OASIS Alert

Watch for a clarification in OASIS-C1.

As you work your way through the OASIS, you’ll frequently come across two easily misunderstood abbreviations. Make sure you can tell the difference between “i.e.” and “e.g.” or risk your OASIS accuracy.

i.e.: When an OASIS item uses the abbreviation “i.e.” it means “that is” or “only in these circumstances.” So, when you see “i.e.” you should limit your scoring of the item to patients who match with the examples listed.

For example: Response 2 for M1610 — Urinary Incontinence or Urinary Catheter Presence, says “Patient requires a urinary catheter (i.e., external, indwelling, intermittent, suprapubic).” For this item, you should limit use of Response 2 to patients with one of the types of catheters in this list.

e.g.: When an OASIS item uses the abbreviation “e.g.” it means “for example.” So, you can consider the listed examples, as well as other relevant examples when scoring the item.

For example: Response 2 for M1700 — Cognitive Functioning says “Requires assistance and some direction in specific situations (e.g., on all tasks involving shifting of attention), or consistently requires low stimulus environment due to distractibility.” For this item, you aren’t limited to reporting Response 2 only when your patient meets the listed example.

OASIS-C1 update: When OASIS-C1 goes into effect, look for fewer i.e.’s and e.g.’s. Instead, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services plans to use clearer wording, replacing i.e. with “specifically” and e.g. with “for example.”