OASIS-Central

Depression Screening in OASIS-C

CMS implemented the depression screening process measure because it believed that depression was being underdiagnosed in elderly patients and that addressing it would support improvement in other patient outcomes. According to CMS, depression can affect a patient’s ability to “learn and perform self-care skills necessary to remain in the home.” By including a depression screening [...]

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Heart Failure Interventions: Patient Education

Patient and caregiver education is vital in the successful management of heart failure symptoms. Patients and caregivers can be empowered when considered as a key in their “healthcare team” and provided the understanding and tools to take control of their own disease process. Emphasize to the patient and/or caregiver that they do have the “first [...]

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OASIS-C: Agency Integration

After almost a year of preparation, agencies began using the OASIS-C on January 1, 2010. For most agencies, the past year included a gradual familiarization with the revised data set, along with intense preparation for its use during the last quarter of 2009. As often happens when agencies implement a new requirement, there may have [...]

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Public Reporting Facts, Part 2

Last week’s post offered insight into different publicly reported outcomes. Here is a detailed list of exactly what will be reported. What will be reported? A. Process (7 domains, 13 measures) B. Potentially avoidable events (clinical domain, one measure) C. Utilization outcomes (utilization domain, two measures) D. End result outcomes (clinical and functional domain, seven [...]

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Public Reporting Facts

Now that OASIS-C has been implemented, one of the biggest questions home health professionals have is how and when outcomes will be publicly reported. Here are some facts about public reporting and OASIS-C.  Stay tuned for a more detailed list of all publicly reported measures next week. 1. Process Measure Outcomes Care process measures include [...]

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Must the plan of care include parameters for monitoring patients with chronic conditions?

Q: Must the plan of care include parameters for monitoring patients with chronic conditions? A: There is no regulatory requirement to document parameters for physician notification on the plan of care. If there is no requirement, the surveyor cannot cite the agency simply for not listing parameters on the plan of care. However, the Conditions [...]

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