Home Health & Hospice Week
New HHS Initiatives Boost Medicaid Home Care
The Department of Health and Human Services is sending mixed messages about the value of home care, in many providers' eyes. On one hand: CMS has instituted years of home health agency payment rate cuts, such as those for so-called "case mix creep," and has burdened HHAs with additional regulatory requirements, making the operating environment for Medicare-certified HHAs more difficult. On the other hand: HHS has announced Medicaid initiatives to beef up home care. "We know that people frequently prefer to receive services in their own homes and communities whenever possible," HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius says in a release. "Prior to passage of the Affordable Care Act, many families had few choices beyond nursing homes or other institutions for their loved ones. The actions taken today will help change that and can lead to better health for these individuals." HHS has finalized the Community First Choice rule, which is a new state plan option under Medicaid, the agency explains. Under the option, states will receive a 6 percentage point increase in federal Medicaid matching funds for providing community-based attendant services and supports to beneficiaries who would otherwise be confined to a nursing home or other institution. And HHS has announced the first 16 organizations that will participate in the new Indepen-dence at Home Demonstration. "They will test whether delivering primary care services in the home can improve the quality of care and reduce costs for patients living with chronic illnesses."
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Medical Review:
MAC Denies Almost All Long-Stay HTN Claims
Medical necessity can be hard to prove for hypertension patients. If you're treating a patient [...] - Coverage:
Take These 8 Steps To Torpedo HTN Denials
Make patient, treatment changes the cornerstone of your documentation for hypertension patients. Don't write off [...] - Hospice:
Hospices Off The Hook For Some Hospital Costs
CMS rep answers providers' hospice coverage questions in forum. Every hospice has been there -- a [...] - Billing:
CMS Clarifies Rules For Submitting MSP Claims
Hint: Record all beneficiary insurance cards, not just the Medicare one. Don't let Medicare Secondary [...] - Reimbursement:
Your Top 3 Secondary Payer Questions Answered
Understand coordination of benefits to receive your rightful reimbursement. Still have questions about the often-confusing [...] - Industry Note:
Don't Pay Docs For Face-To-Face Documentation
Physicians must turn to Medicare for payment, Q&A says. If you cave in to physicians' [...] - Industry Note:
Facilities Pay For Late Data
Have you been wondering if Medicare would follow through on penalizing home health agencies for [...] - Industry Note:
Make Sure Your Docs Are Enrolled In PECOS Before It's Too Late
Indicators that PECOS edits may be right around the corner are increasing. Background: In May [...] - Industry Note:
New HHS Initiatives Boost Medicaid Home Care
The Department of Health and Human Services is sending mixed messages about the value of [...] - Industry Note:
OIG Blasts Use Of KX On DME Claims
You may need to get more careful about using KX modifiers on your DME claims. [...] - Industry Note:
Copay Proposals Dog Home Care Providers
The specter of copays continues to plague home care providers this budget season. After being [...] - Industry Note:
Heed MAC Clarification On Hospice Revocation Billing
Billing can get tricky for patients who choose to revoke their hospice election. HHH MAC [...] - Industry Note:
Miami HHA Owner Draws 10-Year Prison Sentence
Three Miami HHA operators who pled guilty to Medicare fraud early this year have received [...] - Industry Note:
Feds Make Another Record-Breaking Fraud Bust
Another nationwide coordinated fraud bust has taken place. Hundreds of federal agents fanned out around [...]
