Home Health & Hospice Week
HHAs Open While Hospice Downsizes
Growth and change continue in the home health and hospice markets.
In North Carolina: BAYADA Home Health Care has opened two offices in Wilmington, reports The Greater Wilmington Business Journal. The 22-state chain based near Philadelphia has 50 locations in North Carolina, the Journal says.
And UniHealth Home Health and Forsyth County Healthcare Properties has secured state approval to create a Medicare HHA in Forsyth County, reports the Winston-Salem Journal. Uni-Health beat out three competitors for the CON, the newspaper says.
In New York: Bronx-based Alpine Home Health Care has filed plans with the state to establish a Medicare HHA in Western New York to serve Erie and Niagara counties, reports the Buffalo Busi-ness First newspaper.
In Massachusetts: The state’s oldest hospice is changing its name from Hospice of the Good Shepherd to Good Shepherd Community Care, reports the Newton Tab newspaper. The name will reflect the organization’s growth into other programs besides traditional hospice, it says.
In Ohio: But not all programs are growing. Hospice of Dayton plans to lay off a dozen employees this month in response to a continuing decline in the number of patients it serves and cuts to Medicare reimbursement, reports the Dayton Daily News. "Our (patient) census, like many other hospice pro-viders around the country, has experienced a decline, not due to a smaller number of admissions, but due to shorter lengths of stay," a hospice official said. The nonprofit’s average daily census fell from more than 700 in 2012 to just more than 600 by the end of last year. Almost half of its hospice patients stayed in the program for seven days or less. The cuts will mainly affect administrative and "complimentary" staff, such as massage therapists, according to the Daily News.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Audits:
RACs Launch New Home Care Reviews This Month
Medical necessity, long stays top Recovery Audit Contractors’ new hit lists. Home health agencies’ heavy [...] - Diagnosis Coding:
Use 3 Coding Questions To Bolster Medical Necessity
Beware of recycling diagnoses for recertifications. RACs and other Medicare contractors are zeroing in on [...] - Medical Review:
Get Up To Speed On These RAC FAQs
Undergoing one RAC audit doesn’t mean you won’t get hit with another for the same [...] - Therapy:
High Therapy May Land You On MAC's Radar
Check these claims to make sure you can back up your patients’ therapy visits and [...] - Reimbursement:
MedPAC Finalizes Rate Cut Recommendations For Home Health, Hospice
Influential advisory body continues its pressure to implement a home health copay. Your uphill battle [...] - Industry Note:
LUPA Hold Throws Agencies For A Loop
Hold may affect more than LUPA claims. A new claims system glitch is slowing home [...] - Industry Note:
Therapy Cap Exception Process Expires In 2 Months
For home care providers furnishing Part B therapy in the home, you’ve got a bit [...] - Industry Note:
New Education Tool Explains F2F To Physicians
CMS is offering you a helping hand to get docs on board with face-to-face encounter [...] - Industry Note:
HHS Moves Patient Appeals To Front Of ALJ Line
Your claims appeals may be put on hold for two years if you want an [...] - Industry Note:
Rogue Employee Causes Major HIPAA Violation
If you don’t have a good handle on what your employees are up to with [...] - Industry Note:
Joint Commission Revises Home Care Requirements
Home health agencies accredited by The Joint Commission will see revised requirements effective next month. [...] - Industry Note:
CMS Podcast Helps Docs With Hospice Billing Basics
You can help out physicians who refer hospice patients to your organization by pointing them [...] - Industry Note:
HHAs Open While Hospice Downsizes
Growth and change continue in the home health and hospice markets. In North Carolina: BAYADA [...] - Industry Note:
2 Veteran Consulting Firms Join Forces
Two industry veterans in home care consulting have joined forces. Simione Healthcare Consultants, founded in [...]
