Minimum Data Set (MDS)

Nursing facilities, skilled nursing facility units, and swing bed hospital providers are required to conduct accurate, standardized, reproducible assessments of each resident’s/patient’s functional capacity using the Minimum Data Set (MDS). The automated MDS system, known as the Quality Improvement Evaluation System Assessment Submission and Processing System (QIES ASAP,) is a critical component of the State Agency and CMS operations, and provides the means for transmission of assessment data to CMS for validating payments under the Medicare Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System for nursing homes and swing bed hospital providers.  The QIES ASAP components are developed, distributed, maintained, and upgraded centrally by CMS.  This is a federal database owned by CMS and, as such, is subject to the requirements of the Federal Privacy Act and the MDS System of Records (MDS-SOR) notice. The MDS-SOR describes the legal requirements regarding privacy and disclosure of information by CMS.

Personnel in the MDS program at the Oklahoma State Department of Health develop and implement the delivery of health care information and provide consultative assistance regarding the MDS process to health care facilities.  Responsibilities include educating providers in the clinical methodology and completion of MDS forms; receipting and validating MDS records; assisting nursing facilities and swing bed hospital providers in understanding and interpreting validation reports and the error correction process; providing routine and intermittent training to nursing facility staff, swing bed hospital staff, and surveyors; furnishing support to software vendors; and, supplying support services to surveyors to assist them in the survey process.

Contact Information
Quality Improvement and Evaluation Service
1000 NE 10th Street
Oklahoma City, OK  73117
Phone: (405) 271-5278  Fax: (405) 271-1402