Overview
OASIS C-2 is the official data collection tool used by Medicare to ensure standard quality care is being provided by home health agencies across the United States. It is constantly evolving to meet the criteria set forth by Congress to comply with the latest requirements for Medicare.
The Home Health Care Initiative says Quality Care shall have the following domains according to this mission:
- Effectiveness: Based on scientific evidence, outcomes will be achieved by providing quality care.
- Efficiency: Maximizing the quality and health benefit achieved for a given unit of health resources used.
- Equity: Equal quality of care for all patients.
- Patient Centeredness: Emphasis on meeting the needs of the patient in providing care, education and support.
- Safety: Prevention of bodily harm to all.
- Timeliness: Care to be provided in a timely manner with minimal delay.
Gathering OASIS C-2 Data
OASIS data is collected at various points during an episode of care such as admission, recertification and discharge. If a patient is hospitalized during an episode of care, additional OASIS data is collected to note a transfer of the care to the hospital, and upon discharge back home, a resumption of care OASIS is completed with updated data and a chance to update the diagnosis, and consider therapy visits if they were not originally part of the plan of care.
This data is electronically transmitted in a timely manner to CMS to provide evidence of the need for skilled care. Therefore the data needs to be accurate and reflect the patient status at the time of collection. This data acts as “Medicare’s eyes” to understand what care is needed and why it is necessary. It also directly drives the reimbursement status for each patient’s episode of care based on a case mix diagnostic system.
Oasis is cumbersome and can be very time consuming to complete. When only a few visits are made, it can be an absolute annoyance! But when it is understood that this data stands to provide evidence of patients status and skilled need as well as to support evidence of the quality of care the agency provides, perhaps it will be less misunderstood and dreaded!
In reality, OASIS is a long form version of the nursing process.
It also exists to help prevent further issues of fraud and abuse that have cost the Medicare system and taxpayers millions of dollars.