Home Health & Hospice Week
Zone 3 ZPIC Start Date Set For April
Home care providers located in ZPIC Zone 3 can stop wondering who their Zone Program Integrity Contractor is. A protest over the bid for the ZPIC Zone 3 contract was finally resolved last fall, with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services naming Cahaba Safeguard Administrators as the ZPIC for Kentucky, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Cahaba's ZPIC contract start date is April 24, it says on its website at www.cahabasafeguard.com. Cahaba plans to work on these ZPIC activities, it says: investigations, law enforcement referrals, data analysis, medical review in support of investigations, and Medicare-Medicaid data matching activities and support. One ZPIC contract remains under protest, CMS notes in an updated MLN Matters article reviewing the contractors. In Zone 6 (Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, D.C., New Jersey, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, Rhode Island, Connecticut), TriCenturion Inc. and SafeGuard Services are protesting the award of the ZPIC contract to Cahaba, according to the Govern-ment Accountability Office. In a decision issued Jan. 25, the GAO upheld TriCenturion and SGS's protests. Resources: The MLN Matters article is at www.cms.gov/MLNMattersArticles/Downloads/SE1204.pdf. The GAO decision is at www.gao.gov/assets/590/588511.pdf.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- OASIS:
Brace For An OASIS Crackdown
OIG trains its sights on HHAs' data collection and reporting. If you've been lax with [...] - Quality:
Leadership Makes The Difference In Reducing Rehospitalizations, Study Says
Accountability is the key to success with this important outcome. You can kiss better rehospitalization [...] - Top 5 Strategies For Preventing Unplanned Hospitalizations
1. Fall prevention. 2. Agency awareness and support. 3. Front loading. 4. Medication management. 5. [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
78 HHAs Put On Suspension At Once As Part Of Fraud Bust
Be careful about which docs certify your patients for home care It's not just home [...] - Human Resources:
Why Your Motivation Methods Aren't Working
There's no one size fits all. One of your employees doesn't seem as content with [...] - Industry Note:
Home Care Companies Earnings Drop In Latest Quarter
Amedisys inks managed care deal. The U.S. Senate's therapy inquiry, the face-to-face assessment requirement, and [...] - Industry Note:
Reexamine Your Interpreter Responsibilities
If you've let interpreter services fall off your priority list, it may be time to [...] - Industry Note:
Zone 3 ZPIC Start Date Set For April
Home care providers located in ZPIC Zone 3 can stop wondering who their Zone Program [...] - Industry Note:
CMS Puts Hospice Quality Reporting Training On Deck
Keep your schedule free next month for CMS training on hospice quality reporting. The voluntary [...] - Industry Note:
Use New HHABN Form By April
Don't forget to start using the new home health advance beneficiary notice form by April [...] - Industry Note:
Exception Process For Therapy Caps Signed Into Law
An extension to therapy cap exceptions until Dec. 31 is now law. Part of the [...] - Industry Note:
Home Health Aide Is Most Sleep Deprived Job In U.S.
Not sure why your aide staff seem unmotivated? Perhaps it's a lack of sleep. According [...] - Reader Question:
Beware Claiming Therapy As Unrelated To Hospice
Reviewers are cracking down on what's considered unrelated to the terminal diagnosis. Question: Will Part [...]
