Prepare Your Agency for OASIS-E1 and the Section GG Updates
It’s that time again! Changes are coming to the OASIS assessment tool beginning January 1, 2025, when home health clinicians will be filling out a new version of the tool: the OASIS-E1.
It’s important for agencies to begin preparing clinicians for the upcoming changes now so that they can hit the ground running and prevent mistakes that could be costly, both in terms of patient care and reimbursement. One key area that agencies should prioritize training for as soon as possible is Section GG, not only because of upcoming changes to items in that section, but also because several GG items will play a larger role in HHVBP reimbursement in 2025.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the upcoming OASIS changes, with a focus on Section GG, and explore the new MedBridge OASIS training courses that can help your clinicians understand and master the changes.
What’s Changing in OASIS-E1?
The latest set of changes to OASIS were released by CMS this past January in the 2024 Home Health Final Rule and are documented in the OASIS-E1 Manual. They include:
- Adding a new item: O0350, which focuses on whether a patient’s COVID-19 vaccine is up to date.
- Removing four OASIS items deemed no longer necessary:
- M0110 – Episode Timing
- M2220 – Therapy Needs
- M2420 – Discharge Disposition
- The discharge status column for items GG0130 – Self Care and GG0170 – Mobility
Why the Upcoming Updates to Section GG Are Significant
The removal of the discharge status column for items GG0130 and GG0170 aligns with changes to the home health value-based purchasing (HHVBP) model that will begin in 2025. At that time, GG0130 and GG0170 items will be used in the new Discharge Function Score, which will help determine reimbursement under HHVBP. That’s why it’s even more important to ensure that your clinicians fully understand how to accurately code section GG.
The GG0131 and GG0170 items that will factor into the Discharge Function Score beginning in 2025 are:
- GG0130B – Oral Hygiene
- GG0130C – Toileting Hygiene
- GG0170A – Roll Left and Right
- GG0170C – Lying to Sitting on Side of Bed
- GG0170D – Sit to Stand
- GG0170E – Chair/Bed-to-Chair Transfer
- GG0170F – Toilet Transfer
- GG0170I – Walk 10 Feet
- GG0170J – Walk 50 Feet with Two Turns
- GG0170R – Wheel 50 Feet with Two Turns
Get Ready with MedBridge OASIS-E1 Training
Beginning in October of 2024, MedBridge will be releasing several training courses focused on coding OASIS-E1. In the meantime, agencies can ensure that clinicians are up to speed with Section GG by leveraging the course OASIS-E: Section GG.
Stay Current with MedBridge
MedBridge is committed to helping home health agencies stay on top of the latest industry regulations and OASIS updates with regularly updated, expert-led training. Our OASIS-E Training Solution helps agencies establish a strong foundation for accurate OASIS data collection and continually refresh knowledge with integrated training, assigning, and management tools.
In addition, our comprehensive Home Health Software solution allows agencies to support nurses and aides throughout their entire career journey with OASIS-E training as well as effective onboarding, on-the-go procedure guidance, patient engagement tools, and skills and competencies management. Our home health onboarding courses are certified by industry accreditation leaders Hospice & Home Health Accreditation Services (CHAP) and the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC).
