The OASIS instrument has undergone significant revisions over the years to increase standardization across post-acute care settings, as mandated by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014. The transition from OASIS-D1 to OASIS-E in 2023 brought some of the most expansive changes to date, aimed at uniformly collecting health data and enabling cross-setting quality measure calculations. These updates directly impact how home health agencies complete OASIS assessments under PDGM and report quality data for reimbursement and compliance purposes.
How OASIS-E1 Differs from OASIS-E for Home Health Agencies
OASIS-E1 builds on the OASIS-E framework and introduced targeted updates to quality reporting requirements under the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HHQRP). For home health agencies, the most important differences include changes to functional assessment items, removal of select legacy data elements, and the addition of updated quality measures such as vaccination reporting requirements.
While OASIS-E focused on broad structural changes to assessment standardization, OASIS-E1 refined measure-level reporting and removed items no longer tied to payment or quality calculations under PDGM.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) implemented OASIS-E1 on January 1, 2025, introducing targeted updates through the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HHQRP). Understanding these changes remains important for accurate assessments, quality reporting, and compliance.
Contact us today for expert OASIS support. With our guidance, your agency can stay aligned with current OASIS requirements while maintaining compliance, documentation accuracy, and quality performance.
HHQRP Measure Changes Impacting OASIS-E1
In the Calendar Year 2024 Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule, CMS finalized several HHQRP measure changes that necessitate revisions to the OASIS:
Measures Removed
- Application of Functional Assessment/Care Plan Measure: Due to high and unvarying performance, this cross-setting process measure was removed from the CY 2025 HHQRP. As a result, HHAs no longer report Self-Care Discharge Goals (GG0130, Column 2) or Mobility Discharge Goals (GG0170, Column 2) on OASIS.
- M0110 – Episode Timing and M2200 – Therapy Needs: These long-standing OASIS items were removed because they are no longer used for quality measure calculations or payment determination under the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM).
New Measures Added
- Discharge Function Score Measure: This cross-setting outcome measure replaces the Application of Functional Assessment/Care Plan Measure in the CY 2025 HHQRP. It evaluates patient functional status using existing GG self-care and mobility items, requiring no additional data collection from home health agencies.
- Patient/Resident COVID-19 Vaccine Measure: This new cross-setting measure reports the percentage of patients up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations per CDC guidance. Home health agencies are required to collect and report this data through OASIS-E1 under HHQRP updates effective January 1, 2025.
OASIS-E1 Item Changes
To align with the HHQRP updates, the OASIS-E1 instrument incorporated the following changes:
Items Being Removed
- M0110 – Episode Timing
- M2200 – Therapy Needs
- GG0130 Self-Care Discharge Goals (Column 2)
- GG0170 Mobility Discharge Goals (Column 2)
Items Being Added
- O0350A – Patient’s COVID-19 Vaccination Status (Up to Date: Y/N)
Additional Changes
- M2420 (Discharge Disposition) responses updated to replace “formal assistive services” with “skilled services from a Medicare Certified HHA”
- D0150 (Patient Mood Interview) instructions clarified on when to stop/continue the interview
While less extensive than OASIS-E, these OASIS-E1 changes underscore the importance of staying up to date on evolving requirements. Accurate OASIS data remains critical for PDGM reimbursement and publicly reported quality outcomes.
Since OASIS-E1 was implemented on January 1, 2025, HHAs have been responsible for incorporating these requirements into their assessment processes while continuing to monitor CMS guidance for future updates.
Strengthen OASIS Accuracy with HealthRev Partners
Although the transition to OASIS-E1 was less extensive than previous updates, accurate implementation remains important for your agency’s quality performance, compliance, and reimbursement. Don’t go it alone – our team of OASIS experts at HealthRev Partners can ensure your staff is ready through:
- Comprehensive OASIS-E1 training and education
- Customized workflow analysis and optimization
- Ongoing compliance monitoring and audit support
- Data analytics to track your quality measure performance
Strengthen OASIS accuracy, compliance, and quality performance with expert support from HealthRev Partners. Reach out today to learn how our team can support your agency.
