The MU MDS and Quality Research Team, which began work in 1993, is an interdisciplinary group committed to conducting research that will help nursing homes in Missouri deliver high quality services to its residents. The team specifically focuses on the use of the MDS data for quality improvement and monitoring resident outcomes of care. The MDS team has made extensive use of information contained in Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment forms to improve resident care. The MDS data provides a wealth of information about each resident’s needs and outcomes of care can also be interpreted from the data.