Home Health & Hospice Week

Take a look at the new version of the OASIS-C2 Guidance Manual, which is effective Jan. 1. The new Manual available at www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/HomeHealthQualityInits/Downloads/OASIS-C2-Guidance-Manual-Effective_1_1_18.pdf contains an important clarification about the “One Clinican” rule, a CMS staffer said in the Aug. 9 Home Health Open Door Forum.

“Agencies may have the comprehensive assessment completed by one clinician,” CMS says in Chapter 1 of the Manual. “If collaboration with other health care personnel and/or agency staff is utilized, the agency is responsible for establishing policies and practices related to collaborative efforts, including how assessment information from multiple clinicians will be documented within the clinical record, ensuring compliance with applicable requirements, and accepted standards of practice.” Further, “only one clinician may take responsibility for accurately completing a comprehensive assessment,” CMS says later in the chapter.

“However, for all OASIS data items integrated within the comprehensive assessment, collaboration with the patient, caregivers, and other health care personnel, including the physician, pharmacist, and/or other agency staff is appropriate and would not violate the one clinician convention. When collaboration is utilized, the assessing clinician is responsible for considering available input from these other sources and selecting the appropriate OASIS item response(s) within the appropriate timeframe and consistent with data collection guidance.”