A Tale of 2 Assessments: Concordance Across the Minimum Data Set and Preadmission Screening and Resident Review Assessments in Recording Mental Health Diagnoses

There is growing acknowledgement that the proportion of adults with serious mental illness (SMI) in nursing homes (NHs) is increasing. SMI refers to a group of mental health conditions that result in serious functional impairment or limit participation in 1 or more major life activities.1-3 At present, there are 2 federally mandated tools that capture this information: the preadmission screening and resident review program (PASRR) and minimum data set (MDS). PASRR is a 2-step assessment completed prior to NH admission with the intent of preventing inappropriate institutionalization, whereas the MDS is a comprehensive clinical assessment of functional capacity and medical needs measured at admission, discharge, and periodically throughout one’s stay.