The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released the draft OASIS-E Guidance Manual, which provides guidelines for the 27 new items added to the OASIS-E Instrument that will be implemented on January 1, 2023.
An updated version of the draft OASIS-E Instrument was also posted, along with an outline of the revisions made from the previously posted version of the draft instrument. See links below
Gear Up Now
A survey released earlier this year revealed that 40% of agencies currently do not have an established plan for the OASIS E. Considering the implementation of the OASIS-E at the start of 2023 in line with the nationwide expansion of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model, there is no better time for home health agencies to prepare than now. It will give clinicians a good headstart to train for the new changes that will affect the entire OASIS structure.
All current revisions are consistent with the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act to promote interoperability between care settings. Interoperability will increase by having identical data assessment items as other settings because each setting uses the same criteria to complete the data set.
The data elements of the OASIS-E will help in addressing the needs of individual patients and will overall improve the execution of holistic care delivery.
Read more about OASIS-E preparations in our previous article here.
Get Ahead in the Game
With all the learning resources ready, agencies should start preparing now to minimize the disruptions in the OASIS documentation workflow. Take advantage of the Guidance Manual and draft instrument for early training of clinicians while the final version of the OASIS-E awaits release towards the end of 2022. Collaborate with your QA provider to aid clinicians in familiarizing themselves with the changes and making sure that new OASIS assessment data are accurately applied. Make sure to update your QA program to maintain compliance and apply any new mechanisms to optimize reimbursements.
Start talking about OASIS-E with your QA provider at the earliest opportunity to get on top of the new OASIS-E and the bigger move of the industry to transition to value-based care.
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