OASIS-Central

November ODF Features OASIS-C Guidance

Casey Ramsdell — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:07:05 +0000

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held an open door forum (ODF) for home health care, hospice, and durable medical equipment (DME) on Wednesday, Nov. 2. When discussing the face-to-face physician encounter requirement, CMS stated that it is a statutory requirement. Because it is law, only Congress can change the law and CMS [...]

CMS Releases Home Health Final Rule

Casey Ramsdell — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 15:52:03 +0000

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its annual Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) Final Rule last week on October 31, which will update the HH PPS rates for 2012. According to CMS, payments to home health agencies are estimated to decrease by approximately 2.31 percent. This decrease in payment that [...]

Q: We have a bedfast, male patient who can place and remove the urinal, but cannot place/remove the bedpan. In this situation, how would we answer OASIS-C data element M1840 (Toilet Transferring)?

Paula Long — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:58:02 +0000

Q: We have a bedfast, male patient who can place and remove the urinal, but cannot place/remove the bedpan. In this situation, how would we answer OASIS-C data element M1840 (Toilet Transferring)? A: OASIS-C data element M1840 is intended to identify the patient’s ability to get to and from and transfer on and off the [...]

Senate Finance Committee Report Will Increase Therapy Scrutiny

Paula Long — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:11:17 +0000

On October 3, the Senate Finance Committee released a report regarding the investigation of four major homecare company’s therapy practices. In response to a media report that home health companies took advantage of the Medicare therapy payment system by providing medically-unnecessary patient care, an investigation into home health therapy practices at Amedisys, LHC Group, Gentiva, [...]

Q: What is the action taken when Medicare discovers an overpayment to a provider?

Paula Long — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:07:06 +0000

Q: What is the action taken when Medicare discovers an overpayment to a provider? A: When Medicare discovers an overpayment of $10 or more, they will send a demand letter requesting payment. This letter will explain the process, including interest accrual (if payment not received within 31 days of the letter date). If they receive [...]

Know Your Recovery Audit Contractor Contact Information

Paula Long — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:21:51 +0000

Homecare providers are under increased scrutiny. One of the sources of that scrutiny: Recovery Audit Contractors (RACs). Providers should monitor their RAC’s website for approved issues and up-to-date information. Knowing your RAC and how to contact them is extremely important. RACs, along with their region and contact information, include: Region A: Diversified Collection Services Website: [...]

Open Door Forum Makes OASIS-C Announcements

Casey Ramsdell — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 19:42:48 +0000

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held an open door forum (ODF) for homecare, hospice, and durable medical equipment (DME) on Wednesday, September 28. The following are some OASIS-C highlights that may be of interest to homecare providers. HAVEN/OASIS grouper update The updated versions of HAVEN and the OASIS grouper are now available [...]

Q: Do we use a transfer assessment if patient goes to an inpatient hospice or a home health hospice?

Lu Post — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 19:08:32 +0000

Q: Do we use a transfer assessment if patient goes to an inpatient hospice or a home health hospice? A: If the patient is transferred from home health to an inpatient hospice, the transfer assessment with OASIS must be completed (RFA 7). Response “4 – Hospice” would be selected for “(M2410) To which Inpatient Facility [...]

Preparing for implementation: Who should agencies and facilities educate about ICD-10-CM/PCS?

Casey Ramsdell — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 18:06:02 +0000

Given the many differences between the ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCS system and the thousands of new codes that will be used, all skilled-nursing facility (SNF) and homecare agency staff members involved in coding should begin preparing for implementation, if they haven’t already. But coders are not the only people who should be involved in training. So [...]

Q: Is a discharge OASIS required if the patient was only seen at start of care (SOC) and the patient was no longer available for a follow-up or second visit by an SN (only an SN is in the case)?

Lu Post — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:53:55 +0000

Q: Is a discharge OASIS required if the patient was only seen at start of care (SOC) and the patient was no longer available for a follow-up or second visit by an SN (only an SN is in the case)? A: If only one billable visit was made in a quality episode (SOC/ROC to Transfer/Discharge), [...]