OASIS Alert
CUT OUT SKIN ULCER IDENTIFICATION PROBLEMS
PDF
Question: In my agency, I find that nurses have a very difficult time differentiating skin ulcers. When I review their assessments, I see a lot of discrepancies. The clinicians don't seem to agree on what type of ulcer the patient has. When the referring physician doesn't specify the type of wound in the referral, I call to clarify the type of wounds, but I often don't get an answer or even the requested clinical notes. What should we do to help the nurses answer the OASIS wound questions accurately? Answer: It sounds like staff education is the first step, says Cheryl Pacella with the Visiting Nurse Association of Boston. Here are some possible approaches:
• Consult with a Certified Wound Care Nurse, Pacella recommends. To locate someone near you, go to www.wocn.org and click on "WOC Nurse Referral."
• Consider asking your supply vendor or someone from a nearby wound care supply company to give a presentation on this topic, Pacella suggests.
• For a Webcast of a comprehensive wound care program the Centers for Medi-care & Medicaid Services presented in April 2004, go to http://cms.internetstreaming.com/courses, click on "Archived Web-casts" and then on "Wound Care." Handouts are also available for downloading.
OASIS Alert
- Therapy:
THERAPY AUDITS PAY BIG FOR FEDS--ARE YOU READY?
Look to three recent OIG audits for guidance.
While you're concentrating on medical necessity for [...] - Compliance:
5 KEYS HELP YOU AVOID THERAPY DENIALS
Heed: OIG therapy audits results to make your claims tough to deny.
You can't do anything [...] - Reimbursement:
CREATE A TEAM APPROACH TO PROSPER UNDER PPS
5 tips to improve collaboration.
You could have the most accurate coder on Earth, but if [...] - Diagnosis Coding:
DON'T LET ORDINARY WORDS TRIP YOU UP
Small words give you quick guidance in answering M0230, M0240 and M0245--if you understand them.
You [...] - M0175:
DON'T MISS YOU CHANCE TO CHALLENGE M0175 ADJUSTMENTS
A little detective work could save you $600 per episode.
If you've been improving your ability [...] - Risk Management:
PREVENT OASIS ASSESSMENT LEGAL PROBLEMS
10 ways to protect yourself.
What you don't write in your assessment may be as important [...] - Education:
BE AWARE THAT 'INTERFERES' DIFFERS FROM 'INTERRUPTS'
True or False: When answering M0420 (Frequency of pain interfering with patient's activity or movement), [...] - Reader Questions:
CUT OUT SKIN ULCER IDENTIFICATION PROBLEMS
Question: In my agency, I find that nurses have a very difficult time differentiating skin [...] - OASIS News:
INTERMEDIARY SEES PROBLEM WITH V58.3
Use aftercare not wound care in M0230.
If V58.3 raises a red flag for your intermediary, [...]