OASIS-Central

When OASIS was created, its purpose was to measure and manage patient outcomes. With the implementation of OASIS-C, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will now be measuring an agency’s use of evidence-based practice (EBP). CMS believes that including EBP, which, based on current research, have been known to prevent exacerbation of serious conditions, can improve care received by an individual patient and help agencies avoid adverse events. EBP falls into the larger category of best practices, which also result in improved patient care for agencies, but the difference is there is no evidence in the current literature to support them yet.

This will be the first time since inception that the OASIS focus is about more than just outcomes, but process as well.

There are three types of process data elements being added to the OASIS-C. These will capture an agency’s incorporation of EBP into its processes and will promote implementation of best practices.

• Assessments/screenings: These questions ask whether the patient was evaluated for a particular problem. Examples: risk of falls, depression.
• Plan of care interventions: One question, M2250, plan of care synopsis, asks whether the “physician-ordered plan of care” includes interventions to address care concerns, such as diabetic foot care, falls prevention, and pain control
• Implementation of interventions: M2400, intervention synopsis, asks whether the agency implemented the physician-ordered interventions

These new process measures are not required so it’s not necessary for an agency to change operations in response to these questions. However, because these questions are in the data set and CMS will capture information about EBP for public reporting on Home Health Compare, it’s likely many agencies will develop standardized protocol incorporating best practices.

This post was adapted from the article “OASIS-C about More Than Just Outcomes,” which was featured in the December 2008 issue of  Homecare Direction, a Beacon Health monthly newsletter.