Home Health Line
03/24/2014
Increases in citations involving several conditions of participation occurred in 2013, including the most common deficiency, G0156 (Acceptance of patients, plan of care and medical supervision).
 
03/24/2014
CMS has released much-anticipated guidance providing further clarity about punishment it can impose in the wake of state surveyors identifying deficiencies at home health agencies. The guidance provides more insight into the operational independence agencies could lose and into daily fines, which could reach $10,000 a day. 
 
 
03/24/2014
State surveyors conducting Medicare surveys issued even more condition-level deficiencies for G0156 (acceptance of patients, plan of care and medical supervision) in 2013 than they did in 2012. If the trend continues, it could be financially devastating for home health agencies once new survey sanctions begin July 1.
 
 
03/24/2014
Two recent home health fraud investigations involving tens of millions of dollars underscore the need to report fraud when your agency becomes aware of it. But in many cases, before contacting authorities, consider talking with competing agencies or referral sources about their improper conduct.
03/24/2014
All prescription drugs administered to hospice patients must be pre-approved by Medicare Part D sponsors as of May 1. This new requirement could cause drug fulfillment and payment delays.
03/24/2014
If decreasing Medicare reimbursement, declining referral rates or rising costs are forcing you to consider laying off workers, read and adhere to laws that determine whether you have to give advance notice of termination. Agencies that don’t will owe workers up to several months of back pay and health insurance coverage.
 
 
03/17/2014
Medicare administrative contractor (MAC) Palmetto GBA’s probe involving hospice patients who receive the general inpatient (GIP) level of care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) has resulted in a 61.1% claim denial rate over a three-month period.
03/17/2014
If President Obama’s fiscal 2015 budget were to be adopted, home health agencies would see even deeper cuts in reimbursement than they are already confronting over the next several years. 
03/17/2014
Do not rely solely on guidance the IRS recently published in a final rule that describes five factors to consider in determining whether workers are employees or independent contractors. 
03/17/2014
ecisionHealth (DH) and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) have joined forces with WEDI/CMS and an industry cooperative to ensure a smooth transition to ICD-10 transition for providers, payers, clearinghouses and vendors.

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