The new guidelines for documenting falls are among the most significant updates in OASIS‑E2, effective April 1, 2026. The updates are designed to make fall reporting more complete, accurate, and consistent, helping clinicians keep patients safe and improving quality reporting. CMS recognized that the Falls… Read More »Documenting Falls in OASIS‑E2: Updated Guidance
Lately, there has been a noticeable increase in denials due to invalid Face-to-Face documentation, affecting several home health agencies and raising concerns across the industry. Many of these denials seem to involve cases that came through Community Referrals. Let’s review the F2F requirements and applicable… Read More »New Insights on Face-to-Face Requirements in Home Health
Beginning July 1, 2025, OASIS data collection and submission will be mandatory for all patients regardless of payer, and home health agencies (HHAs) must be equipped to identify which patients are subject to this requirement. In the April 2025 OASIS Q&As, CMS provided several clarifications… Read More »Which Patients are Subject to All-Payer OASIS Data Collection
2024 Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) Now Available The October 2024 Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) for the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model are now available on the iQIES system. This quarterly report offers crucial information for home health agencies, including: IPRs help agencies monitor… Read More »October 2024 IPRs Out Now; HHVBP Preparations for 2025
The home health Discharge OASIS plays a crucial role in agencies’ performance scores under Value-Based Purchasing and quality reporting (star ratings) programs, as well as in assessing the impact of patient care services on overall patient recovery. Here are practical tips to ensure accuracy in… Read More »6 Tips for Completing a Discharge OASIS
Section C in the OASIS-E Guidance Manual provides instructions for assessing cognitive function through nine key items. Of these, three items—M1700 (Cognitive Functioning), M1710 (When Confused), and M1720 (When Anxious)—are critical for inclusion or exclusion from many OASIS-based outcome quality measures. Accurate assessment of these… Read More »OASIS Cognitive Items: Reviewing Guidelines and Their Impact
The demand for home and community-based care will grow due to aging baby boomers, elderly preference to age at home, and healthcare cost reduction pressures. Despite growth opportunities, home healthcare providers will face headwinds in 2024, including a persistent labor shortage, heightened competition, reimbursement cuts,… Read More »Industry Trends Shaping Home Health in 2024
The CY 2024 Home Health Final Payment Rule introduces a wave of changes, including updates on the comorbidity adjustments. The final rule reads: “only those subgroups of diagnoses that represent more than 0.1 percent of periods of care and that have at least as high… Read More »Comorbidity Adjustment Changes in 2024
The 2024 Home Health Final Payment Rule, released on November 1, 2023, brings significant changes directly impacting the Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) model in 2025. We have summarized these changes and added some notes about their implications. While VBP generally stays the same in 2024, maintaining… Read More »[CY 2024 Final Rule] Upcoming Changes to HHVBP
Last month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued notifications to home health agencies found to be non-compliant with the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HHQRP) requirements for the calendar year (CY) 2022. Consequently, these agencies will face a 2% reduction in payment… Read More »Quality Reporting Compliance: What Qualifies as Quality Care Episode?
