The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services disclosed in February that it is in the process of revising the Preadmission Screening and Resident Review regulations. It would be the rule’s first major update since the 1990s. 

The regulations require that all nursing home applicants and residents of Medicaid-certified facilities be screened for mental illness and intellectual disability, and, if needed, those services will be provided. Proposed changes include updating the definitions of mental illness and intellectual disability; streaming the screening process; allowing the use of telehealth technology; and placing a greater emphasis on individual preference regarding where they would like to receive long-term services. 

“The new definitions and requirements of screening will be very important for the nurse leader and the nurse assessment coordinator to understand,” Alexis Roam, MSN, RN-BC, DNS-CT, QCP, curriculum development specialist with the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing, told McKnight’s. It will help nursing coordinate with admissions and others, she added.

Other proposed changes include implementing statutory modifications to the Resident Review requirements that aren’t reflected in the current regulations, and simplifying what information must be collected during resident evaluations.