Friday, we posted a quiz about OASIS.  In the next week or so, we will publish the answers to all questions but one question is being answered incorrectly so consistently that we feel obligated to explain the answer as it is likely costing you money and lowering your outcomes.

56 percent of you missed this question.

Upon admit, Mr. Jones states he is feeling better after a trip to the MD this afternoon. He denies dizziness and is able to walk unassisted with a walker, get in and out of his chair and use the restroom independently. According to his wife, he suffered severe vertigo and vomiting most of last night until he was finally seen late this afternoon. On admission you document:

His ability to transfer based on your observation of Mr. Jones independently getting in and out of the chair.  (50% of you chose this answer)

His inability to walk or transfer, get to the toilet, or bathe based upon his severe vertigo last night and this morning.   (42% of you chose this response)

His wife’s assessment of what he can usually do . (8% of you put your faith in his wife)

He is not homebound because he was able to get to and from the MD.  (Nobody questioned homebound status)

In order to arrive at the correct answer, you must know two things.  For functional limitations such as walking, ambulating, transferring, etc., your response must be based on what is true on the day of the assessment and….

You must know what is meant by a ‘day’.

So, how did 58 percent of you answer this question incorrectly?  Maybe because you are unfamiliar with an OASIS day which is quite different the usual day.  We couldn’t possibly make this stuff up so we are going to cut and paste from the OASIS Guidance Manual, Chapter 1, page 6.  We made the text bold – don’t give CMS credit for that:

Understand the time period under consideration for each item. Report what is true on the day of assessment unless a different time period has been indicated in the item or related guidance. Day of assessment is defined as the 24 hours immediately preceding the home visit and the time spent by the clinician in the home.

In the scenario mentioned, the patient had been violently ill all night and most of the day until he went to the MD in the afternoon.  The same manual (OASIS Guidance Manual) on the same page (chapter 1; page 6), states:

If the patient’s ability or status varies on the day of the assessment, report the patient’s “usual status” or what is true greater than 50% of the assessment time frame, unless the item specifies differently.

Without counting minutes and seconds, this means that if Mr. Jones spent 12 of the 24 hours in question unable to walk, transfer, get to the restroom, etc. safely, his OASIS assessment should reflect it.  Assuming his night began as late as Midnight and he continued to be violently ill until the afternoon when he saw the MD, the time span covered more than 12 hours.

Your answer, therefore should reflect his epic vomiting and vertigo.

Here’s another explanation of how to assess the intoxicated patient which should be considered in Louisiana as Mardi Gras gets under full swing.

Why This Matters

If this was a rare and unusual situation, it would not matter very much but it is not – especially on admission.  Anesthesia, pain meds following a procedure, reactions to medications all have the potential for taking a patient out of commission for a day or so, prompting a physician to order services to monitor and treat the patient.

With only 42% of you answering this correctly, it didn’t seem right to wait until we publish the rest of the answers to prevent further damage to your published outcomes or payment.  Congratulations to everyone who got this question right, including Lori Hopwood of Lane Home Health – a 4.5 Star agency right here is South Louisiana.  Laissez bon temps rouler in Cajun Country.