Home Health Line Breaking News
01/16/2013
A CMS demonstration that’s adding billions to reimbursement of Medicare Advantage plans has been criticized – again – by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s chairman for causing a surge in plan enrollment Congress never intended.
 
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) links plan reimbursements to care quality.
 
01/16/2013
In the latest quarterly OASIS Q&As, published Jan. 16, CMS recommended that agencies err on the side of caution when different falls tools yield different results.
 
The federal agency also gave guidance on software-assisted OASIS completion.
01/10/2013
The VNA of Texas announced Jan. 8 that it will no longer provide home health care, focusing instead on hospice, private duty and Meals on Wheels services.
 
The VNA has been around since 1934.
 
01/08/2013
A little-noticed provision of the congressional agreement reached earlier this month removes a barrier to collecting overpayments which are more than three years old. 
 
Auditors now have two more years to collect overpayments in cases where they have no evidence of fraud.
 
01/03/2013
The Hospice of North Idaho has agreed to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Security Rule which occurred when a laptop containing protected health information was stolen.
 
One remarkable feature of the case: The breach involved data for fewer than 500 patients.
 
01/02/2013
The first few days of the new year brought a laundry list of news affecting the home health industry, including a proposed rule from the IRS that clarifies key points of the employer insurance mandate.
 
Also, the fiscal cliff deal reached by Congress contains good news, but leaves sequestration on the table.
01/01/2013
CMS has published a set of eight recommended quality measures that Medicaid health homes could soon be required to report on.
 
Health homes are one of many care-transition models authorized by the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
 
12/20/2012
The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) is asking CMS to establish additional performance standards for contractors.
 
The standards "could guide contractors in focusing their activities on specific types of providers... that need particular oversight emphasis, such as HHAs," the report states.
12/18/2012
What is protected health information subject to the HIPAA privacy rules?
 
It’s something as simple as a complete date, the HHS Office of Civil Rights (OCR) says in new guidance on HIPAA compliance.
 
12/17/2012
A set of new and revised Q&As published Dec. 14 illustrates the latest therapy reassessment changes, but contains few surprises.
 
For example, CMS again confirms that the therapy provisions of the final rule are effective for episodes beginning on or after Jan. 1.

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