OASIS (Outcome and Assessment Information Set) is officially the data collection tool used by Medicare to ensure standard quality care is being provided by home health agencies across the U.S.(Quan, 2009). This group of data measurements has been developed, tested and refined over the last ten years to measure outcome for home health care and measures patient outcome for outcome-based quality improvement (OBQI). The model of standardization for OASIS is adopted from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) and is the long version of the nursing process, which is organized steps to provide quality care. Congress sets the criteria for quality care, and OASIS is always expanding and updating to keep up with new requirements of care for Medicare and Medicaid non-maternity patients age18 years and older.("Home Health Outcome," 2012). OASIS-C represents the most comprehensive revision since the …show more content…
In the 1980’s and 90’s Medicare paid for home health care on a fee for services basis where the health care provider is paid for each separate service or procedure. Many home health care agencies took advantage of this type of pay system and were billing erroneously for services, not meeting the criteria for skilled home care. The home health care agencies were making visits to patients who were not homebound or in some instances billing for visits never made. Because of these major problems of fraud and over-billing the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent surveyors out to conducted inspections and find the problems. These inspections resulted in many of the home health agencies being closed down, at which time Congress passed legislation to provide better oversight, and to reform, improve and structure home health care to administer quality care to Medicare and Medicaid