Home Health Agency Newsletter

Volume #2-2024 | April 2024

You're receiving this email because of your relationship with the Office of Inspector General, Division of Health Care. Thank you for your continued commitment to serving the citizens of our Commonwealth!

Cabinet for Health & Family Services

Office of Inspector General

Division of Health Care

Home Health Agency Newsletter

April 2024

OASIS Vendor Call – April 30, 2024

CMS will host an OASIS technical informational call for Software Vendors and Developers on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.

Call-in information is:

Date: Tuesday, April 30, 2024

Time: 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (ET)

Zoom: 1-833-568-8864

Meeting ID: 161 Meeting ID: 161 428 3061

This vendor call will cover topics such as:

OASIS-E1 Guidance Manual changes
OASIS-E1 Data Specifications (V3.01.0) effective January 1, 2025
System and Validation Utility Tool (VUT) updates
Submitted Questions & Answers

The OASIS Data Specifications V3.01.0 effective January 1, 2025, are posted on the CMS web site at: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/HomeHealthQualityInits/DataSpecifications

***** CMS strongly recommends that all HHA vendors attend this call. *****

NOW AVAILABLE IN iQIES

Preview Reports and Star Rating Preview Reports for

the July 2024 Refresh

For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) measures have been updated.

For additional information, please see the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the Home Health Data Submission Deadlines webpage.

Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As

April 2024 OASIS Q&A's are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO HHA Reference and Manuals webpage.

OASIS Answers Home Health Training Webinars

The OASIS Answers, Inc. (OAI) home health training webinars are designed to provide the most innovative training to your clinicians, clinical leaders, quality improvement teams and auditors. These sessions will ensure that you are aware of and know how to apply the most recent, most relevant, and most accurate CMS home health information. Topics are based on the issues that are most pertinent to agencies and will be driven by CMS updates or changes that are critical to agency success. Check out the webinar topics listed HERE!

Interested in Serving on an IDR Panel?

Kentucky requires one member of the IDR panel to be "a person currently engaged in the provision of Home Health Agency services who has no affiliation with the provider disputing a deficiency." Typically, a Home Health Agency Director is on each IDR panel. There is no payment or travel reimbursement for a Director serving on a panel. Directors will be rotated. If a Home Health Agency Director is interested in serving on a panel, a confidentiality statement must be signed prior to the participation in the first IDR panel.

Please complete the Confidentiality Agreement and submit via email, fax or mail to:

Jennifer Smith, RN

RAI/Oasis/IDR-IIDR Coordinator

Office of Inspector General

Division of Health Care

275 E. Main St., 5E-A

Frankfort, KY 40621

Fax: (502) 564-6546

Home Health Agency Questions and Answers

Home Health Agency (HHA) Providers can access the Home Health and OASIS Q&As and other reference manuals on the HHA Providers Reference site.

These questions and their responses have been developed over many years of experience training OASIS coordinators and are currently used as part of the Home Health Agency Surveyor Training program. They can and should be used by home health agency providers in training new staff on the basics of OASIS and also as a refresher for existing staff.

If you don't find the information you are looking for there, please submit your question to the Home Health Quality Questions mailbox.

OASIS CONTACT INFORMATION

For questions regarding OASIS Assessment, Coding, Transmission or Technical Issues,

email KY OIG HC Support.

For questions regarding HHA Licensing or Regulations,

contact Rose Thompson via e-mail.

Please note: Do not send any identifiable patient information through e-mail. This includes patient names, SSNs, dates of birth or any other data items considered identifiers or Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA. Please redact any PHI prior to sending.

OASIS DATA SPECIFICATIONS

The OASIS Data Submission Specifications Version 3.00.2 are now available in the downloads section of the OASIS Data Specifications website.

KARES

To enroll in KARES voluntarily, please click the icon above and follow the self-directed enrollment process.

For additional information about the program, please contact the help desk at (502) 564-2159 or via email.

Home Health Compare

Click here to visit the website or click here for guidance on how to verify and update home health demographic data.

Reporting Complaints

Email addresses have been established for use by patients and the general public to report possible violations of regulatory requirements. Click Here for the email addresses and additional contact information based on the facility's location.

Which Branch

is Serving You?

To provide the highest level of service, the Division of Health Care operates through four regional offices. Knowing the appropriate Branch to contact with questions and concerns will ensure you receive maximum service in minimum time. Review links below for detailed information.

Regional Map

Contact Information

Quality, Safety and Oversight Memos

CMS Survey and Certification memoranda, guidance, clarifications and instructions to State Survey Agencies and CMS Regional Offices.

Medicare Learning Network

Let the Medicare Learning Network (MLN) be your home for Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) education, information, and resources.

Visit the Medicare Learning Network for free educational materials for health care professionals on CMS programs, policies, and initiatives.

Quality, Safety & Education Portal

CMS's QSEP provides the full curriculum of surveyor training and guidance on health care facility regulations. All training is available on-demand on a top-notch self-service portal. 24/7 access means you have the freedom to learn what you want, where you want, when you want.

902 KAR 20:008. License Procedures and Fee Schedule

902 KAR 20:081. Operations and Services; Home Health Agencies

Certificate of Need (CON)

Guidance to Surveyors: HHA

HHA Center

Home Health Quality

jHaven Download

Maintenance Downtimes

OASIS Data Sets

OASIS Reference & Manuals

Spotlight and Announcements

If you have received a copy of this newsletter from a friend or co-worker, you can click on the Sign Up button to enter your information and join our mailing list.

Employment Opportunities

To search and apply for positions within the Office of Inspector General, please visit the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet's web page by clicking the sign above.

Cabinet for Health and Family Services

Office of Inspector General

Division of Health Care

DHC Leadership Team:

David T. Lovely

Acting Inspector General

Executive Advisor

Director

Assistant Director

Assistant Director

Commonwealth of Kentucky | Office of Inspector General | 275 East Main St., Frankfort, KY 40621

The Office of Inspector General is the regulatory and licensing agency for all health care, day care and long-term care facilities and child adoption/child-placing agencies in the commonwealth.

If you would like more information, please visit our website.

If you have an idea for a future article, please contact Melissa Richard.