OASIS-Central

Inpatient or Outpatient? The Difference Is Huge

A topic for discussion at Beacon Health’s Mastering Medicare seminars this year was inpatient observation stays. CMS Publication 100-02, Chapter 6, §20.6, defines an observation stay as “a well-defined set of specific, clinically appropriate services, which include ongoing short term treatment, assessment, and reassessment, that are furnished while a decision is being made regarding [...]

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When the patient returns to the agency during the last five days of an episode, when should the resumption of care assessment and recertification assessment be completed?

Q: When the patient returns to the agency during the last five days of an episode, when should the resumption of care assessment and recertification assessment be completed? A: If the patient returns to the agency during the last five days of the episode after a qualifying inpatient facility admission, a resumption of care assessment would [...]

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Is a transfer/discharge assessment required if the follow-up was completed in the five-day window?

Q: Is a transfer/discharge assessment required if the follow-up was completed in the five-day window and the patient goes into the hospital, following the completion of the recertification, also within the same five-day window? A: A transfer assessment would be required if the patient was admitted to an inpatient facility for a period of 24 hours [...]

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Must we complete a transfer assessment for an inpatient observation stay of more than 24 hours?

Q: Must we complete a transfer assessment for an inpatient observation stay of 24 hours or longer? A: OASIS-C changed the instructions for completion of the transfer assessment. It is necessary to complete it when the patient has been admitted to an inpatient facility for 24 hours or longer. The instructions state that [...]

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If a patient is in the hospital for the last part of their certification period, when should they be discharged?

Q: If a patient is in the hospital for the last part of their certification period, should the patient be discharged effective the end of the certification date or effective the date of the last visit made? A: An agency is free to establish its own policy for determining the date of discharge. It might [...]

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