The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the launch of their first Data Element Library (DEL). The DEL is the centralized resource for CMS assessment instrument data elements (e.g. questions and responses) and their associated health information technology standards. This free centralized resource will allow the public, for the first time, to view the specific types of data that CMS requires post-acute care facilities (such as inpatient rehabilitation facilities) to collect as part of the health assessment of their patients. Standardized and interoperable data support health information exchange across health care settings to facilitate care coordination, improved health outcomes, and reduced provider burden through the reuse of appropriate health care data.

The assessment items included in the DEL originate from the following:

• Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI);
• Long-Term Care Hospital Continuity Assessment Record & Evaluation (CARE) Data Set;
• Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Minimum Data Set (MDS);
• Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS);
• Hospice Item Set (HIS); and
• Functional Assessment Standardized Items (FASI) (In Progress).

Contact Melissa Dehoff with any questions.