggered by the completion of the Minimum Data Set (MDS).

(xviii) Documentation of participation in assessment.

The assessment process must include direct observation and communication with the resident, as well as communication with licensed and nonlicensed direct care staff members on all shifts.

(2) When required. Subject to the timeframes prescribed in § 413.343(b) of this chapter, a facility must conduct a comprehensive assessment of a resident in accordance with the timeframes specified in paragraphs (b)(2) (i) through (iii) of this section. The timeframes prescribed in § 413.343(b) of this chapter do not apply to CAHs.

(i) Within 14 calendar days after admission, excluding readmissions in which there is no significant change in the resident's physical or mental condition. (For purposes of this section, “readmission” means a return to the facility following a temporary absence for hospitalization or for therapeutic leave.)

(ii) Within 14 calendar days after the facility determines, or should have determined, that there has been a significant change in the resident's physical or mental condition. (For purposes of this section, a “significant change” means a major decline or improvement in the resident's status that will not normally resolve itself without further intervention by staff or by implementing standard disease-related clinical interventions, that has an impact on more than one area of the resident's health status, and requires interdisciplinary review or revision of the care plan, or both.)

(iii) Not less often than once every 12 months.

(c) Quarterly review assessment. A facility must assess a resident using the quarterly review instrument specified by the State and approved by CMS not less frequently than once every 3 months.

(d) Use. A facility must maintain all resident assessments completed within the previous 15 months in the resident's active record and use the results of the assessments to develop, review, and revise the resident's comprehensive plan f care.

(e) Coordination. A facility must coordinate assessments with the preadmission screening and resident review program under Medicaid in part 483, subpart C to the maximum extent practicable to avoid duplicative testing and effort.

(f) Automated data processing requirement— (1) Encoding data. Within 7 days after a facility completes a resident's assessment, a facility must encode the following information for each resident in the facility:

(i) Admission assessment.

(ii) Annual assessment updates.

(iii) Significant change in status assessments.

(iv) Quarterly review assessments.

(v) A subset of items upon a resident's transfer, reentry, discharge, and death.

(vi) Background (face-sheet) information, if there is no admission assessment.

(2) Transmitting data. Within 7 days after a facility completes a resident's assessment, a facility must be capable of transmitting to the CMS System information for each resident contained in the MDS in a format that conforms to standard record layouts and data dictionaries, and that passes standardized edits defined by CMS and the State.

(3) Transmittal requirements. Within 14 days after a facility completes a resident's assessment, a facility must electronically transmit encoded, accurate, and complete MDS data to the CMS System, including the following:

(i) Admission assessment.

(ii) Annual assessment.

(iii) Significant change in status assessment.

(iv) Significant correction of prior full assessment.

(v) Significant correction of prior quarterly assessment.

(vi) Quarterly review.

(vii) A subset of items upon a resident's transfer, reentry, discharge, and death.

(viii) Background (face-sheet) information, for an initial transmission of MDS data on a resident that does not have an admission assessment.

(4) Data format. The facility must transmit data in the format specified by CMS or, for a State which has an alternate RAI approved by CMS, in the format specified by the State and approved by CMS.

(5) Resident-identifiable information. (i) A facility may not release information that is resident-identifiable to the public.

(ii) The facility may release information that is resident-identifiable to an agent only in accordance with a contract under which the agent agrees not to use or disclose the information except to the extent the facility itself is permitted to do so.

(g) Accuracy of assessments. The assessment must accurately reflect the resident's status.

(h) Coordination. A registered nurse must conduct or coordinate each assessment with the appropriate participation of health professionals.

(i) Certification. (1) A registered nurse must sign and certify that the assessment is completed.

(2) Each individual who completes a portion of the assessment must sign and certify the accuracy of that portion of the assessment.

(j) Penalty for falsification. (1) Under Medicare and Medicaid, an individual who willfully and knowingly—

(i) Certifies a material and false statement in a resident assessment is subject to a civil money penalty of not more than $1,000 for each assessment; or

(ii) Causes another individual to certify a material and false statement in a resident assessment is subject to a civil money penalty of not more than $5,000 for each assessment.

(2) Clinical disagreement does not constitute a material and false statement.

(k) Comprehensive care plans. (1) The facility must develop a comprehensive care plan for each resident that includes measurable objectives and timetables to meet a resident's medical, nursing, and mental and psychosocial needs that are identified in the comprehensive assessment. The care plan must describe the following—

(i) The services that are to be furnished to attain or maintain the resident's highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being as required under § 483.25; and

(ii) Any services that would otherwise be required under § 483.25 but are not provided due to the resident's exercise of rights under § 483.10, including the right to refuse treatment under § 483.10(b)(4).

(2) A comprehensive care plan must be—

(i) Developed within 7 days after completion of the comprehensive assessment;

(ii) Prepared by an interdisciplinary team, that includes the attending physician, a registered nurse with responsibility for the resident, and other appropriate staff in disciplines as determined by the resident's needs, and, to the extent practicable, the participation of the resident, the resident's family or the resident's legal representative; and

(iii) Periodically reviewed and revised by a team of qualified persons after each assessment.

(3) The services provided or arranged by the facility must—

(i) Meet professional standards of quality; and

(ii) Be provided by qualified persons in accordance with each resident's written plan of care.

(l) Discharge summary. When the facility anticipates discharge a resident must have a discharge summary that includes—

(1) A recapitulation of the resident's stay;

(2) A final summary of the resident's status to include items in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, at the time of the discharge that is available for release to authorized persons and agencies, with the consent of the resident or legal representative; and

(3) A post-discharge plan of care that is developed with the participation of the resident and his or her family, which will assist the resident to adjust to his or her new living environment.

(m) Preadmission screening for mentally ill individuals and individuals with mental retardation. (1) A nursing facility must not admit, on or after January 1, 1989, any new resident with—

(i) Mental illness as defined in paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this section, unless the State mental health authority has determined, based on an independent physical and mental evaluation performed by a person or entity other than the State mental health authority, prior to admission,

(A) That, because of the physical and mental condition of the individual, the individual requires the level of services provided by a nursing facility; and

(B) If the individual requires such level of services, whether the individual requires specialized services; or

(ii) Mental retardation, as defined in paragraph (f)(2)(ii) of this section, unless the State mental retardation or developmental disability authority has determined prior to admission—

(A) That, because of the physical and mental condition of the individual, the individual requires the level of services provided by a nursing facility; and

(B) If the individual requires such level of services, whether the individual requires specialized services for mental retardation.

(2) Definition. For purposes of this section—

(i) An individual is considered to have mental illness if the individual has a serious mental illness as defined in § 483.102(b)(1).

(ii) An individual is considered to be mentally retarded if the individual is mentally retarded as defined in § 483.102(b)(3) or is a person with a related condition as described in 42 CFR 435.1010 of this chapter.

[56 FR 48871, Sept. 26, 1991, as amended at 57 FR 43924, Sept. 23, 1992; 62 FR 67211, Dec. 23, 1997; 63 FR 53307, Oct. 5, 1998; 64 FR 41543, July 30, 1999; 68 FR 46072, Aug. 4, 2003; 71 FR 39229, July 12, 2006; 74 FR 40363, Aug.11, 2009]