M1033 – Risk for Hospitalization helps identify home health patients who may be at a higher risk of being hospitalized. Because this item influences care planning and risk adjustment, it is important to ensure that every selected response is supported by the assessment and follows… Read More »5 Common Mistakes in M1033 Documentation
M1033 – Risk for Hospitalization is an OASIS-E item presented as a checklist of clinical and behavioral risk factors associated with an increased likelihood of hospitalization during the home health episode of care. Clinicians are instructed to review each risk factor and select all responses… Read More »M1033 Quick Guide for Clinicians
Home health visit notes are more than a regulatory requirement—they are the clinical record that connects patient condition, skilled interventions, and ongoing need for services. They support continuity of care across disciplines, justify medical necessity, and directly impact reimbursement and audit outcomes. For many experienced… Read More »Writing Better Home Health Visit Notes
OASIS documentation isn’t just paperwork—it directly impacts reimbursement, compliance, and patient care. When it is delayed or inefficient, it creates a ripple effect across key processes: care plans are held up, coding and QA are pushed back, and billing cannot move forward. In contrast, a… Read More »Practical Tips for Faster OASIS Documentation
In preparation for the April 1, 2026 implementation of OASIS-E2, CMS has released the final set of materials to support agencies during the transition. Below is a brief overview of what each resource includes. Home health agencies are encouraged to review these documents carefully, as… Read More »CMS Released Final OASIS-E2 Resources
The implementation of OASIS-E2 is just ahead, scheduled for April 1, 2026. Home health agencies should start preparing now, as the changes to data items and guidance can impact workflow, documentation, and reporting. Staying informed about the updates is important for a smooth transition. Here… Read More »Getting Ready for OASIS-E2 Rollout on April 1
The April 1 ICD-10 update includes important changes to coding instructions, such as updates to ‘Excludes’ notes and ‘code also’ guidance in 13 chapters. While these updates do not introduce any new, deleted, or revised diagnosis codes, they can still affect code selection and sequencing.… Read More »ICD-10 Update Effective April 1: What You Need to Know
The Medicare telehealth flexibilities that allowed home health face-to-face (F2F) encounters to be conducted via telehealth have expired as of January 30, 2026. These flexibilities had been extended several times, with the most recent extension issued in November 2025, which extended the rules through January… Read More »Urgent Update: Telehealth Flexibilities Expired January 30, 2026 – Possible Extension Pending
In the CY 2026 Home Health Final Rule, CMS updated how functional impairment levels are calculated under PDGM. Each home health episode is assigned a functional impairment score based on responses to OASIS Functional items (commonly called M-items), which assess a patient’s ability to perform… Read More »Reminder: 2026 Updated OASIS M-Item Functional Points
In the CY 2026 Home Health Prospective Payment Final Rule, CMS finalized updates to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) that recalibrate how comorbid conditions influence payment adjustments. These updates reflect CMS’s ongoing effort to better align Medicare payments with actual patient care needs using the… Read More »2026 Updated Comorbidity Subgroups and Interactions
