In the latest quarterly OASIS Q&As, published Jan. 16, CMS recommended that agencies err on the side of caution when different falls tools yield different results.
 
The response to M1910 (Falls risk) should be based on what's indicated by a validated, standardized, multifactorial tool. If multiple tools meet those criteria but only one indicates risk, the agency should score the patient as a falls risk to be on the safe side, CMS said.
 
The federal agency also gave guidance on software-assisted OASIS completion. Question 3 asked whether a software feature that completes some OASIS items based on other responses would be compliant with CMS requirements. In response, CMS indicated that it is never acceptable for software to automatically generate an OASIS response because Medicare conditions of participation require each assessment item to be based on the clinician's individiual decisionmaking.
 
Turn to the Jan. 28 issue of HHL for a more in-depth analysis of the Q&As.