CMS Updates OASIS Data Collection Guidance

WASHINGTON—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is retracting its recent guidance regarding Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data collection, according to the National Alliance for Care at Home. The Alliance told members CMS has determined that completion of OASIS is not required for patients receiving outpatient therapy services—physical therapy, occupational therapy or speech-language pathology—through a home health agency (HHA) under the Medicare Part B benefit. 

OASIS data is collected by home health clinicians through direct observation and interviews between patients and caregivers, and is a mandatory assessment tool for Medicare/Medicaid.

To ensure consistency and accuracy, CMS will be revising the relevant OASIS Q&A item to reflect the corrected guidance. The update will provide clearer direction on how payer data should be collected for the OASIS in relation to these outpatient therapy services.

The Alliance said this clarification resolves widespread concern and confusion stemming from earlier instructions that suggested otherwise, and this decision marks an important step toward reducing unnecessary administrative burden on HHAs and ensuring that OASIS data collection requirements are applied appropriately. The Alliance said it will continue to monitor CMS’s revisions and keep members updated as further details become available.

The move was lauded by others in the industry, including MAC Legacy, which called it “great news” in an email.