Is Staff Still Struggling With Oasis? Time To Focus On Getting It Right. PDGM Doesn’t Allow You To Error On What Should Be Second Nature To You. Decrease Your Risk For Denials And Auditing Now.
Kenyon HomeCare Consulting • March 15, 2021
Today, there are still many agencies who have not invested in formal Oasis training. Those same agencies often have nurses complete diagnosis coding. This leads to codes that don’t accurately reflect patient diagnosis and Oasis not filled out according to the guidelines set by CMS. As we move next month into the world of PDGM, it becomes more vital to get it right the first time and focus on the outcomes the Oasis is evaluating.
How Are Your Clinical Staff Oriented To Oasis?
Throughout the United States, many agencies do not invest in Oasis training as Medicare is not the primary payer for services most provided by that business. Therefore, nurses fill out the questions without basic knowledge as to when to collaborate for data or when answers can be changed within the 5 day window for completion. This can lead to errors that may mean the difference in hundreds up to a thousand dollars of reimbursement per episode. Then, when coding doesn’t align, it becomes a bigger issue on the part of compliance and reimbursement. Oasis is just a different beast and without properly understanding and following Oasis guidance tools, agencies can be hurt when it comes to outcomes and reimbursement.
Oasis Needs To Guide The Care Plan:
Make no mistake, Oasis is a data collection tool for CMS. However, it is also an assessment tool. When not utilized to guide your care planning, agencies miss the point of outcomes tracking. The Oasis should tell your clinicians what exactly to focus on when it comes to planning for a safe discharge in the home. Ask your clinicians how often the Oasis is ever reviewed after start of care? If it isn’t, then it is time to shift your paradigm of clinical care planning. This does not mean your nurses, therapists, and home health aides do not focus on outcomes in the home. However, improper scoring and reference to the items in the Oasis tool can mean documentation that doesn’t match the Oasis. This can hurt you when your documentation is audited.
Common Start Of Care Assessment Mistakes:
The Oasis is meant to be a “show me” tool for assessment and not an interview process. Those who fill out the Oasis still often complete the entire assessment without making the patients doing things like walk to the bathroom or transfer out of bed or chairs. Part of this stems from the lack of education about the tool. Those who have gone through ongoing education know that by having the patient show you how things are done in the home can answer so many of the functional questions without ever having to ask them.
Kenyon Homecare Consulting Can Bridge The Clinical Gap:
At Kenyon Homecare Consulting, we work with agencies on Oasis compliance as well as its connection to coding and coordinated care planning. Putting all the pieces of your clinical and financial puzzle together is what we help you do with a focus on excellence being provided in the home. Call us at 206-721-5091 or contact us online for your free 30 minute consultation with a senior associate today.
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