Hello everyone, and welcome to our Monday Minute. Today I want to share just a little information regarding the coming implementation of OASIS-E. As many of you know, OASIS-E was set to begin prior to the Public Health Emergency beginning, and then it was put off indefinitely. It has now been officially stated that OASIS-E will begin on January 1, 2023. In addition to them making that date known, they have released the OASIS-E data set in February 2022.
There are many changes that are going to be coming with this OASIS-E implementation and you need to make sure that you understand the significant education that is going to need to take place. There will be multiple items that are removed from the OASIS-D1 dataset as well as items added. Probably more significantly items that will be added to the OASIS, again in the form to finalize and put together the entire OASIS-E. There are going to now be A items, B items, C items where when we first started OASIS and for years, we only had M items or MO items. We had GG items and J items added over the last couple of years or a few years, but now there will be multiple letters that begin the items that will be on OASIS-E. Some of the key things that will be changing; they’re adding questions on ethnicity, race, language, transportation, they’re also going to be adding questions regarding hearing and vision. They are going to be removing the M item regarding pain in activity or movement and replacing that with J items that are specific to pain in different situations. There are going to just be a ton of things that are going to require significant education and training on your part.
One of the main reasons that we decided to talk about OASIS-E in the Minute today is because we have been getting significant numbers of emails and questions specifically regarding when the OASIS-E guidance will be released. I don’t have a firm date on when OASIS E guidance will be released. However, we do anticipate, we’re hoping no later than mid-year. Possibly around the time that the Home Health Proposed Rule for 2023 will be released. We know and CMS knows that there will need to be significant education provided to staff. So in anticipation of that, we are hoping for that guidance sooner than later, but it has not been issued at this point. I do want to encourage you to be looking for that guidance, to be aware when it is released and to begin immediately making plans for your staff to receive the education that is going to be needed. Please do not wait until the end of the year. Some agencies have historically taken on the train the trainer type of mentality, where you send one or two or have one or two participate in significant training and then they go back and train your staff. Regardless of what mode you take, or what attack you take in this training that needs to be done for your staff, it has to be done and needs to be very detailed so that they do understand exactly what is taking place.
We are extremely appreciative of all of you out there taking care of patients during this Public Health Emergency. We are also very aware that some of you are struggling desperately with staffing situations and for there to be yet another change that’s going to require intense training, education, and revamping of the things that you do, I understand can be very difficult and will be a very difficult challenge, but the reality is it’s going to happen.
Thank you again for participating today and for taking care of patients during this Public Health Emergency. Please stay tuned to your State and National Home Care and Hospice Organizations for more information about OASIS-E as we move toward that implementation deadline. Thank you and have a fabulous week.
https://edit.cms.gov/files/document/draft-oasiseall-items-instrument-02012022.pdf