OASIS-Central

Q: I understand that many agencies are creating either a new form or verbal start of care order that incorporates M2250. Is this really necessary? Not all items in M2250 are going to be relevant (answered “yes”) for every patient. At start of care, when we report to the physician our findings and the projected plan of care including frequency and duration, wouldn’t we be communicating the relevant items to the physician as part of that plan of care? Why single out the M2250 items? If we need to create an order that captures the M2250 items shouldn’t it capture everything – and isn’t that the 485?

A: The new process items on OASIC-C are intended to encourage the use of best practices for high-risk items based on historical analysis of OASIS data. As you mentioned, not every item is appropriate for every patient. The care plan should not be developed so “yes” responses can be answered to M2250. Instead, clinicians should assess the patient’s needs and develop a plan of care that incorporates evidence-based practice to guide the plan. Answering “No” or “NA” to M2250 does not imply that the clinician provided substandard care. It will, however, capture when an agency provided evidence-based care to a patient whose needs were in line with the responses.