On December 6, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the final version of the OASIS-E instrument on their Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP) website under OASIS Data Sets (see the downloads section at the bottom of the page). To recall, CMS has posted draft versions of the OASIS-E Instrument and Guidance Manual throughout 2022.

Following the release of the final instrument, CMS also posted the Final OASIS-E Guidance Manual on December 14, 2022. A log of changes since the last posted draft manual in May 2022 can be downloaded on the same website under the OASIS User Manuals page. Watch out for our next article discussing these changes.

The Projected Impact of OASIS-E

Starting January 1, 2023, home health agencies will begin collecting OASIS data using the newest version of the instrument, OASIS-E. It has been dubbed the OASIS mega-release as it includes the most intensive changes in home health OASIS data collection in more than two decades.

The new OASIS-E comes with restructured sections and new assessment items, such as the  Social determinants of health (SDoH), Transfer of Health (TOH) information item, questions for high-risk medication teaching, and new behavioral assessments, among others.

Getting Support Amidst Changes

With only a few weeks left before the implementation of OASIS-E, home health agencies should already be finalizing their preparations and clinician training. On the other hand, it will likely take time for clinicians to get everything right on the new changes in the documentation. In this adjustment period, it is vital to get all the help you can get. Your QA program should be able to provide support in maintaining documentation accuracy and optimizing reimbursements.

Make sure your QA team or provider has sufficient knowledge to review OASIS-E for quality and compliance so they are equipped to support your clinicians in the transition.

Quick links:

OASIS-E Final Instruments (ZIP) >

OASIS-E Manual Final >

OASIS E Changes from Draft to Final Instrument and Manual >

The post Out Now: OASIS-E Final Instrument and Guidance Manual first appeared on Qavalo.

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.

Quick links

• Updated OASIS-E Instrument Draft
• Log of changes since Feb 2022
• OASIS-E Guidance Manual Draft

The post Out Now: OASIS-E Updated Instrument and Guidance Manual first appeared on Qavalo.