Home Health & Hospice Week
SURVIVE AND THRIVE WITH THESE 3 VITAL BIDDING STEPS
Knowledge will be power. Read the fine print of quality standards. If you haven't done so already, dig in, coached Maryellen Conway, president of Capital Healthcare Group in Bethesda, MD, in a Dec. 18 American Association for Homecare audioconference. You'll be taking the first step in understanding the new demands accreditation will put on your business. Select an accreditor. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services approved its final list of DMEPOS accrediting organizations Nov. 22 (see Eli's HCW, Vol. 15, No. 42). Review the list of 11 groups at www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS/downloads/DMEPOS_Accreditation_Organizations.pdf carefully. Narrow the list based on your products and expectations. Get a grip on your MSA. If you haven't done so already, familiarize yourself with the list of the top 25 MSAs: Miami, Kansas City, MO, Riverside, CA, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, NC, Orlando, FL, San Antonio, Virginia Beach, VA, Atlanta, San Juan, PR, Tampa, FL, Baltimore, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Washington, Boston, Detroit and San Francisco.
Competitive bidding is at your doorstep, so be sure you've covered these bases:
Read with an eye for detail. "Get your highlighter out," says Conway.
Some "inconspicuous" provisions to note include health screenings, drug tests and background checks for employees, infection control requirements, and, for mail order suppliers, the need to "verify" training and instructions at the time of initial delivery.
To see the quality standards, go to www.cms.hhs.gov/CompetitiveAcqforDMEPOS/04_New_Quality_Standards.asp.
A good preliminary step: Call all accrediting organizations that suit your needs--and consider your first impression. "That first call needs to be a comfortable experience," says Conway. "Did the person answer your questions? Was your call returned promptly?"
New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are also among the top 25 MSAs, but CMS has said that these areas will be excluded from the first round.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Pay For Performance:
P4P DEMO MAY BRING EXTRA REIMBURSEMENT TO HOME CARE
Demo funding drawn from reduced hospital, ER use.
Home health agencies got some good news and [...] - PROPOSED P4P DEMONSTRATION MEASURES AND THEIR WEIGHTS
Incidence of Acute Care Hospitalization (25%)
Incidence of Any Emergent Care (15%)
Improvement in Bathing (10%)
Improvement in [...] - Quality:
HHAs PROTEST HOSPITAL, RE MEASURES FOR P4P DEMO
Ambulation measure problematic too.
The new pay for performance demonstration is likely to reward providers most [...] - Competitive Bidding:
COMPETITIVE BIDDING MAY BE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK
There's no final rule--but no time to waste.
If your wares include durable medical equipment, prosthetics, [...] - Competitive Bidding:
SURVIVE AND THRIVE WITH THESE 3 VITAL BIDDING STEPS
Knowledge will be power.
Competitive bidding is at your doorstep, so be sure you've covered these [...] - Therapy:
THINK TWICE ABOUT BILLING INFRARED THERAPY TREATMENTS
CMS says no to this modality.
If you furnish provide infrared therapy, beware.
You may be one [...] - OASIS:
3 SIMPLE WAYS TO IMPROVE OASIS ACCURACY
When assessing, try replacing 'tell me' with 'show me.'
Watch out: Transmitting flawed OASIS assessments can [...] - Power Mobility:
DON'T MISS DETAILS OF ROUND-TWO WHEELCHAIR CODE REVISIONS
Feds redefine some items.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may have more technical errors [...] - Diagnosis Coding:
CODE MUSCLE WEAKNESS RIGHT TO KEEP REIMBURSEMENT STRONG
Tip: Focus on multiple aspects of an underlying disease.
Learning when to report 728.87 for muscle [...] - Gauge Your Past Performance and Steer Your Agency Higher
Introducing Eli's 2006 Home Health Operations Dashboard presented by Eli's Home Care Week and BKD [...] - Industry Notes:
CONGRESS EXTENDS THERAPY CAP EXCEPTIONS
Last-minute legislation also addresses recovery audits, wage index, respite care.
Home health agencies that furnish outpatient [...]
