Aug 22, 2023
Effective August 21, 2023, MDS 3.0 Frequency data will be available from a new location on the data.cms.gov website (https://data.cms.gov/quality-of-care/minimum-data-set-frequency). This new website replaces the previous MDS 3.0 Frequency Report webpage which was decommissioned on August 1, 2023.
Users will find very similar information on this new website to that which was provided on the historical MDS 3.0 Frequency Report webpage, including an overview of the data that are accessible from the website, explanatory text that identifies the methodology for calculation of those data, and the item response frequency data. Enhanced functionality on the new website allows users to view the Frequency data online, including filtering functionality of the data to meet the user’s needs. This new website also allows users to download and save the Frequency data in Comma Separated Value (CSV) or CSV for Excel files by calendar quarter. The downloadable files contain MDS 3.0 Frequency data for all states and the Nation by the calendar quarter report period. Downloadable CSV files will be available for all calendar quarters beginning with Calendar Year (CY) 2020 (Q1, 2020) through Q2, 2023. As each new calendar quarter begins, data for the prior calendar quarter will be made available on the website. For example, Q3, 2023 data will be available for download approximately mid-late October, 2023.
The CSV files contain the following data elements:
- Geographical Location – this column identifies the State or National location for which the MDS 3.0 Frequency data are reported.
- Report Date – this column identifies the Calendar Quarter and Year for which the MDS 3.0 Frequency data are reported (e.g., Q1, 2022).
- MDS Item Question/Description – this column identifies the item ID and section description as displayed on the MDS assessment instrument, followed by the item specific description for which the data are reported. Example: A0800: Identification Information – Gender.
- MDS Item Response – this column contains item responses that correspond to the assessment item. Each response for an item is listed on a separate row so that counts and percentages are displayed for each response by geographic location.
- Percent – this column contains the percent of responses for each item, geographical location, and reporting quarter.
- Total Residents – this column identifies the number of times each response was answered for an item grouped at a state and national level for the reporting quarter.
With this migration to the new webpage, active MDS items for which the frequency counts are calculated for the report periods above are included in the CSV files and retired items have been removed. As new items are added to the MDS assessment instrument, they will be included in the downloadable files if the item/response value are appropriate for the MDS 3.0 Frequency calculations.
Any questions regarding this information should be directed to the iQIES Service Center via email at iqies@cms.hhs.gov or by phone at (800) 339-9313.