OASIS Alert

Published on Sat Feb 02, 2008 PDF

Update your staff on the latest changes in Q&A guidance.

True or False: When a patient is receiving an injectable medication at home, M0800 requires you to assess whether the patient is physically and cognitively able to administer the injection, even if the doctor's order is for the nurse to give the injection.

Answer: False. "When the patient is medically restricted from performing an activity, this medical restriction on the patient's ability must be considered," the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Ser-vices instructs in January 2008 OASIS question and answer 25. So if the nurse is to administer the injections, M0800 is an-swered "2" (Unable to take injectable medication unless administered by someone else), CMS confirms.

Hidden trap: This latest answer for M0800 differs from the one in CMS' older OASIS Q&A question 168. The older question 168 "has been recalled," CMS says in the latest Q&As.

Note: The January 2008 OASIS Q&As are available at http://www.oasiscertificate.org.