CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
May 9, 2006, Vol. 06-56
SAMHSA Publishes Findings from Study on Assessing Mental Illness and Service Access in Nursing Homes Use of Preadmission Screening and Resident Review in U.S.
Preadmission screening and resident review programs may help in the identification of people with serious mental illness, according to findings of a study published today by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The study, a national survey conducted with representatives from agencies that implement preadmission screening and resident review in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, assessed the implementation of these programs in identifying serious mental illness among nursing facility applicants and residents, as well as access to mental health services. Case studies in 4 states, involving over 750 medical records, supplemented the 50-state survey as well as a small group of clinical interviews with 100 nursing facility residents..
Other findings in the study showed that 90% of states reported that mental health services received in Medicaid-certified facilities were limited to only a consultation by a psychiatrist or mental health professional and medication monitoring; many records reviewed indicated that in-depth, required preadmission screening and resident review was not performed; and that between 30 and 32 percent of national survey respondents characterized access to facilities that provide mental health services as limited and of variable quality.
Under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1987, Congress created the preadmission screening and resident review program and required state Medicaid agencies to establish programs to address concerns that many people with serious mental illness and mental retardation were living in nursing facilities that lacked adequate resources to appropriately care for residents.
A copy of PASSR Screening for Mental Illness in Nursing Facility Applicants and Residents is available at SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center at www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov or by calling 1-800-789-2647.
SAMHSA, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States
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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.
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