OASIS Alert

Check out latest CMS ‘errata’ document.

Don’t incorporate errors in your staff training. Stay on top of OASIS C clarifications and corrections from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

It’s good to repeat key points in your OASIS training. “OASIS C Is complex,” says consultant Sharon Litwin with 5 Star Consultants in Ballwin, Mo. Repetition and practical training will help your staff master this new information, she says.

But be sure you are training from the correct guidance document, says Lynda Laff with Laff Associates in Hilton Head Island, S.C. Both the original and the corrected guidance have the same footer (“September 2009 for 2010 Implementation”), she explains. The only difference in the footer notation is that the incorrect guidance says RN-201 and the correct guidance has RM-201, she explains.

Warning: You must use the corrected guidance to accurately train your staff.

Don’t miss: Also be sure to use the information CMS has included in its 10-page “OASIS C Guidance Manual Errata” document on its OASIS C Web site, urges consultant Laura Gramenelles with Simione Consultants in Westborough, Mass. Due to the information in the errata, agencies “might need to go back and clarify a few things,” Gramenelles suggests.

Opportunity: OASIS C wound items will require significant training (see Eli’s OASIS Alert, Vol. 12, No. 12, p. 114.) Sign up for this Eli-sponsored audioconference for help:

• Making Wound Care Work With OASIS C. Thurs. Jan. 21, 3 p.m. ET. Wound care expert Beth Hawkins Bradley will provide you with a framework to help you develop a strategy for integrating wound care plans with OASIS C, as well as sharpen your assessment skills.More information is at www.audioeducator.com/conference-Wound-Care-Work-with-(continued on page 3) OASIS-C-0112 or call 1-866-458-2965.