Thank you for your inquiry into CMS 986, the Global Malnutrition Composite Score. Below are the responses to each question: 1. Is there a defined time for CMS-986 Global Malnutrition Composite Score screening to be completed after the patient is Inpatient status - the guidance states "at the start of the encounter"? The guidance recommends to screen for malnutrition risk at the beginning of the inpatient stay to allow the patient’s care team to address any nutritional issues prior to discharge. The screening can be completed at any point during the inpatient encounter, or during any associated observation and/or emergency department encounter. 2. Are any screenings completed during an observation status, prior to being made Inpatient, counted for this measure? Yes. Any measure observations completed during observation and/or emergency department encounters associated with the same inpatient encounter can be utilized for measure performance.