OASIS Alert

Several OASIS Alert readers questioned why these clarifications weren't announced on the CMS Web site so all home health agencies would be aware of them. "We are planning to revise the Q&As on the QTSO web site and post these at a date in the near future," a CMS spokesperson says in response to a question from Eli.

"The OCCB Q&As are posted on the OCCB website for access by anyone who wishes to access and use them," says OASIS expert Linda Krulish, president of New Iberia, LA-based OASIS Certificate and Competency Board and of Redmond, WA-based OASIS Answers. Any provider with questions about OASIS data collection issues can submit them to the state OASIS Education Coordinator or send an email directly to CMS at CMSOASISQandAS_OASISANSWERS @hcdi.com, Krulish tells Eli.

These new Q&As should be widely publicized as soon as possible, experts agree. "Since OASIS is a standard assessment, all agencies must have access to the official interpretations for OASIS questions," says senior clinical consultant Judy Adams with Charlotte, NC-based LarsonAllen. Previous clarifications have significantly impacted re-imbursement and outcomes, she says, and agencies attempt to retrain staff as CMS releases information on how to interpret the OASIS questions. Home health agencies have as great an interest in supporting standardized OASIS data collection as the OCCB does, Adams adds.