Home Health & Hospice Articles by Topic: Administration and Management
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 20, October 17, 2017
Agencies must identify not only the appropriate compensation for staff but also the...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 20, October 17, 2017
Have clinicians follow up the next day when patients have a change in pain medications or...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 20, October 17, 2017
Consider adopting clinical pathways to increase nursing visit efficiency, decrease...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 20, October 17, 2017
There is no language specifically stating an NP or PA cannot give orders. Rather, the rules...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 20, October 17, 2017
On Monday, a nurse assesses the patient’s condition, assesses the wound, and applies a new...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 39, October 16, 2017
Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) is now an approved accreditation organization to...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 38, October 9, 2017
As part of ongoing efforts to raise awareness about the upcoming change to Medicare numbers and...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 19, October 3, 2017
Yes, the personnel qualification requirements for HHA administrators at §484.115(a) will...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 10, October 2, 2017
The way Texas and Florida agencies reacted to the recent catastrophic hurricanes should serve as a...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 9, September 29, 2017
1. Which of the following is not a main risk factor for developing kidney disease, as discussed in...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 9, September 29, 2017
The kidney is a bean-shaped organ that is about the size of a fist. Everyone has two kidneys...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 9, September 29, 2017
Updating the referral date for all patients who experi-ence a delay in discharge from inpatient...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 36, September 25, 2017
In advance of a disaster such as a hurricane, also consider whether each patient has necessary...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 9, September 25, 2017
The rehospitalization rate for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients receiving...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 18, September 19, 2017
Some example of areas that an agency’s personnel policies should address are:
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 35, September 18, 2017
The agency’s policies and procedures will include a discipline and discharge policy. It is...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 35, September 18, 2017
A Texas-based home health agency is teaming up with the Red Cross to help senior citizens forced...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 9, September 18, 2017
Conditions linked in the Alphabetic Index by the word “in” should be considered...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 18, September 17, 2017
Excellent question, given the active season we’ve been having. You must comply with...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 34, September 11, 2017
Last week, the Trump administration announced a move to end the Deferred Action for Childhood...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 34, September 11, 2017
The President declared a state of emergency for the United States Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 8, August 25, 2017
Two months after CMS said there was no plan for another round of the probe-and-educate review for...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 32, August 21, 2017
A proposed rule (CMS-5524-P) released by CMS on August 15, 2017 would make the Comprehensive Care...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 32, August 21, 2017
Hospice Compare’s launch Aug. 16 confirms that, for the most part, hospices already perform...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 17, 2017
Why are physician queries so critical to accurate documentation and coding? The answer can be...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 17, 2017
If the HHGM as currently conceived is to be avoided, the industry must provide a large volume of...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 17, 2017
This change is significant but not terribly surprising.
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 17, 2017
Based upon a data analysis, CMS concluded that on average the first 30 days of an episode were...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 17, 2017
CMS states in its comments that claims for “questionable encounters” will be returned...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 17, 2017
No. In the 2018 proposed PPS rule, CMS notes that 19% of episodes it reviewed in preparing for...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 17, 2017
Homecare Q&A, August 17, 2017
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 8, August 14, 2017
Create a checklist to verify that your agency has explained to patients and/or their legal...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 8, August 7, 2017
Home health stakeholders are readying themselves for drastic changes to the way CMS plans to pay...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 5, August 3, 2017
Become more proactive. You no longer can wait for face-to-face documentation to arrive within...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2017
In the new proposed home health PPS rule, CMS states agencies providing a larger percentage of...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 29, July 31, 2017
According to the Federal Registrar, enrollment of new Medicare home health agencies, subunits, and...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 29, July 31, 2017
The introduction of the Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM) into the proposed rule means preparing...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 29, July 31, 2017
While the HHGM is the most significant long-term change for agencies’ payments, in the short...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 7, July 21, 2017
Review emergency preparedness policies and procedures at least annually, and make sure they...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 17, 2017
It’s true that you will struggle. A study of hospitalizations using a national all-payer...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 17, 2017
The clock has been reset, and agencies that haven’t taken steps to prepare for the revised...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 27, July 17, 2017
The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 requires CMS to remove social security...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 27, July 17, 2017
Less than one week before the July 1 compliance date, OSHA officials delayed a new electronic...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 45, November 28, 2016
Last week, a federal judge with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas issued a...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 44, November 21, 2016
The National Association of Home Care & Hospice is following how the presidential election...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 44, November 21, 2016
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 40, October 24, 2016
The final report from the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation (AHHQI)’s Future...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 30, August 6, 2016
In this week's roundup:
Pre-claim review pilot goes live in Illinois—2 days late. The...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 28, July 25, 2016
In this week's roundup:
New HHA PEPPER is now available. A new release of the Program...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 17, 2016
Teaching and training plays a significant role in homecare and is addressed in the Medicare Benefit...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 17, 2016
According to the National Association for Homecare & Hospice (NAHC):
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 26, July 11, 2016
In this week's roundup:
False claims penalties to double. Penalties for fraud by healthcare...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 25, June 27, 2016
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Home Care Association of America v. Weil, which means...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 25, June 27, 2016
In this week's roundup:
CMS revises ICD-10 codes. CMS officially finalized the first major...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 24, June 20, 2016
In this week's roundup:
Study: Home health cuts costs of CJR. The use of home health...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 22, June 6, 2016
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has raised concerns regarding...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 22, June 6, 2016
In this week's roundup:
House members slam home health prior authorization proposal. A...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 11, June 3, 2016
First and foremost, a policy and a procedure are two entirely different animals. A policy is...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 21, May 23, 2016
In this week's roundup:
Overtime laws could change the game for home health: The Department...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, May 17, 2016
Factors that can impact the number of home health aide referrals as well as the number of visits...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 8, April 19, 2016
As a Medicare-certified homecare agency, I historically hired aides that have completed the CNA/HHA...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 13, March 28, 2016
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 12, March 21, 2016
The CMS Office of Minority Health last week unveiled a snapshot of chronic disease-related service...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 11, March 14, 2016
An article titled “A Case Exemplar for National Policy Leadership: Expanding Program of...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 7, February 15, 2016
CMS intends to start a Medicare Probable Fraud Measurement Pilot for home healthcare services...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 1, January 3, 2016
You are correct, M1034 is risk adjusted. Please be sure clinicians are answering response “3...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 51, December 28, 2015
Homecare workers achieved a victory when the Department of Labor ruled they are entitled to...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 51, December 28, 2015
CMS data shows cost disparities in home health services
Not unlike hospital procedures and tests...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 50, December 21, 2015
The Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new public data set, the Home...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 50, December 21, 2015
The tentative date for the next Home Health, Hospice & Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Open...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 24, December 17, 2015
In simplest terms, a best practice is a process or procedure that consistently produces superior...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 24, December 17, 2015
The first step in answering these questions is to know the requirements for data collection and...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 49, December 14, 2015
Although the final rule contained several notable changes to the proposed VBP pilot set to launch...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 49, December 14, 2015
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host an open door forum on Thursday...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 48, December 7, 2015
The National Quality Forum (NQF) announced its plan to review standardized performance measure...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 23, December 4, 2015
Yes. Maintaining, cleaning, and caring for the assistive device can be done by the home health...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 23, December 4, 2015
Documentation will be important to support supply utilization and payment.
Claims must include...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 23, December 4, 2015
Best practice should identify clinical actions—assessment, teaching, procedures...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 46, November 23, 2015
President Obama recently signed into law the Innovation Act, which allows more people and...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 46, November 23, 2015
Vets waiting, even dying, for home health care; telemedicine gains momentum
After the Inspector...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 22, November 17, 2015
How can we prepare for staff interviews during a survey?
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 22, November 17, 2015
How do home visits work when you are having a survey?
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 44, November 9, 2015
Before you can work toward achieving accountability, you need to ensure that you understand what...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 44, November 9, 2015
On Monday, November 2, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 43, November 2, 2015
The written care plan is not simply busywork. It is essential in the organization, delivery...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 43, November 2, 2015
After receiving 118 comments from the public during the official comment period, the Centers for...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 42, October 26, 2015
The Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation (AHHQI), a national non-profit consortium...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 20, October 16, 2015
What kind of events count as "potentially avoidable"? What will and should be in the...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 20, October 16, 2015
I have a question regarding the face-to-face requirements for homecare...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 19, October 2, 2015
Can you please explain what specifically needs to be under the supervisions of licensed...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 19, October 2, 2015
We have received a request from a physician office to have one of our employees be on-site to...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
Calling the patient is a way to check on what’s happening, but it does not substitute for the...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
No, supervising home health aides is a cost of doing business. Whenever possible, the nurse or...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
It is a federal requirement to supervise home health aides. There is no requirement to write an...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
The aide care plan or assignment must provide enough direction so the aide knows exactly what to do...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
The aide must perform tasks, such as bathing, transferring, and oral hygiene, on a patient or a...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
There is no requirement to do a competency evaluation of home health aides after they have passed...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
Yes, Medicare will cover two visits if two individuals are needed to perform a covered service...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
What this agency heard is in error and could lead to denials. Just as with any Medicare-covered...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2015
Telemonitoring or telehealth is one technology that can help a patient in the home. It cannot...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 16, 2015
This locator applies only if verbal orders are
involved in the start of care process. It...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 16, 2015
According to the final rule for 2015, physicians
must state the length of skilled services
for...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 16, 2015
All ostomy supplies are covered under the
NRS. For a current NRS master supply list,
see the...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 13, July 2, 2015
AA best practice should identify clinical actions—assessment, teaching, procedures...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 13, July 2, 2015
July 3, 2015
-
Homecare Insider, Issue 23, June 15, 2015
Instead of extending the Medicare sequestration into 2024, how do recent legislative proceedings...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 12, June 15, 2015
What is the proper way to enter in orders for disciplines and treatments on the 485?
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 11, June 3, 2015
Can we use standing orders for many of our specialty programs, like wound care?
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 11, June 3, 2015
Can a nurse practitioner who runs her own practice make a referral to a home health agency?
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 11, June 3, 2015
A clinician arrives at the home, where skilled services are provided. Based on the...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, May 17, 2015
How are we supposed to use observation and assessment for patients on telemonitoring?
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, May 17, 2015
What are the new therapy reassessment requirements that CMS solidified in its 2015 PPS final rule...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 9, May 3, 2015
My agency has been reviewing the proposed Conditions of Participation (CoP). We are looking at the...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 8, April 17, 2015
When a patient joins an MA plan, he or she takes on a subscriber number, but the patient’s...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 7, April 3, 2015
Unfortunately, when a fall occurs in the presence of agency staff, people assume that it...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 6, March 17, 2015
Effective teams need leadership. By using the term “case manager,” the home health...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 5, March 3, 2015
We spend a tremendous amount of time in meetings. Many of them are boring, nonproductive, and...
-
Homecare Insider, Issue 1, January 5, 2015
Will home health remain exempt from overtime compensation in most circumstances like it has for 40...
