The final Minimum Data Set (MDS) item sets and matrix for nursing homes were released late Friday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

This version of the MDS will go into effect Oct. 1 and includes policies finalized in the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment Schedule (SNF PPS) final rule. The biggest change comes in Section O with the removal of therapy items on the nursing home comprehensive assessment (NC), nursing home quarterly assessment (NQ) and 5-day prospective payment system assessment (NP) data sets, according to Joel VanEaton, executive vice president of PAC regulatory affairs and education for Broad River Rehab.

“These items have been replaced with a smaller set of items to determine what therapies were delivered 15 minutes per day in the previous 7 days. This is some relief for providers this year, with less items and a revised, less complicated transportation item,” VanEaton told Skilled Nursing News.

In the draft version released in May, four Section R items were removed as well, a decision that perplexed sector experts that look at updated MDS data every year. This was mostly because the SNF PPS wasn’t finalized at the time the draft MDS came out – CMS has since removed these items in the final rule.

The Section R items assess elements related to patients’ social determinants of health (SDOH), including information related to a resident’s living situation, food and utilities.

CMS said at the time that the items were removed to alleviate provider burdens when it comes to administrative tasks.