OASIS is a data collection tool used by licensed and Medicare-certified home health (L&CHH) agencies. All L&CHH agencies must collect and transmit OASIS assessment data on all Medicare and Medicaid patients 18 years and older receiving skilled services, as required by Code of Federal Regulations, Title 42, Chapter IV, Subchapter G, Part 484, §484.20. HCSSAs that fail to comply with the OASIS requirements risk receiving a citation at the standard and condition levels as well as enforcement actions or termination from the Medicare program. For comprehensive guidance on the OASIS requirements, refer to the State Operations Manual (SOM), Chapter 2, Section 2202.
OASIS reporting is mandatory for all L&CHH agencies participating in the Medicare program and HCSSAs seeking Medicare certification. OASIS data must be transmitted within 30 days of completing an assessment, and the data must accurately reflect the patient’s status at the time of assessment. For more information, refer to the SOM §2202.3 – Applicability and SOM §2202.4 – Comprehensive Assessment and OASIS Reporting.
Because the OASIS reporting requirements are not part of the standard survey process, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) authorizes DADS to conduct both offsite and onsite monitoring to determine compliance with the OASIS conditions of participation (SOM §2202.8 – Surveying for the OASIS Requirements). The State OASIS Education Coordinators (OECs) and OASIS Automation Coordinators assist with offsite monitoring and enforcement of OASIS requirements. OECs regularly reach out to home health agencies that are not following the OASIS transmission requirements. While the goal of the OECs is to bring HCSSAs into compliance with the regulations, the OECs also coordinate with the DADS regional survey offices and make decisions about whether or not to proceed with the formal compliance process when HCSSAs are unresponsive to the offsite process.
The OASIS Help Desk assists callers with OASIS questions or problems. This includes questions on clinical and technical automation aspects of OASIS, general OASIS questions, and OASIS training opportunities. If you need assistance, please call the OASIS Help Desk at 512-438-4122 or email oasis.help@dads.state.tx.us. CMS also provides online access to technical support and answers to frequently-asked questions at https://www.qtso.com/hhatrain.html.
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