What's News at Appalachian Community?
Appalachian Community’s Linda Mitchell, COS-C
Congratulations to our Operations Director, Linda Mitchell, RN, who was recently awarded the Certificate for OASIS Clinical Specialist (COS-C)! To achieve this certification, Lind
a successfully completed a voluntary, nationally standardized exam to evaluate a clinician’s knowledge of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services OASIS guidelines. The certification demonstrates expertise and commitment to OASIS data accuracy.
The OASIS (Outcome and Assessment Information Set) is a quality measure used by home health agencies across the country to enhance care for clients in the home. An OASIS assessment is required by the government for every Medicare and Medicaid home health client. It evaluates aspects of each client’s sociodemographic, environmental, support system, health, and functional status. Its main purpose is to measure client outcomes for purposes of outcome-based quality improvement. OASIS data are also used in certifying services for Medicare and Medicaid payment, in compiling scores for the CMS Home Health Compare website, as an aid in government on-site inspections of home health agencies, and to help in creating a plan of care for each individual home health client.
Linda is responsible for the oversight and training of Appalachian Community’s clinical staff on the OASIS as well as all clinical computer applications. She also assists in other aspects of clinical education and training. She co-manages the agency’s computer systems and directs our performance improvement and compliance programs. Her operations responsibilities include building security and maintenance oversight and licensing. She further acts as a back-up for field staff office support tasks, supervises office staff members, and performs many other multifarious tasks. Linda first joined our agency in May 1990 as a home health nurse. She has since served as assistant director of nursing and director of nursing before becoming operations director.
