In the first week of January 2024, CMS quietly announced the release of the latest draft of OASIS version E1. The subdued announcement can be attributed to the limited updates planned for the tool, set to take effect on January 1, 2025. CMS has mentioned that the accompanying OASIS-E1 manual will be made available at a later date.

CMS has moved forward with getting final approvals in updating the Home Health OASIS assessment version from ‘D1’ to ‘E’ effective next January 1, 2023. CMS is required to get approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as part of the process. As part of their information packet, CMS provided an OASIS change table, a revised OASIS-E form and an itemized list of each data element, along with their assumptions of estimated costs to implement. The estimate for the time clinicians will need to complete the 143 net changed data elements (see chart) will cost $340.9M annually with another $23.4M in one-time trainings.

With the OASIS-E assessment form going into effect on January 1st, 2023, SHP is pleased to provide home health agencies with a complete side-by-side comparison of the OASIS-D1 and expected OASIS-E assessment forms. Items that have been added or removed between the two OASIS versions are indicated with color coding.

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced in their Interim Final with Comment Rule a delay in the implementation of OASIS-E which was slated to begin on January 1, 2021. This is good news for Home Health Agencies (HHAs) that have been consumed with the impact of COVID-19 as part of the Public Health Emergency (PHE).

On March 18, 2020 the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the draft OASIS-E instrument is now available on their OASIS Data Sets webpage. All clinical assessments will use the new tool as of January 1, 2021. As part of the IMPACT Act, CMS has been updating OASIS data elements to enable post-acute care (PAC) providers to report standardized patient assessment data, new quality measures, and data on resource utilization. The intent is interoperability which allows for the exchange of data using common standards and definitions, facilitates coordinated care, and improves outcomes for Medicare beneficiaries.

On February 28th CMS ended the month hosting their regular Home Health Open Door Forum with some very notable updates to the home care industry. With little fanfare and during the Q&A portion, CMS responded to a question regarding the timing of the new OASIS forms as OASIS-D!

The big news in the latest proposed rule for HH PPS was the Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM). Along with the typical recalibration to case-mix payments and case weights, did you see the significant proposals regarding the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP)? Almost a third of the 389 pages in the rule were in regard to the HH QRP.

Value-Based Purchasing: CMS says “No” to 4 new measures.

With March coming to a close, it is important to intensify your efforts so that patients whose episodes start before the end of the month have access to the flu vaccine.

SHP is pleased to provide you with a complete side-by-side comparison of the OASIS-C1 and OASIS-C2 assessment forms.

By configuring our product in the new ICD-10 coding environment, we hope that our customers can continue to deliver the best clinical outcomes and get properly reimbursed for their hard work.

This guide is an excellent reference for anyone who works with OASIS Assessments to improve accuracy.

If you insist on outsourcing your coding, we’re very accustomed to working with those organizations in a complimentary manner.

Rumors have been circulating that come 2019, all patient assessment documents would utilize one instrument.

As you reach the final stages of your OASIS-C1 preparations, take a moment to double check your processes and ensure you are ready for the 2015 PPS changes. A lot is changing in how case mix points and HHRG scores are calculated and there are some simple tools available to help you understand these changes and maybe make your New Year a little brighter.

Efforts on the vendors’ part will greatly ease the transition(s) for home health agencies.

As reimbursement shrinks and costs inch up, it’s so important to let go of old behaviors and let efficiency reign.

Agencies may use the MAHC-10, including incorporating it into internal documents and computer systems, at no cost.

If you have an outside data management company such as Strategic Healthcare Programs (SHP) and you have been analyzing your process measure data, good for you.