Minimum Data Set Frequency

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) Frequency data summarizes health status indicators for active residents currently in nursing homes.

Part of the CMS Data Feeds Dataset › Medicare

Dataplex delivers this CMS feed as the analysis-ready table DWV.MINIMUM_DATA_SET_FREQUENCY on Snowflake and Databricks — coverage from 2020 to 2026 in a single aligned schema, refreshed automatically whenever CMS publishes a new file. Every row carries lineage back to the exact CMS source file that produced it.

Key facts

Snowflake	DWV.MINIMUM_DATA_SET_FREQUENCY
Databricks	cms_dwv.minimum_data_set_frequency
Coverage	Jan 2020 – Jun 2026
Rows	3,482,244 (total across all reporting periods)
Cadence	Quarterly
Update pattern	Time-partitioned — each file adds one reporting period
CMS published	2026-07-06
Loaded	2026-07-06
Columns	6 data + 6 lineage
File versions	26
License	CMS public data — U.S. Government work
Platforms	Snowflake Marketplace · Databricks Delta Sharing

Included in the CMS Data Feeds Dataset — start a free trial on Snowflake Marketplace.

Current — CMS last published this feed on 2026-07-06. Coverage runs through 2026-06-30. Next CMS release expected ~Oct 2026.

Time-partitioned feed — each file version covers one reporting period, so history is additive. Query the full table for all periods; filter on the reporting period columns for a single period. Do not filter to the latest file only — that would return just the 2026 reporting period.

Sample queries

Snowflake

-- Each file version covers one reporting period — history is additive
SELECT *
FROM DWV.MINIMUM_DATA_SET_FREQUENCY
LIMIT 100;

Databricks

About this feed

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) Frequency data summarizes health status indicators for active residents currently in nursing homes. The MDS is part of the Federally-mandated process for clinical assessment of all residents in Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes. This process provides a comprehensive assessment of each resident's functional capabilities and helps nursing home staff identify health problems. Care Area Assessments (CAAs) are part of this process, and provide the foundation upon which a resident's individual care plan is formulated. MDS assessments are completed for all residents in certified nursing homes, regardless of source of payment for the individual resident. MDS assessments are required for residents on admission to the nursing facility, periodically, and on discharge. All assessments are completed within specific guidelines and time frames. In most cases, participants in the assessment process are licensed health care professionals employed by the nursing home. MDS information is transmitted electronically by nursing homes to the national MDS database at CMS.

When reviewing the MDS 3.0 Frequency files, some common software programs e.g., ‘Microsoft Excel’ might inaccurately strip leading zeros from designated code values (i.e., "01" becomes "1") or misinterpret code ranges as dates (i.e., O0600 ranges such as 02-04 are misread as 04-Feb). As each piece of software is unique, if you encounter an issue when reading the CSV file of Frequency data, please open the file in a plain text editor such as ‘Notepad’ or ‘TextPad’ to review the underlying data, before reaching out to CMS for assistance.

— Source: CMS feed metadata

Keywords: Medicare, Medicaid Theme: Medicare

Coverage timeline

2020–2026 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 (🟩 covered · ⬜ no data)

7 of 7 years covered — no gaps.

Release history

Reporting period	CMS published	Loaded	Latest file
2026-04-01 – 2026-06-30	2026-07-06	2026-07-06	✓
2026-01-01 – 2026-03-31	2026-04-06	2026-04-06
2025-10-01 – 2025-12-31	2026-01-27	2026-01-27
2025-07-01 – 2025-09-30	2025-11-19	2025-11-19
2025-04-01 – 2025-06-30	2025-07-15	2025-07-15
2025-01-01 – 2025-03-31	2025-04-08	2025-04-08
2024-10-01 – 2024-12-31	2025-04-08	2025-04-08
2024-07-01 – 2024-09-30	2024-10-09	2024-10-09
2024-04-01 – 2024-06-30	2024-07-08	2024-07-08
2024-01-01 – 2024-03-31	2024-04-11	2024-04-13

Show 16 earlier file versions

Reporting period	CMS published	Loaded	Latest file
2023-10-01 – 2023-12-31	2024-03-12	2024-03-12
2023-07-01 – 2023-09-30	2023-10-17	2023-10-17
2023-04-01 – 2023-06-30	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2023-01-01 – 2023-03-31	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2022-10-01 – 2022-12-31	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2022-07-01 – 2022-09-30	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2022-04-01 – 2022-06-30	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2022-01-01 – 2022-03-31	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2021-10-01 – 2021-12-31	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2021-07-01 – 2021-09-30	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2021-04-01 – 2021-06-30	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2021-01-01 – 2021-03-31	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2020-10-01 – 2020-12-31	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2020-07-01 – 2020-09-30	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2020-04-01 – 2020-06-30	2023-08-21	2023-08-29
2020-01-01 – 2020-03-31	2023-08-21	2023-08-29

Data dictionary

📋 6 data columns + 6 lineage columns

Column-level definitions are maintained by CMS in the official Minimum Data Set Frequency data dictionary.

Data columns

Column	Type
GEOGRAPHICAL_LOCATION	TEXT
REPORT_DATE	TEXT
MDS_ITEM_QUESTION_DESCRIPTION	TEXT
MDS_ITEM_RESPONSE	BOOLEAN
PERCENT	TEXT
TOTAL_RESIDENTS	TEXT

Lineage columns (present on every feed table)

Column	Type	Description
ROW_ID	TEXT	Unique row ID for this table (PK)
FILE_ID	TEXT	Source file — joins to FEEDS_FILES.ID (FK)
FILE_FEED_ID	TEXT	Parent feed — joins to FEEDS.ID (FK)
FILE_NAME	TEXT	Source file name as published by CMS
ROWNUM	NUMBER	Row number within the source file
CREATED_AT	TIMESTAMP_NTZ	Timestamp when the record was loaded

Row-level lineage

Every row in this table traces to the exact CMS source file that produced it. The FILE_ID column joins to the FEEDS_FILES catalog table, and FILE_FEED_ID joins to the FEEDS master table:

Trace any row back to its source file and reporting period:

SELECT d.GEOGRAPHICAL_LOCATION, d.REPORT_DATE, d.MDS_ITEM_QUESTION_DESCRIPTION,
       ff.TEMPORAL_START, ff.TEMPORAL_END, ff.CMS_FEED_MODIFIED
FROM DWV.MINIMUM_DATA_SET_FREQUENCY d
JOIN DWV.FEEDS_FILES ff ON d.FILE_ID = ff.ID;

Source & provenance

Published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (bureau 009:38).

• Official CMS data dictionary

• Minimum Data Set Frequency Methodology

Frequently asked questions

How often is Minimum Data Set Frequency updated?

Quarterly. CMS last published this feed on 2026-07-06, and Dataplex loaded it to the warehouse the same day. New releases are added automatically when CMS publishes them.

What years does Minimum Data Set Frequency cover?

2020 through 2026.

How many records are in Minimum Data Set Frequency?

3,482,244 rows across all 26 reporting periods. Because this feed is time-partitioned, the full table total is the meaningful count — no deduplication needed.

How do I get Minimum Data Set Frequency data?

It's included in the CMS Data Feeds Dataset on the Snowflake Marketplace (free trial available) and via Databricks Delta Sharing. Once mounted, query DWV.MINIMUM_DATA_SET_FREQUENCY directly — no pipeline setup required.

Related feeds

Income and Asset OwnershipCOVID-19 Nursing Home DataInnovation Center Innovation AdvisorsCMS National Health Expenditure Accounts - Health Spending by State of ResidenceCMS National Health Expenditure Accounts - Health Spending by State of Provider

Get this feed

1. Start a free trial on Snowflake Marketplace or purchase via Databricks

2. Mount the share — the database and DWV schema appear in your account immediately

3. Run the sample query above — no ETL, no pipeline maintenance

Questions about this feed? Contact us at [e-mail].

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