Everything You Need to Know to Prepare Your Agency for OASIS-E
The OASIS assessment undergoes periodic revisions to reduce collection time and enhance validity—and a new revision, OASIS-E, is set for release on January 1, 2023. This release was previously delayed to give home health agencies more time to respond to COVID-19, and the new date now aligns with the start of the official comparison data collection for the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model.
With this new revision just around the corner, here’s what you need to know to ensure that your organization and staff are prepared.
What is the importance of OASIS-E to my organization?
OASIS is the acronym for Outcome and Assessment Information Set, a standardized assessment tool that home health agencies are required to use to measure the status and progress of patients. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) uses OASIS to measure quality and determine reimbursement.
OASIS-E will be one of the most extensive revisions since the OASIS tool was first launched in 1999. The changes in OASIS-E represent much needed progress in data collection by removing outdated items and adding more relevant ones.
What are the changes to OASIS-E?
The upcoming OASIS revision is significant, with 25 percent of the assessment tool being revised. The changes include new assessment items and removals, updated guidance for current items, and a complete restructuring of sections and item numbers to match data assessments in other post-acute care settings.
Some of the new items that will appear in OASIS-E include:
- Items that will help facilitate the transfer of health information between post-acute providers
- Social determinants of health
- Increased behavioral assessments
- Expanded questions on pain and infusion
Some of the items CMS is proposing to retire include M1200 Vision, M1242 Interfering Pain, and M2016 Drug Education.
You can view the latest version of OASIS-E here.
How can I prepare for OASIS-E?
We’ve heard from many agencies that they’re dreading OASIS-E due to the number of updates it includes, on top of so many other regulatory changes that they need to juggle and manage training for. But remember that while the upcoming revision does include some substantive changes, 75 percent of the assessment tool will remain the same.
With that in mind, one of the most important things your agency can do now to prepare for OASIS-E is ensure that your current data collection and review process is as effective as possible, with the primary goal of reducing errors. Evaluate whether you have a standardized framework in place that promotes consistency in data collection, reduces confusion, and educates clinicians. Doing so will help make the transition to OASIS-E easier.
The four biggest problem areas for agencies tend to be Functional Assessment, Cognitive Behavioral Issues, Wounds, and Medications, so now is a good time to take a close look at your performance in these areas and make adjustments as necessary.
How should I structure my OASIS-E staff training program?
First of all, we recommend beginning to train your staff on OASIS-E at least several months before the end of 2022, as some of the new items such as mental health assessments could take some practice. As you structure your training program, keep in mind that an effective program should include the following elements:
- High quality OASIS-E onboarding to set a strong foundation for new hires
- Training on the new elements in OASIS-E for all staff members
- Refresher courses to reinforce knowledge, encourage practice, and improve accuracy
How can MedBridge help with OASIS-E?
The MedBridge OASIS Training Solution includes a comprehensive series of integrated, effective OASIS course packages that are designed to provide your clinicians with everything they need to know about OASIS-D1 and OASIS-E, while keeping their skills sharp over time. By providing education directly to staff rather than trainers, our solution elevates efficiency and accuracy.
Developed in partnership with two of the leading experts in home health compliance and regulatory education—Diana “Dee” Kornetti and Cindy Krafft—our solution allows organizations to provide the right level of training for their staff, from onboarding to refreshers, which has led to reduced errors. And because it’s integrated with our Learning Management System, it allows you to easily create, administer, customize, and scale automated training programs and view completion status.
MedBridge OASIS-E courses (coming October 2022)
Full 10-Course Series (approximately 6 hours)
Prepare your team with our refreshed full course series covering sections A-Q of OASIS-E and featuring new hands-on patient demonstrations.
Boosters (approximately 5–8 minutes each)
Keep skills sharp with targeted boosters, updated to include new PDGM and HHVBP training.
New Items Course (approximately 1 hour)—Launching in August to enable agencies to start training existing staff
Provide experienced clinicians with this concise course focusing on the items new to OASIS-E.
Case Scenarios (approximately 10 minutes each)
Help clinicians apply their knowledge and practice scoring OASIS items with demonstrations and quizzes.
OASIS-E Certificate Program
Help your staff members distinguish themselves, expand their expertise, and gain confidence with our OASIS-E Certificate Program.
