Home Health Line
10/21/2013
The federal shutdown, which ended in its third week on Oct. 17, didn’t interrupt Medicare payments to home health agencies. But it was hurting the industry in other ways, most notably by scrubbing — or at least delaying — a final appeal in behalf of agencies for a less punitive rate rebasing and related rate reductions than proposed in the PPS rule for 2014.
10/21/2013
An effort to increase the coordination and quality of care and reduce costs of care provided to beneficiaries who are eligible for both Medicaid and Medicare — so-called dual eligibles — will eliminate some red tape home health agencies face. But some agencies may no longer be allowed to care for these patients if they don’t meet certain criteria.
10/21/2013
Improve communication between your wound care specialist and your clinicians by having clinicians email the specialist photos from the field.
 
 
10/21/2013
Hospice volunteer services managers must provide volunteer orientation that meets industry standards and must document this, their recruitment efforts and how much money they save through use of volunteers to avoid being cited for deficiencies. These programs must also provide volunteers with the orientation and training they need to do their jobs. Lapses in these areas are the ones most likely to cause a program to be cited for deficiencies, says Katie Wehri, VP for hospice at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice.
 
 
10/21/2013
The standards governing the training of volunteers are listed in section 418.78 of the Conditions for Participation. Hospices are required to use volunteers on a daily basis and they must provide patient care, routine assistance to patients — such as shopping, transportation or companionship services — or administrative services that equal at least 5% of all hours worked by paid hospice employees and contractors.
10/21/2013
Codes involving wound care are among the least profitable treated in home health. That’s according to data from Seattle-based OCS HomeCare showing the industry’s five least profitable diagnoses.

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