Home Health & Hospice Week

Illinois agencies are waiting on pins and needles to see when the Review Choice Demonstration actually will start — and it looks like that waiting may go on a bit longer.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has said it will not implement the preclaim review demo until it gets Paperwork Reduction Act approval for the program. “So, December 10th is still our targeted start date for providers to begin making their choice selections for the demonstration, but that could be subject to change, depending on … when we get that approval,” a CMS official said in a Nov. 13 education call about RCD.

“When we do get that approval, we’ll announce the date when provider can begin making their choice selection and the date where reviews under the demonstration will start.”

HHAs’ worries that RCD will proceed just as the worst of the holiday season – and staffing shortages – hit may find some comfort in the CMS staffer’s comments in the call. “We want to make sure that Home Health Agencies have ample time to make their choice selection and Palmetto needs time as well to finalize in their system, making sure that everyone is in the right choice and documentation will go to the correct place and the systems are set up appropriately,” she said. “We also understand that holidays are coming up soon and we … will be sensitive to that as we finalize some of our start dates.”

Newly posted links to a transcript and recording of the Nov. 13 call are at www.cms.gov/Outreach-and-Education/Outreach/NPC/National-Provider-Calls-and-Events-Items/2018-11-13-HH.html.