Home Health & Hospice Week
Tout Your Programs That Reduce Hospitalization Costs
If you aren't building a program showing insurers that your services can save money through reduced hospitalizations and ER visits, you're probably behind your competitors. For example: Hospice of Michigan in De-troit is winning contracts with Blue Care Network, United Healthcare and Priority Health insurance plans thanks to its @HOMe Support Pro-gram, reports Crain's Detroit Business. A new study funded by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation and conducted in collaboration with Wayne State University found the HOM program cut spending up to 36 percent -- about $3,400 -- per month per patient, according to a release. The savings came mostly from reduced inpatient, outpatient, and ER visits, HOM notes in the release. The program "is a unique delivery model that is neither home care nor hospice, but a home-based delivery model with an advanced illness management focus," the hospice explains. "Services are provided by an interdisciplinary team of registered nurses, social workers, patient-family assistants, and other members (e.g. patient-family advocates, volunteers) trained in a group of interventions known as 'Advanced Illness Management (AIM) strategies.'" Services are available 24/7. Marc Keshishian, chief medical officer for BCBS of MI, said Blue Care Network signed on because "in addition to providing quality, this program saved our customers money," Crain's Detroit Business reports. HOM has applied for a CMS Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation grant for the program, according to the newspaper.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Referrals:
Beware Reliance On One Referral Source
Beefed up enforcement is your new reality. You may be thrilled to have one physician [...] - Compliance:
Take 10 Steps To Avoid Referral-Related Compliance Landmines
Tip: Make sure compliance training isn't just for staff orientation. The 78 home health agencies [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
OIG Gives Home Health Coverage An 'A,' But Fraud Pilot Still On Deck
Only 2 percent of reviewed claims fail OIG's coverage test. A new federal report on [...] - Enforcement:
Lawmaker Calls For More Fraud Fighting In Home Health
CMS allows "rampant criminality" in Medicare, district attorney in Texas says. The repercussions of Medicare [...] - Industry Note:
Skip These Unnecessary Hospice ABNs
HHH MAC clarifies your notice requirements relating to missing face-to-face encounters. Wondering what notice you [...] - Industry Note:
Use New Claims Format Or Face Denials
It's no joke -- effective on April Fool's Day, your Medicare claims must be in the [...] - Industry Note:
Clear Up This Question About Allowing Additional Visits
If you're not sure how specific the physician's order needs to be to allow additional [...] - Industry Note:
Docs' Full NPIs To Appear In PECOS Reports
You may now find it a bit easier to figure out if your referring physicians [...] - Industry Note:
Revamped MSN Encourages Bene Fraud Reporting
Home care providers have long complained of Medicare's Medicare Summary Notices (MSNs) confusing beneficiaries. Now [...] - Industry Note:
NLRB Says You Must Post Union Information
Don't forget to comply with a new National Labor Relations Board rule requiring employers to [...] - Industry Note:
Medicare Scammers Target Diabetes Patients
You might want to give your diabetes patients a heads up that a new scam [...] - Industry Note:
Tout Your Programs That Reduce Hospitalization Costs
If you aren't building a program showing insurers that your services can save money through [...] - Industry Note:
HHA Owners, Docs, RNs Indicted In Chicago
Don't be surprised if it takes months -- or longer -- to see additional indictments come down [...]
