OASIS Plus Project

A National OASIS Improvement Projecttl_files/pages/oasis/oasisplus.jpg

Fazzi's Quality Institute is seeking twenty-five agencies to participate in a unique OASIS improvement project. Called the OASIS Plus Project, the project will focus on helping agencies measurably improve their existing OASIS accuracy while also helping prepare their clinicians for the new OASIS-C regulations.

The hypothesis behind this project is this: providing agencies for a full year with a broad range of agency specific OASIS analyses, clinical support and on-going training, including training for OASIS-C, agencies will have measurable improvements in:

  • OASIS Accuracy
  • Case Mix Weight
  • Quality Scores
  • Profitability

What Support Can You Expect for Your Agency?

The OASIS Plus Project will be a diligent vested interest project. We are working under the assumption that if agencies are truly committed to improving and take full advantage of the year long support we will be providing, they will have measurable improvement.

The OASIS Plus Project includes skill testing of staff, live audits with identification of OASIS discrepancies prior to submission, identification of specific areas that create challenges for staff and training directed at the unique needs of each agency. Each agency will be given a year long pass to the nation’s leading OASIS training and competency program, OASIS NP©. There will also be special trainings on OASIS-C and each participating agency will be assigned a senior consultant who will monitor the progress of each agency and provide a monthly consultation.

As an added feature, one of the unique components of the project will be a track and trending report. Fazzi will provide all participating agencies with a simple, automated track and trending software tool called the OASIS Tracker®. Using the same admission files that an agency already sends to the public health department, the Tracker will provide agencies with a monthly dashboard that tracks and trends CMW at RAP, revenues, primary diagnoses, and therapy, and compares these numbers to national averages. Each agency’s assigned senior consultant will monitor these reports and provide agency specific consultation and support when needed.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to participate, agencies must:

  • Verify the support of senior management for the project.
  • Name a lead person for the project.
  • Have case mix weights below the national average.
  • Be Medicare-certified for more than five years.
  • Have Medicare revenues equal to or greater than 50% of revenue.
  • Have complete Home Health Compare scores for December 2008.

Costs and Other Considerations

During the twelve months of this project, there will be significantly reduced fees for the core services: training, monitoring and a Fazzi senior consultant assigned to your agency ($3,000 for the full year) plus a discounted live audit* cost of $150/audit of 10% of agency ADC for Medicare. The baseline OASIS assessment is free and there are no charges for the trending and tracking service (your monthly OASIS Tracker Dashboard) or for the year long OASIS NP webinars. The only other possible cost is travel expenses if you opt to have on-site training.

The deadline for applying to participate was March 1, 2009. The Project started on March 15, 2009.

Additional FAQ's on the project are below. If you would like to talk with someone on the OASIS Plus Project, call Fazzi’s OASIS Coordinator, Nancy Hazen at 413-584-5300. Mention your interest in the OASIS Plus Project.

*allows for corrections of any discrepancies prior to submission

OASIS Plus FAQs

How quickly will we see an impact? After doing audits and trainings for nearly ten years, we can safely say that there is an almost immediate impact. Why? Because the audits normally identify where the problems are and the trainings are individually designed for each agency and target where the biggest problems are.

When will our staff be trained in OASIS C? We will begin to incorporate information on OASIS-C in our regular trainings and within thirty days of CMS releasing their OASIS-C final regulations, we will have trainings geared for all agencies in the Project.

Why is Fazzi initiating this project? We believe that if an agency is provided with the right audit results, targeted training, year long support, and (this is key) top management is committed to making the changes needed, improvement will happen. This project is a national project designed to prove that this premise is true. It is one of the reasons we say that we have “a vested interest in the success of every agency.”

Who is the senior consultant assigned to our agency? For this project, all senior consultants are clinicians with experience. All have provided audits and trainings and all have worked extensively with OASIS.

Do you have a senior clinical leader for this project? Yes! This project is so important to us that we have asked Rhonda Will, one of the country’s best known OASIS consultants, to lead the clinical operations. You will no doubt be participating in some of Rhonda’s trainings, and she will be personally reviewing all OASIS Tracker Dashboards.

What is the OASIS Tracker Dashboard? We are incredibly excited about this product. It was developed in 2008 by an IS team led by Dr. Carleton Townsend. The Tracker tracks, trends and compares to national averages, the key metrics that have the greatest impact on quality and profitability for each agency – CMW at RAP, diagnosis, and therapy utilization. To see a sample of the OASIS Tracker and get more information on the Tracker and Tracker Dashboard click here.

If we see on the Tracker Dashboard that we are having a problem, do we call our project consultant?Most likely you won’t have to call; you Project Consultant will likely have already called you. Remember, we see this as a joint effort where we are in this together. We intend to quickly respond to any OASIS related issues that impact you.

If we have questions, can we call our project consultant? Yes! Not only can you call her/him, we want you to call. To closer we work with you, the more likely we can help you and ensure that the project is a success.

How is the cost of the year long service calculated? The base cost of $3,000 is significantly discounted and simply covers our staffing and administrative cost only. The audit fee is also discounted to $150/audit with the actual number of audits being limited to 10% of your ADC. The only other possible cost is if you opt to have an on-site training day. You pay for travel only.

We already have OASIS NP and we see it is part of the base service. Will we now have two NP programs? No! If you already have OASIS NP, the cost of this service will be reduced by $200.

Why do you want a lead person from our agency? Our goal is to help every agency succeed. By having one person who is the agency lead, Fazzi's agency Project Consultant will know who to call and can more quickly respond to requests. This is a team effort and together, the Fazzi’s Project Consultant and the agency’s lead can work together to determine the best ways to support the goals and improvement efforts of the agency. It makes it an easier and a more positive project for everyone.

If after the year is up and we want to continue with this level of support, will we be able to? Yes! We are making arrangements to extend the services with some sort of discount for agencies that have already participated.

If we have more questions on this project, who should we call? Please email Kay Wright. She will be more than happy to provide you with whatever information you might need.