Home Health & Hospice Week

Encourage employees to ask questions and find answers.

“Someone once said, ‘The only dumb question is the one left unasked,’ says Pat Jump with Rice Lake, Wis.-based Acorn’s End Training & Consulting. “Another person declares, ‘If you ask a question it makes you look stupid for 5 minutes — but if you don’t ask, you stay stupid for fifty years, so always ask questions in your life.’ I agree, especially as it pertains to OASIS.”

When seeking answers related to OASIS, urge staff to keep the following points from Jump and Beth Johnson of Johnson, Richards & Associates in Brighton, Mich., in mind:

• If in doubt, seek clarification … always, always, always.

• Be very careful about where you look for answers — use experienced OASIS trainers and go to reliable resources. Too many organizations “make up” guidance. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides the only official guidance.

• Jot down both your question and the answer and keep it in your notes for future reference.

• Never “guess” at an OASIS answer or interpretation of the OASIS item. There is much to lose by guessing, including compromising the quality of care to the client, chancing lower than necessary reimbursement from Medicare, and risking fraud accusations.

• If there is no guidance on a point, Medicare invites you to use the guidance to come to a conclusion on that point. Follow up by asking Medicare the question through the CMS OASIS Q&A Mailbox.

•         Be careful when responding to accreditation or state surveyors. Responding with “I don’t know...” without adding “... but I can find someone for you who does …” is bound to invite a citation.