January 28 2026
OASIS Answers
Categories: OASIS

OASIS-E1 to OASIS-E2: What to Expect Starting April 1, 2026

by Lori A Marmon, MBA, PT, CHS-C, COS-C

Since August of 2025, CMS has been posting information related to the move to OASIS-E2, effective April 1, 2026, including:

While there are not numerous items being added or removed from the OASIS, there are nuanced changes to items and guidance to understand.

First, here is a list of the changes to look for in OASIS Data Set:

M0069 – Gender is being replaced by A0810 – Sex
A1250 – Transportation is being replaced by A1255 – Transportation
A1110 – Language, B0200 – Hearing and B1000 – Vision will now collected at ROC also
J1900 – Number of Falls Since SOC/ROC- updated item descriptions
O0350 – Patient’s COVID-19 Vaccination is Up to Date is being retired

With some of the OASIS data collection changes on the item set, there are associated guidance changes in the manual. Here are some of the highlights

For A0810 – Sex, the previous language in the Response-Specific Instructions indicating “If the patient does not self-identify,” has been removed from the OASIS-E2 version.
For A1255 – Transportation, this item is no longer a “check all that apply” item and is no longer collected at the DC time point. Additionally, there are updated Response Specific Instructions, Coding Instructions, Coding Tips and Examples for the modified item.
J1900 – Number of Falls Since SOC/ROC had guidance changes (J1800 – Any Falls Since SOC/ROC too!) that were introduced first with the October 2025 Quarterly OASIS Q&As and more recently explained in January of 2026 in an OASIS-E1 (J1800/J1900)Guidance Manual Errata due to their impact on the Respecified Falls with Major Injury quality measure.

This is just a brief summary of the revisions from OASIS-E1 to OASIS-E2, Additional descriptions and details are available in the change table located Appendix D of the OASIS-E2 Draft Guidance Manual.

While the revisions from OASIS-E1 to OASIS-E2 are noted as “minor”, there appear to be a bigger impact for agencies and providers to consider as the above mentioned change table is 40+ pages long. Dedicating time to make sure you are up to date with all the latest guidance can be difficult to do during “everyday work”.

Join us for the 2026 COS-C/CHS-C Conference or a Blueprint for OASIS Accuracy workshop to take the opportunity to step away from the “everyday work” and immerse yourself and/or your team in the most recent guidance and updates in an engaging and interactive environment.