CMS released a revised memorandum providing additional detail on changes coming to the OASIS assessment Jan. 1, 2020, as part of OASIS-D1.
 
The memorandum posted to CMS’ website May 14 outlines how the recertification follow-up assessment will work in the days leading up to implementation of both OASIS-D1 and the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM).
 
To accommodate the five-day recertification window allowed to complete the OASIS, OASIS-D1 should be used for follow-up assessments completed Dec. 27, 2019, through Dec. 31, 2019, if these episodes correspond to a 30-day payment period beginning Jan. 1, 2020, or later. That’s because these episodes will require a HIPPS code for a PDGM payment period .
 
If OASIS-D was used for these episodes under PDGM, not all the information needed to generate a functional impairment level at follow-up would be available.
 
For these episodes, “CMS is temporarily waiving the requirement that [agencies] enter the actual OASIS completion date in M0090,” according to the memorandum.
 
In these situations, agencies should instead enter the artificial M0090 date of Jan. 1, 2020.
 
“CMS is issuing this waiver, which is essentially a one-time exception, to facilitate the transition to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). CMS will alert State surveyors of this one-time exception.”
 
OASIS-D1 includes the addition of two existing items to the follow-up assessment as well as changing 23 items from required to optional at certain time points.
 
The revised assessement will also include a new response option. The response of an equal sign (=) may be entered only at specified time points.
 
Related link: View the revised memorandum at https://go.cms.gov/2WS0ASx.