Home Health & Hospice Week
President Obama Proposes Home Health Copays
Copays would start in 2017, if White House gets its way.
Home health agencies will be fighting another uphill battle against Medicare home health copayments this budget season, it appears.
In the 2014 budget that President Obama sent Congress April 10, he calls for "a modest copayment for home health services in certain cases." The copay, which would start in 2017, would "encourage appropriate use of home health services that are not preceded by inpatient care," according to budget documents. The proposal would reduce Medicare payments for home health services by $60 million over five years and $730 million over 10 years, according to the HomeCare Association of Louisiana.
Hang tight: It will be a challenge for HHAs to get copays out of budget negotiations now that the President has introcued them, experts warn. Providers will be in for a long congressional session of budget wrangling ending when the fiscal year begins Oct. 1 — or maybe even later.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Medical Review:
Don't Let F2F Errors Trip Up Your Reimbursement
Reviewers shoot down 20% of claims for physician-related paperwork errors. The content of your documentation [...] - Budget:
President Obama Proposes Home Health Copays
Copays would start in 2017, if White House gets its way. Home health agencies [...] - OASIS:
Missing OASIS Sinks Claims
Tip: Include OASIS transmission record when you respond to an ADR. Missing OASIS assessments might [...] - Reimbursement:
Scratch This Physician-Related Requirement
But you still need to report new Q codes starting July 1. Home health [...] - Therapy:
Know Therapy Review Ropes To Minimize Disruption
Hold tight: CMS promises a more permanent solution soon. If you’re furnishing Part B outpatient [...] - Billing:
Three-Fourths Of HHAs Fail PECOS Edits
Tip: Check for extra spaces in your doc names. You have only a few weeks [...] - Industry Note:
Watchdog Agency Pushes Surety Bonds
OIG wants even larger bonds for DME suppliers. The OIG is urging CMS to get tougher [...] - Industry Note:
Learn Hospice GIP Lessons From New Resource
Don’t expect caregiver breakdown to qualify your hospice patient for the General In-patient (GIP) level [...] - Industry Note:
Action Required To Recover Funds Stalled Due To 32061
HHH MAC CGS has turned off Reason Code 32061 that was inappropriately holding up hospice [...] - Industry Note:
DME Bidding To Hit 91 Cities In July
Get ready for your patients’ access to durable medical equipment to change this summer. CMS [...] - Industry Note:
Hospice Notifies 5,000 Patients Of Possible HIPAA Breach
A North Carolina hospice is notifying patients of a possible HIPAA breach, and for once [...] - Industry Note:
Late Payments Aren't Really Late, MAC Maintains
You may have noticed sluggish payments this month, but that’s tough cookies, one MAC is [...] - Industry Note:
Detroit HHA Owner, PT Found Guilty Of Fraud
A Detroit-area HHA owner and physical therapist have been found guilty in a $2.3 million [...]
