SMQT Resident Assessment and PASRR 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A surveyor is reviewing whether a facility properly conducted a PASRR screen. Which individual is exempt from PASRR requirements?
- A resident admitted for respite care of 30 days or less (Correct answer)
- A resident with a dual diagnosis of SMI and intellectual disability
- A resident admitted from an acute care hospital for Medicaid-covered skilled care
- A resident who previously lived in a psychiatric hospital
Correct answer: A resident admitted for respite care of 30 days or less
Federal regulations exempt individuals admitted for a short-term stay of 30 days or fewer for respite care from full PASRR requirements.
Question 2: The Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS) is scored on a scale of 0 to:
- 10
- 12
- 15 (Correct answer)
- 20
Correct answer: 15
The BIMS is scored from 0 to 15, with scores of 13–15 indicating intact cognition.
Question 3: When assessing pain in a resident who cannot self-report, the MDS directs staff to use:
- Family report only
- Staff observation of pain-related behaviors (Correct answer)
- Physician documentation exclusively
- Pharmacy medication records
Correct answer: Staff observation of pain-related behaviors
For non-verbal residents, the MDS directs assessment of observable pain-related behaviors such as facial grimacing, crying, or guarding.
Question 4: A facility fails to transmit MDS data to the CMS national repository within the required timeframe. Which consequence can a surveyor cite?
- Automatic license suspension
- A deficiency citation under F-tag regulations governing assessments and care planning (Correct answer)
- Mandatory reduction in certified beds
- Immediate termination from Medicaid only
Correct answer: A deficiency citation under F-tag regulations governing assessments and care planning
Failure to submit MDS data within required timeframes is citable as a deficiency under the F-tag regulatory framework.
Question 5: Under PASRR, an 'exempted hospital discharge' provision allows admission without a prior Level I screen when:
- The resident is over age 75
- The resident is discharged directly from a hospital after a short acute-care stay (Correct answer)
- The resident has private insurance
- The facility has an on-site psychiatrist
Correct answer: The resident is discharged directly from a hospital after a short acute-care stay
Individuals discharged from a hospital after a short-term acute care stay may be admitted under the exempted hospital discharge provision, with PASRR screening completed after admission.
Question 6: The Care Area Assessment (CAA) process that follows MDS completion requires the facility to:
- Automatically develop an intervention for every triggered care area
- Investigate each triggered care area and document whether it will be addressed in the care plan (Correct answer)
- Report all triggered areas to the state survey agency
- Discharge residents who trigger more than five care areas
Correct answer: Investigate each triggered care area and document whether it will be addressed in the care plan
The CAA process requires clinical investigation of triggered areas and documentation of care planning decisions, but intervention is not automatic for every trigger.
Question 7: A surveyor reviews MDS Section GG to evaluate a resident's functional abilities. What does Section GG primarily capture?
- Behavioral symptom frequency
- Self-care and mobility functional abilities used in Medicare payment and quality reporting (Correct answer)
- Skin integrity and wound status
- Nutritional intake and weight trends
Correct answer: Self-care and mobility functional abilities used in Medicare payment and quality reporting
Section GG captures functional abilities related to self-care and mobility, which are used for Medicare SNF payment classification and quality measure reporting.
SMQT Resident Assessment and PASRR 4
A surveyor is reviewing whether a facility properly conducted a PASRR screen.
Which individual is exempt from PASRR requirements?