OASIS Alert

Question: We just found out that we have missed the date for a patient's recertification assessment and it is 5 days overdue. Do we need to discharge the patient and readmit him or is there a better way to handle this?

Answer: Don't discharge and readmit a patient in such a situation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services instructs in Question 11 of the OASIS Questions and Answers. Instead, CMS suggests following these steps:

1. There is no time limit after which it is too late to submit this missed assessment, but as soon as you discover the error, have the clinician perform the recert assessment.

2. Report the actual date of the assessment in M0090.

3. Document in the clinical record the reason the recert is late.

4. Submit the recert as usual, despite the warning message resulting from the late assessment date.

5. Plan to avoid this situation in the future, because it violates your Conditions of Participation. Check with your regional home health intermediary for payment implications, CMS adds.