PASRR Screening for Mental Illness in Nursing Facility Applicants and Residents
 

Medicaid regulations require states to maintain a preadmission screening and resident review (PASRR) of nursing home applicants to screen individuals for serious mental illness. This research was conducted to determine the degree of compliance with the regulation, and determine how the PASRR could be improved.

There are two tests. Level I, screens for potential mental illness. Those who test positive, should receive a Level II screening to identify the mental illness and assess whether the individual needs specialized services and nursing facility level of care. The data for this report was generated from surveys of state level Medicaid staff, case studies of four states.

In the four case studies, Level I screenings were found in 71% to 93% of medical records. Less than ten percent of medical records had any notation of Level II resident review screenings, although the research team found that between 53% and 81% of residents had a diagnosable mental illness.