The July 2026 OASIS Quarterly Q&As were released this week and include two important responses that supersede guidance currently found in the OASIS-E2 Guidance Manual. CMS reminds agencies that it may periodically issue new or refined instructions that supersede previously published guidance. When this occurs, agencies should follow the most recent CMS guidance and ensure…
The July 2026 OASIS Quarterly Q&As were released this week and include two important responses that supersede guidance currently found in the OASIS-E2 Guidance Manual.
CMS reminds agencies that it may periodically issue new or refined instructions that supersede previously published guidance. When this occurs, agencies should follow the most recent CMS guidance and ensure clinicians, reviewers, and educators are aware of the changes to avoid coding errors and unintended impacts on quality measures.
M1060 Height and Weight – the OASIS-E2 Guidance Manual instructed agencies to enter a dash (“-“) if a patient’s height or weight fell outside the technical submission specifications. CMS has now clarified that agencies should report the minimum or maximum allowable value instead of using a dash.
July 2026 Quarterly Q&A
Question 6: If an agency admits a patient whose height and/or weight are outside the technical submission specification parameters, per the OASIS guidance, the agency is instructed to code M1060 – Height and Weight with a dash for the applicable item. The use of a dash does not allow for any risk adjustment to be made for a patient with a high BMI for the Discharge Function Score quality measure. Is there a way to avoid this measure implication?
Answer 6: The current technical submission specification parameters for M1060 – Height and Weight are:
• Height: 50 to 80 inches
• Weight: 65 to 440 pounds
If a patient’s height and or/weight fall outside the current technical submission specification parameters, agencies should enter the minimum or maximum value in the item. For example, if a patient weighs 440+ pounds, enter 440 (the maximum value) in M1060B – Weight; or if a patient is shorter than 50 inches, enter 50 (the minimum value) in M1060A – Height.
What Changed?
Instead of entering a dash, agencies should report:
50 inches for heights below 50 inches
80 inches for heights above 80 inches
65 pounds for weights below 65 pounds
440 pounds for weights above 440 pounds
Why It Matters?
This change allows BMI data to be included in risk adjustment calculations.
M1311 Current Number of Unhealed Pressure Ulcers/Injuries at Each Stage
The OASIS-E2 Guidance Manual stated:
“If the patient has a pressure ulcer that was documented at SOC/ROC and at discharge is documented at the same stage, it would be considered as “present at the most recent SOC/ROC,” even if during the episode the original pressure ulcer healed and reopened.”
CMS has now clarified that a healed pressure ulcer that later reopens during the episode should not be considered “present at the most recent SOC/ROC” at discharge.
July 2026 Quarterly Q&A
Question 7: A pressure ulcer that was present at SOC healed during the quality episode. Prior to the end of the quality episode, the pressure ulcer reopened to the same stage in the same location and remained open at that stage at discharge. Would this pressure ulcer be considered as “present at the most recent SOC/ROC” when coding M1311 – Current Number of Unhealed Pressure Ulcers/Injuries at
Each Stage at discharge?
Answer 7: For M1311 – Current Number of Unhealed Pressure Ulcers/Injuries at Each Stage, if a patient has a pressure ulcer/injury that was documented on SOC/ROC then closes (i.e., heals) during the quality episode and opens again during the quality episode and remains open at discharge, the pressure ulcer/injury should not be coded as “present at the most recent SOC/ROC” when completing the Discharge assessment. This is true even if the pressure ulcer is at the same stage at both SOC/ROC and Discharge.
What Changed?
If a pressure ulcer:
- Was present at SOC/ROC,
- Completely healed,
- Reopened during the episode, and
- Remains open at discharge,
it is not considered present at SOC/ROC for discharge coding purposes.
Why It Matters?
Accurate documentation of wound healing and subsequent reopening is critical. Agencies may need to review wound documentation practices and educate clinicians on this revised coding guidance to ensure accurate M1311 coding at discharge.
Bottom Line: CMS guidance can change and it is the responsibility of the agency to ensure that the most recent guidance is followed.
