Home Health & Hospice Articles by Topic: Quality care
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 3, March 12, 2020
About 32% of agencies worked to implement or complete a QAPI performance improvement project on...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 3, March 12, 2020
By using a sign campaign in patient homes, one Ohio agency was able to reduce the number of major...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 3, March 12, 2020
Agencies should keep in mind that the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) does not change home...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 3, March 12, 2020
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar declared a public health emergency Jan. 31, in...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 2, February 14, 2020
Regardless of whether the home health value-based purchasing model is rolled out nationwide, all...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 2, February 14, 2020
CMS is working to incorporate new improvements to Medciare.gov to help patients find health care...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 1, January 14, 2020
A patient’s plan of care is like a road map. It provides instructions and directions on items...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 12, December 6, 2019
Agencies should consider implementing a solid wound care program or improving upon any existing...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 11, November 25, 2019
It’s likely they wrap up the value-based purchasing pilot, they take some time to digest...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 7, July 8, 2019
While OASIS-D1 will make responses to 23 existing items optional, agencies must keep in mind that...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 6, June 6, 2019
Strong documentation is key in home health, and implementation of the Patient-Driven Groupings...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 6, June 6, 2019
Ensure clinicians fully understand how to respond to M2003 (Medication follow-up) when filling out...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 6, June 6, 2019
The number of agencies earning five stars in the quality of care star ratings ticked upward in the...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 6, June 6, 2019
Agencies continued to improve in several Home Health Compare measures included within value-based...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 5, May 31, 2019
I personally don’t like national averages.
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 5, May 31, 2019
You note that when looking at the AHC measure on CASPER, you have data that is risk-adjusted and...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 4, April 18, 2019
You note agencies' struggles with hospitalizations.
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 4, April 18, 2019
You note that the importance of OASIS-D item M1033 (Risk for hospitalization) increases even more...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 4, April 18, 2019
A couple years ago, the new administration came in with a desire to simplify life for providers.
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 4, April 18, 2019
We’re going to keep seeing agencies cited for issues involving organization and...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 3, March 22, 2019
Root cause analysis still needs to be done at every hospital transfer because agencies will be able...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 3, March 22, 2019
One is going to be the scheduling aspect. Getting out to the home within 24 to 48 hours is vital.
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 3, March 22, 2019
Those that are not in the value-based purchasing states really should pay attention to what...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 3, March 6, 2019
Test staff knowledge on malnutrition.
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 2, February 25, 2019
You note that CMS is adding “emerging infectious diseases” to the current definition of...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 2, February 25, 2019
You say that your agency just learned that according to the revised CoPs, in rehabilitation...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 2, February 5, 2019
More agencies plan to focus on improving the rate of acute care hospitalizations than any other...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 2, February 5, 2019
About 70% of agencies will work to improve performance on acute care hospitalization in 2019.
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 2, February 5, 2019
Case conferences will take on increased importance when the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 1, January 16, 2019
You explain that your agency is based in a rural area, and beginning this year the rural...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 1, January 16, 2019
You asked whether agencies have a responsibility to train staff to identify whether patients are...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 1, January 4, 2019
Make completing documentation in the home a requirement for all clinicians. Doing so will improve...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 12, December 5, 2018
As flu season ramps up, it’s vital to ensure patients get vaccinated. Agencies should work to...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 12, December 5, 2018
While agencies hustle to prepare for the Jan. 1, 2019, implementation of OASIS-D, changes to the...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, November 20, 2018
Here are some of the questions to ask.
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 11, November 5, 2018
Establish procedures, set benchmarks and hold staff accountable to increase efficiencies as part...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, October 19, 2018
Staff should use contact precautions with a contact precaution kit. In general, wear protective...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, September 21, 2018
In the scenario you describe, your agency admitted a patient when she was discharged home from the...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 9, September 1, 2018
Aides can be an integral part of preventing hospitalizations, but they are often left out of an...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 8, August 1, 2018
Changes to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program outlined in the 2019 proposed PPS rule would...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 12, July 25, 2018
First determine if the POA is medical and if the patient is incapacitated.
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 7, July 2, 2018
In its latest report to Congress, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) points out...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 7, June 29, 2018
Step up efforts to educate clinicians about M2020 (Management of oral medications). The measure is...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, June 11, 2018
All O2 patients need to at least be assessed on a comprehensive assessment for safety.
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 5, May 2, 2018
Break your agency’s clinicians of their mentality to rely solely on generic language or...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 5, May 2, 2018
More agencies have achieved 5-star status than ever before, and scores for transferring saw the...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 5, May 2, 2018
Incorporating a review of this assessment-based outcome measure data into the quality review...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 4, April 12, 2018
To help comply with the new patient rights requirements in the revised Home Health Conditions of...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 7, April 3, 2018
The data an agency’s QAPI program collects will be de-termined by the program activities...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 3, March 29, 2018
CMS’ newly posted surveyor training reiterates the need for home health agencies to ensure...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 13, March 26, 2018
To comply with the Hospice QRP (HQRP) requirements, hospices must successfully submit timely...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 12, March 19, 2018
During the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPAC) public meeting on Thursday, March...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 12, March 19, 2018
Learn about the development and testing of standardized patient assessment data elements mandated...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 6, March 17, 2018
Agencies must abide by certain regulations in order to participate in the Medicare program, as...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 3, March 12, 2018
Agencies gearing up for the performance improvement project (PIP) requirement under the revised...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 5, March 3, 2018
In the current draft of the CoP interpretive guidelines it says: “A goal is defined as a...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 4, February 19, 2018
Strategies and attributes of critical thinking during the treatment process include the following...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 3, February 2, 2018
Agencies that select medication management as their Performance Improvement Project, or PIP, should...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 5, January 29, 2018
On January 23, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and HHS announced a partnership to...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 1, January 22, 2018
The amount of money at stake in CMS’ value-based purchasing demonstration for home health...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 2, January 17, 2018
After defining the scope of an agency’s QAPI program, the CoPs outline how the quality...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 2, January 17, 2018
Note PEPPER’s six target areas:
Average case mix. This target area calculates average case...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 24, December 17, 2017
The documentation surrounding your QAPI program should include:
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 11, November 20, 2017
CMS’ plan to eliminate “Influenza im-munization received for current flu...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 11, November 2, 2017
Restructure clinical managers’ positions so they function more like case managers. Doing so...
-
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 E-News, Issue 38, October 9, 2017
CMS is hosting an open door forum 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST Oct. 10 to discuss modifications and...
-
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
Updating the referral date for all patients who experi-ence a delay in discharge from inpatient...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 9, September 25, 2017
The rehospitalization rate for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery patients receiving...
-
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 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
Hospice providers are encouraged to preview their quality measure results based on Quarter 1- 2016...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 17, August 31, 2017
Health literacy is a set of skills needed to read, understand, and act on basic health...
-
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 15, August 3, 2017
The first decision for the CDI committee is to establish which CDI program model to adopt. The...
-
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 E-News, Issue 28, July 21, 2017
New Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Reports (PEPPERs) through CY 2016 are...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 28, July 21, 2017
Only a select group of 43 agencies that earned 5 stars in quality of care July 12 have remained on...
-
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 CoPs make clear that the plan of care will continue to be based on the comprehensive...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 17, 2017
As part of a monthly or quarterly quality assurance review, agencies should closely monitor...
-
Homecare Direction, Issue 7, July 10, 2017
Your agency has gone through the quality assessment piece of QAPI and identified areas that need...
-
Beacon Institute On-Demand Webcast Library, Issue 2, February 28, 2017
Turn the Trump transition into success for your agency
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 45, November 28, 2016
Between 2000 and 2012, dementia rates among U.S. seniors show a significant decline, dropping from...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 44, November 21, 2016
Physical activity is a cornerstone of health, even for people with multiple chronic conditions...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 44, November 21, 2016
The call for public comment on the IMPACT Act of 2014’s cross-setting quality measure on...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 40, October 24, 2016
The final report from the Alliance for Home Health Quality and Innovation (AHHQI)’s Future...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 18, September 17, 2016
Medicare will pay for administration of these injections with the proper circumstances and with...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 17, September 3, 2016
Remember, as an agency, you must follow the strictest of the guidelines, including your agency...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 22, 2016
Our agency is in the process of evaluating wound certification courses for our nursing staff. We...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 16, August 22, 2016
All acute care hospitalizations are “counted;” however, a SNF admission would not be...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 15, August 3, 2016
To start, define unprofessional behavior for them. Most employers consider some behaviors...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 29, August 1, 2016
CMS created the five-star rating systems to assist patients, families, and caregivers in...
-
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 12, June 17, 2016
Now that leadership has the data, what to do with it? First and foremost, give the data to the...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 21, May 23, 2016
United States Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) recently...
-
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 E-News, Issue 20, May 16, 2016
Editor’s note: This week’s Inside story is from Quality Care in Home Health: Improving...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 19, May 9, 2016
Is the constant haranguing about “quality” getting to you? You’re not alone...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 19, May 9, 2016
DoJ: Thousands deprived of home care options: South Dakotans with disabilities do not...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 15, April 11, 2016
The home health Conditions of Participation outline CMS’s expectation that the agency will...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 7, April 4, 2016
Although it plays an important role in care planning, delivery, and coordination, the care plan...
-
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 Q&A, Issue 6, March 18, 2016
I just learned I'm in one of the nine states required to abide by value-based purchasing (VBP...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 4, February 18, 2016
What are some plan of care pitfalls to avoid?
-
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 2, January 18, 2016
Although there are many ways to develop a medication reconciliation program at a particular...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 2, January 11, 2016
When working with stroke patients, you are responsible for several types of observations. First...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 1, January 3, 2016
Telehealth devices are becoming more common in the area of home healthcare. It is important for...
-
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 50, December 21, 2015
Chemotherapy drugs can damage nerves, which causes burning, numbness, tingling, or shooting pain...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 24, December 17, 2015
In simplest terms, a best practice is a process or procedure that consistently produces superior...
-
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 46, November 23, 2015
Vets waiting, even dying, for home health care; telemedicine gains momentum
After the Inspector...
-
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 43, November 2, 2015
Final Rule Released
After receiving 118 comments from the public, the Centers for Medicare &...
-
Homecare E-News, Issue 40, October 19, 2015
Care delivered according to infection control guidelines is the most effective tool available for...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 20, October 16, 2015
What are some approaches patients may try to implement themselves to overcome swallowing...
-
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 19, October 2, 2015
Can we provide two home health aides to provide care for a quadriplegic patient?
-
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 18, September 17, 2015
We have an 87-year-old woman who was referred by the wound care center for care of a wound...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 17, September 8, 2015
If an agency discharges a patient and that patient resumes services, there may be questions about...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 14, July 16, 2015
Because there is no requirement to conduct
case conferences, agency policy should...
-
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 Q&A, Issue 0, June 9, 2015
To accommodate the extended effectiveness of ICD-9 after the Protecting Access to Medicare...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 10, May 17, 2015
Can a single physical therapy visit determine a need for occupational therapy that is covered under...
-
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 9, May 3, 2015
Is it an appropriate use of Medicare to do three weeks of assessment and venipuncture for a patient...
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 7, April 3, 2015
You can write orders for when the services begin.
-
Homecare Q&A, Issue 7, April 3, 2015
Unfortunately, when a fall occurs in the presence of agency staff, people assume that it...
-
Homecare Insider, Issue 1, January 5, 2015
Will home health remain exempt from overtime compensation in most circumstances like it has for 40...