(a) Initial comprehensive assessment—(1) Basic requirement. The interdisciplinary team must conduct an initial in-person comprehensive assessment on each participant. The assessment must be completed in a timely manner in order to meet the requirements in paragraph (b) of this section.

(2) Members present. As part of the initial comprehensive assessment, each of the following members of the interdisciplinary team must evaluate the participant in person and develop a discipline-specific assessment of the participant's health and social status:

(i) Primary care provider

(ii) Registered nurse.

(iii) Master's-level social worker.

(iv) Physical therapist.

(v) Occupational therapist.

(vi) Recreational therapist or activity coordinator.

(vii) Dietitian.

(viii) Home care coordinator.

(3) Additional professional disciplines. At the recommendation of the interdisciplinary team, other professional disciplines (for example, speech-language pathology, dentistry, or audiology) may be included in the initial comprehensive assessment process.

(4) Initial comprehensive assessment criteria. The initial in-person comprehensive assessment must at a minimum include the evaluation of:

(i) Physical and cognitive function and ability.

(ii) Medication use.

(iii) Participant and caregiver preferences for care.

(iv) Socialization and availability of family support.

(v) Current health status and treatment needs.

(vi) Nutritional status.

(vii) Home environment, including home access and egress.

(viii) Participant behavior.

(ix) Psychosocial status.

(x) Medical and dental status.

(xi) Participant language.

(b) Development of plan of care. Within 30 days of the date of enrollment, the interdisciplinary team must consolidate discipline-specific assessments into a single plan of care for each participant through team discussions and consensus of the entire interdisciplinary team. In developing the plan of care:

(1) If the interdisciplinary team determines that certain services are not necessary to the care of a participant, the reasoning behind this determination must be documented in the plan of care.

(2) Female participants must be informed that they are entitled to choose a qualified specialist for women's health services from the PACE organization's network to furnish routine or preventive women's health services.

(c) Semi-annual reassessment. On at least a semi-annual basis, or more often if a participant's condition dictates, the following members of the interdisciplinary team must conduct an in-person reassessment:

(1) Primary care provider.

(2) Registered nurse.

(3) Master's-level social worker.

(4) Other team members that the primary care provider, registered nurse and Master's-level social worker determine are actively involved in the development or implementation of the participant's plan of care.

(d) Unscheduled reassessments. In addition to semi-annual reassessments, unscheduled reassessments may be required based on the following:

(1) A change in participant status. If the health or psychosocial status of a participant changes, the members of the interdisciplinary team listed in paragraph (c) of this section must conduct an in-person reassessment.

(2) At the request of the participant or designated representative. If a participant (or his or her designated representative) believes that the participant needs to initiate, eliminate, or continue a particular service, the appropriate members of the interdisciplinary team, as identified by the interdisciplinary team, must conduct a reassessment. The interdisciplinary team member(s) may conduct the reassessment via remote technology when the interdisciplinary team determines that the use of remote technology is appropriate and the service request will likely be deemed necessary to improve or maintain the participant's overall health status and the participant or his or her designated representative agrees to the use of remote technology.

(i) An in-person reassessment must be conducted:

(A) When participant or his or her designated representative declines the use of remote technology.

(B) Before a PACE organization can deny a service request.

(ii) The PACE organization must have explicit procedures for timely resolution of requests by a participant or his or her designated representative to initiate, eliminate, or continue a particular service.

(iii) Except as provided in paragraph (d)(2)(iii) of this section, the interdisciplinary team must notify the participant or designated representative of its decision to approve or deny the request from the participant or designated representative as expeditiously as the participant's condition requires, but no later than 72 hours after the date the interdisciplinary team receives the request for reassessment.

(iv) The interdisciplinary team may extend the 72-hour timeframe for notifying the participant or designated representative of its decision to approve or deny the request by no more than 5 additional days for either of the following reasons:

(A) The participant or designated representative requests the extension.

(B) The team documents its need for additional information and how the delay is in the interest of the participant.

(v) The PACE organization must explain any denial of a request to the participant or the participant's designated representative orally and in writing. The PACE organization must provide the specific reasons for the denial in understandable language. The PACE organization is responsible for the following:

(A) Informing the participant or designated representative of his or her right to appeal the decision as specified in §460.122.

(B) Describing both the standard and expedited appeals processes, including the right to, and conditions for, obtaining expedited consideration of an appeal of a denial of services as specified in §460.122.

(C) Describing the right to, and conditions for, continuation of appealed services through the period of an appeal as specified in §460.122(e).

(vi) If the interdisciplinary team fails to provide the participant with timely notice of the resolution of the request or does not furnish the services required by the revised plan of care, this failure constitutes an adverse decision, and the participant's request must be automatically processed by the PACE organization as an appeal in accordance with §460.122.

(e) Changes to plan of care. Team members who conduct a reassessment must meet the following requirements:

(1) Reevaluate the participant's plan of care.

(2) Discuss any changes in the plan with the interdisciplinary team.

(3) Obtain approval of the revised plan from the interdisciplinary team and the participant (or designated representative).

(4) Furnish any services included in the revised plan of care as a result of a reassessment to the participant as expeditiously as the participant's health condition requires.

(f) Documentation. Interdisciplinary team members must document all assessment and reassessment information in the participant's medical record.

[64 FR 66279, Nov. 24, 1999, as amended at 71 FR 71336, Dec. 8, 2006; 84 FR 25674, June 3, 2019]