OASIS-Central

November ODF Features OASIS-C Guidance

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 [...]

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CMS Releases Home Health Final Rule

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 [...]

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Q: When a patient stays 24 hours or less at the hospital do we have to discharge and readmit?

Q: When a patient stays 24 hours or less at the hospital do we have to discharge and readmit? A: There is no federal regulation that requires a patient to be discharged and readmitted if the patient is admitted to the hospital regardless of length. Agency policy might set specific criteria. If a patient is [...]

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Would a 24-hour stay for observation after a surgical procedure be considered response 3, a short-stay acute hospital, for M1000?

Q: Would a 24-hour stay for observation after a surgical procedure be considered response 3, a short-stay acute hospital, for M1000? A: If the patient was in an observation unit and not admitted to the hospital, the answer to M1000, inpatient discharge facilities, would be NA, patient was not discharged from an inpatient facility. There [...]

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Is CMS’ Mistake Coming Back to Haunt Homecare Providers?

You know that feeling. You just hit “send” on an e-mail and then realized it’s going to the wrong person. You try to recall it but once it’s out in cyberspace, it’s there forever. In February 2009, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released some erroneous guidance. It posted a correction on its [...]

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What are the CAHPS requirements and how can I find out about vendors?

Q: What is the CAHPS requirements and how can I find out about vendors? A: The Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey is a standardized survey developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) with intent to assess patient perceptions about the quality of care provided by home care organizations. [...]

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