With OASIS-E implementation January 1, 2023, there have been significant additions to the OASIS-E data set. There is a lot of realignment with very specifically defined sections of the OASIS itself. Many items will now be found in a different location in the data set. There are sections that only have one or two items, and there are others that have multiple items within that section.
While 75% of the OASIS document remains the same as it was under OASIS-D, there have been a few minor adjustments to the instructions for a few of the items that were already on OASIS-D, and then multiple additional items.
Some of the most significant additions to the OASIS-E include the completion of the BIMS and the CAM, which are behavioral and cognitive assessments.
These are significant for your staff to understand the exact application of these items and how they are to be completed. It will require time for education for your clinicians to learn what is and what is not included in the process of completing these items. Especially in the cognitive section, you are to rely solely on the patient’s response in some of these items. You will not be able to take input from the caregiver or perform research as far as a medical record is concerned.
There are also social determinants of health (SDoH) items that have been added to the OASIS, including updated questions surrounding ethnicity, race, and preferred language. Specifically with the ethnicity and race items, if the patient refuses to respond you will not be able to use additional input from anyone or the medical record to respond to those items. Clinicians need to be aware that there are multiple OASIS items that have been added that require you to mark all that apply and several that allow for you to only accept responses from the patient.
No item that is used in the calculation of the PDGM HIPPS code has changed with the implementation of OASIS-E. Also, the implementation of Value-Based Purchasing that will begin January 1, 2023 does not contain any changed OASIS-E items that will be used in the calculation of the outcomes.
One of the most surprising and significant changes to OASIS-E is the removal of over 20 items from the Follow-Up Assessment or Recertification Assessment. Make sure that your EMR (Electronic Medical Record) system is fully updated and when completing the Follow-Up OASIS Assessment, only these specific items that are now required from OASIS-E are marked as items to be completed.
Some have suggested that it will take more time to do a Start of Care and Resumption of Care, but it should take less time to do a Recertification of the patient in terms of the OASIS/Comprehensive Assessment completion.
Having a thorough understanding of the OASIS-E guidance and conventions, as well as, the intent for each OASIS item is foundational to the accurate completion of OASIS-E. Healthcare Provider Solutions offers a 5-part OASIS-E training series where each part focuses on the intent and how to assess and answer a subset of specific OASIS-E items. One builds upon the next as you develop a rock-solid understanding of OASIS. You can purchase and get access to this training by clicking here.