This letter from CMS explains that nursing homes and other healthcare facilities must ensure that their assessments are accurate and reflective of the resident's status. The assessment should include the appropriate health professionals and should take into account the physical, mental, and psychosocial condition of each resident. The Observation Period is the time period over which the resident's condition or status is captured by the MDS assessment and ends at 11:59 p.m. on the day of the Assessment Reference Date (ARD). The initial comprehensive assessment provides starting point data for ongoing assessment of resident progress. Nursing homes and healthcare facilities must take the necessary steps to ensure that their assessments are accurate and reflective of the resident's status, including involving the appropriate health professionals and ensuring that all occurrences during the observation period are captured on the MDS.

Summaries are generataed using AI. Check important information.