OASIS-Central

If a registered nurse opens the case and the patient was referred to PT, but the PT wasn’t able to do the evaluation within the 5-day assessment period, can the RN indicate “006″ on M2200?

Lu Post — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:25 +0000

Q: If a registered nurse opens the case and the patient was referred to physical therapy, but the therapist wasn’t able to do the evaluation within the 5-day assessment period, can the RN indicate “006″ on M2200? Or should they leave “000″? A: If a registered nurse completes the start of care assessment, it would be [...]

OASIS-C Pressure Ulcers: Test Your Knowledge Answers

Casey Ramsdell — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:00:13 +0000

Here are the answers from yesterday’s OASIS-C and pressure ulcers quiz! Check out yesterday’s post to see the questions first! a. One in row b, Columns 1 and 2. A healed Stage III or IV pressure ulcer will always be present. b. Newly epithelialized. According to the OASIS-C Guidance Manual, this is the status for a closed Stage [...]

Can an RN complete a Discharge OASIS as a non-visit discharge if a therapist made the last home visit?

Lu Post — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:00:18 +0000

Q: Can a registered nurse complete a Discharge OASIS as a non-visit discharge if a therapist made the last home visit? A: It would be acceptable for a registered nurse to complete the Discharge OASIS comprehensive assessment as part of a non-billable visit, if a therapist made the last home visit. Assessment data would reflect the [...]

OASIS-C and Pressure Ulcers: Test Your Knowledge

Casey Ramsdell — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:00:13 +0000

Test your knowledge about OASIS-C and reporting pressure ulcers. A patient is admitted for treatment of congestive heart failure. Checking his past record, the RN learns that he received treatment for a Stage III ulcer two years ago. On admission, he has no wounds. He is discharged five weeks later with no further skin issues. Determine [...]

Inpatient or Outpatient? The Difference Is Huge

Casey Ramsdell — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:00:01 +0000

A topic for discussion at Beacon Health’s Mastering Medicare seminars this year was inpatient observation stays. CMS Publication 100-02, Chapter 6, §20.6, defines an observation stay as “a well-defined set of specific, clinically appropriate services, which include ongoing short term treatment, assessment, and reassessment, that are furnished while a decision is being made regarding [...]

Can you please explain M0016? How should this be completed?

Lu Post — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:00:24 +0000

Q: Can you please explain M0016. How should this be completed? A: M0016 specifies the branch identification code, as assigned by CMS. The identifier consists of 10 digits – the State code as the first two digits, followed by Q (upper case), followed by the last four digits of the current Medicare provider number, ending [...]

How to Use OASIS-C Data to Improve Quality

Casey Ramsdell — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:00:51 +0000

OASIS-C has been implemented for more than eight months, and homecare clinicians are still adjusting to the changes and focusing on its proper completion. As clinicians continue to develop a stronger understanding of how to complete the data set, it is important for homecare agencies to educate themselves on how to use the data that [...]

If you are doing a ROC assessment in the middle of the episode, should you answer M0110 “NA”- No Medicare case mix group to be defined by this assessment?

Lu Post — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:00:46 +0000

Q: If you are doing a ROC assessment in the middle of the episode, should you answer M0110 “NA”- No Medicare case mix group to be defined by this assessment? I believe this is the correct answer since there are no SCIC adjustments, but have not been able to get a clear answer. We do [...]

If the answer to the depression screening, M1730 is positive and the agency does not have psychiatric services, besides notification to the MD and a referral for MSW, what process should be in place for follow up?

Lu Post — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:15:14 +0000

Q: If the answer to the depression screening, M1730 is positive and the agency does not have psychiatric services, besides notification to the MD and a referral for MSW, what process should be in place for follow up? Should there be additional screening tools used such as the PHQ-9? Is it the nurse or the [...]

Customize Care to Meet the Patient’s Needs

Casey Ramsdell — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 18:54:29 +0000

Everyday, clinicians confront tough questions, those that require knowledge of certification, payment, and documentation requirements. Here’s an example. With the push toward best practices, do you think it’s a good idea to establish visit patterns for the initial certification period? Our agency is considering a pattern with minimum visits of three a week for [...]