Written By: Timothy Dunn, PT, DPT, GCS, COS-C, CEEAA
OASIS data collection forms the foundation of your patient’s care plan. Connecting the dots between OASIS metrics and outcome meaningfulness should be the objective of every home health therapist. And yet, our industry has tarried in embracing the implications of OASIS accuracy and its multifaceted impact. By developing a functional understanding of the key OASIS pillars that support our clinical decision-making, our therapy plans can take on a new, more practical meaning.
Discovering your patient’s unique “ability busters” will drive your OASIS success. The presence of just one of the five ability busters is sufficient to extinguish a patient’s safe ability. Your patient’s care plan should be designed to mitigate or eliminate their identified ability buster(s).
- Physical Impairments (poor balance/strength deficits)- What is abnormal about your patient from a cardiopulmonary, neurological, or musculoskeletal perspective?
- Emotional Impairments (poor judgement-fear factors)- What knowledge gaps need addressed for your patient to better manage their condition?
- Sensory Impairments (SOB, pain, poor vision)- What barriers need lowered or modified for your patient to re-gain functional territory?
- Environmental Impairments (access and safety)- For better or worse, what influence does your patient’s home environment exert?
- MD restrictions (no…per MD)- Have physician established parameters been enacted to govern your patient’s behavior?
Surveying the post-acute landscape provides insight that should sharpen your clinical practice.
- Volume Biased (PPS)- Historically, case significance in the home health industry was measured by therapy visit count. This antiquated system left the rehab professional largely exempt from their patient’s functional success or failure.
- Outcome Driven (PDGM)- Currently, intrinsic patient characteristics, not extrinsic service delivery, drive significance. It is an ideal time to be a great therapist, for therapeutic proficiency, not visit volume, is recognized for its rightful significance.
- Value Based (HHVBP)-Tomorrow, the “durability” of your patient’s response to rehab will ultimately shape significance. Has your patient acquired the skills and knowledge to enable long term success within their environment-long after the discharge?
The Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services proposed rule for 2026 posted the average therapy visits per 30-day period by clinical group for the calendar years-2018-2024 (figure one). Between the pre-COVID era and 2024, rehab services within the following clinical groupings have fallen 20.9% for MS Rehab, 25.7% for Neuro Rehab and 26.8% for MMTA Cardiac. Home health agencies are migrating away from rehab volume; however, the patient’s functional success remains dependent on effective and efficient rehab services. Discharge functionality-including bathing and dressing proficiency will shape the VBP program of tomorrow, with 40% of the 2026 HH VBP, Total Performance Score driven by OASIS-E accuracy.
Conclusion:
Let’s set our sights on becoming OASIS-E experts. To view the OASIS assessment-not as a collection of singular data points, but a larger mosaic reflecting your patient’s unique characteristics. Expand your vision beyond the GG to the great grandmother in need-and beyond the M to the measurable meaning behind it all. You provide indispensable care to your patients-and own a very particular set of skills- which make you the ideal OASIS data collector.
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2025-12347.
Interested in Exploring Group Discounts? CLICK HERE
About Summit Professional Education
Summit equips Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists and SLPs with better continuing education courses that provide CEUs while impacting patient outcomes. Find high-quality on-demand CE along with the largest offering of live options — including live webinars, live streams, and in-person courses. Want to deep dive on a topic? Summit offers hundreds of 6-hour courses for the most in-depth learning!