How to Be a Certified Home Health OASIS Expert

The Office of Inspector General has recently placed a spotlight on certain sectors of the healthcare industry. One area is home care. In order to standardize the payment and delivery of care to home care patients, the Department of Health and Human Services created a benchmark assessment tool called OASIS. Being an expert in this field carries a lot of weight.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Become OASIS certified. The OASIS certification, called a COS-C, is offered by the OASIS Certificate and Competency Board. Potential students may prepare for the test by reading Chapter 8 of the Home Health Guidelines available at cms.gov (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services; see Resources below). Several workshops are also available to make it easier to pass certification.

2. Perform an OASIS visit. Licensed clinicians are the only providers allowed to perform this visit. RN's and PT's can perform most of the required assessments. A non-clinician may review the assessments to become familiar with the questions.

3. Stay up to date on federal and state rules and regulations. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 overhauled the home care industry with changes that took years to actually take effect. Constantly reviewing the Federal Reserve and cms.gov will keep an expert in the know and up to date.

4. Network with like minds in the industry. Experts do not operate in a vacuum. Often, there is a need for a sounding board when new requirements hit the industry. Join the American Association of Home Care and the National Association of Home Care to meet with peers.

Resources

• CMS.gov--Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

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