US · guidance
CMS SOM App. FC, Tag M0195
§485.914(b)(1) A licensed mental health professional employed by the CMHC and
acting within his or her state scope of practice requirements must complete the initial
evaluation within 24 hours of the client’s admission to the CMHC.
Interpretive Guidelines §485.914(b)(1)
The policies of the facility should list the categories of staff who may conduct the initial
evaluation. The mental health professional conducting the evaluation should be licensed
in the State in which the facility is located and have experience in mental health.
The licensed mental health care professional conducting the initial evaluation is a full or
part time employee of the CMHC. There should be evidence that the CMHC issues a W-2
for the employee or documents evidencing that the licensed mental health professional is
employed under contract with the CMHC.
Initial evaluations initiated on Fridays may be completed on the following Monday in
compliance with the 24 hour time frame.
History
Rev. 196, Issued: 01-10-20, Effective: 01-10-20, Implementation: 01-10-20
Provenance
- Source
- cms.gov
- Retrieved
- 2026-07-22
- Edition
- som-2026-07-22
- Content hash
56410888f2b5fc8d04b7199710228511cf18f59a35f3aeb15ca2b51dbe462566
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