Home Health & Hospice Week
Looming Medicare Cuts From Super Committee Threaten Home Care
Budget-cutting efforts pick up steam as Thanksgiving deadline approaches. Home care providers may not have much to be thankful for in the super committee's budget-cutting deliberations. With up to $600 billion in Medicare cuts proposed, HHAs and hospices may have good reason to worry. Background: The so-called congressional super committee is tasked with generating at least $1.2 trillion in government spending cuts by Nov. 23. The 12-member committee has been working in relative secret since its inception this summer while being bombarded on all sides by lobbyists opposing cuts. Now the Democrats on the committee have put forth a proposal to cut $3 trillion, in part by including $400 billion in unspecified Medicare cuts. The Republicans have countered with a proposal that includes $600 billion in such cuts, according to press reports. The two parties are wrangling over whether to include tax increases in the package, and the impasse may derail the legislation altogether. If it does, a 2 percent across-the-board cut will hit programs such as Medicare. Experts continue to debate whether the across-the-board cut would be the lesser of two evils for home care. Home health agency copays are almost surely included in the package, since they have been proposed by a range of bodies including the Obama administration, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, and the Congressional Budget Office. The bad press the industry has received lately "make co-pays likely for our not too distant future," worries the HomeCare Association of Louisiana. Additional HHA and hospice cuts are also likely to be included in the package, expects the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. NAHC urges providers to lobby their elected representatives for no copays or cuts in the deficit reduction package. "Those patients who choose not to or are unable to receive home health care will seek services in ERs and other more costly venues," HCLA reminds.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Prospective Payment System:
2.3% Pay Cut Hits Freestanding For-Profits Hardest In 2012
Case mix changes reduce reimbursement rates for high-therapy episodes. The home care industry's call to [...] - Diagnosis Coding:
Don't Let These Coding Deletions Make You Tense
Capture those 3 case mix points with better coding. You should hone your coding of [...] - Regulations:
HHAs Make Slight Gains In F2F, Therapy Requirements
Also read up on these CAHPS, ICD-10, and homebound definition changes. In addition to payment [...] - Industry Note:
Looming Medicare Cuts From Super Committee Threaten Home Care
Budget-cutting efforts pick up steam as Thanksgiving deadline approaches. Home care providers may not have [...] - Industry Note:
You Can Ignore These Ownership Questions On New Enrollment Form
When you're filling out the new 855A form, there are a few sections you can [...] - Industry Note:
Say Good-Bye To Last Holdout For Late Charges
Get ready to make a hospice billing change this spring. For April 1 or later [...] - Industry Note:
Part B Deductibles, Premiums Decrease In 2012
Your patients are getting good news about their Medicare bills. Part A premiums will increase [...] - Industry Note:
Avoid These Hospice Technical Denial Hot Spots
Don't let technicalities result in your hospice claims getting denied. The problem: One top cause [...] - Industry Note:
NHIC Providers Should Use This Software Patch
If NHIC is your HHH MAC and you use PC-ACE Pro 32 billing software, be [...] - Industry Note:
Head Off Claims Delays With New MAC Addresses
Just when you've gotten used to sending your documents to one mailing address for new [...] - Industry Note:
After Senate Therapy Report, 'Big 4' Co. Reports Huge Loss
The near future is looking bleak for publicly traded home care companies. The first of [...] - Industry Note:
MO Provider Settles Medicaid Fraud Charges For $130K
A St. Louis-area home care provider, Midland Empire Resources for Independent Living in St. Joseph, [...]
