Home Health & Hospice Week
A Single Finding Will Move You To Partial Extended Survey
CMS revises survey protocols. New survey rules for home health agencies will go into effect May 1, and they're likely to bring on more extended surveys. Under the new rules, a single survey finding will constitute a standard-level deficiency, explained Pat Sevast with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice's annual March on Washington conference. "Because the Level 1 highest priority standards are identified as those most related to the delivery of high-quality patient care, a single problematic finding with an actual (or potential) poor outcome(s) ... would support a determination of noncompliance with a standard tag (e.g., one clinical record finding and/or one home visit finding)," say the new surveyor guidelines issued in Survey & Certification letter S&C: 11-11-HHA. "Determine if a deficiency exists, and if it does, move to a partial extended survey," the guidance instructs surveyors. Under those instructions, a survey with no standard-level deficiencies cited will happen "once every 30 years," groaned Chicago-based regulatory consultant Rebecca Friedman Zuber, who attended the March 28 session. CMS will hold a webinar about the new survey protocols April 6. Information is at https://webinar.cms.hhs.gov/hhasurveyprotocols. Sign in as a guest, Sevast directed. Resource: The new protocols are in the 143-page letter at www.cms.gov/Surveycertificationgeninfo/downloads/SCLetter11_11.pdf.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Regulations:
HHA Industry On Brink Of F2F Crisis With No Delay
One agency tells CMS 98% of F2F paperwork isn't adequate. Physicians' inability or unwillingness to [...] - Hospice:
No Hospice F2F? You Must Discharge From Medicare
CMS sheds light on face-to-face gray areas in new questions and answers. If you miss [...] - Medical Review:
Watch Out For Hot Button Medical Review Topics
Are you waving these red flags in front of reviewers' faces? To stay off medical [...] - Survey & Certification:
Make Criminal Background Checks A Priority Before Surveyors Do
CMS's background check program for HHAs, hospices is running in 10 states so far. How [...] - Compliance:
Take These 3 Steps To Head Off Background Check Problems
Are you checking the FBI database? How can your home care organization head off survey, [...] - Industry Notes:
A Single Finding Will Move You To Partial Extended Survey
CMS revises survey protocols. New survey rules for home health agencies will go into effect [...] - Industry Notes:
Palmetto GBA Parent Buys CIGNA Government Services
Home health agencies and hospices transferring from Cahaba GBA to CIGNA Government Services this summer [...] - Industry Notes:
Title Supervisory Visits In The Schedule
Is keeping in compliance with rules for aide supervisory visits proving difficult? These tips from [...] - Industry Notes:
Copay Returns To The Budget Table
President Obama's proposed budget for 2012 may not include a home health copayment, but that [...] - Industry Notes:
Bypass New Enrollment Fee If You Know The Ropes
If you're wondering how to pay your Medicare enrollment or revalidation fee under new application [...] - Industry Notes:
Watch Out For Claims Edits On Site Of Service
Medicare has implemented edits that will return your hospice claims submitted with an inappropriate site [...] - Industry Notes:
Claims Glitch Clears Up
Claims submitted to Palmetto GBA that were stuck in status location SB9099 should be processing [...] - Industry Notes:
Chain Makes Ohio Buy
Louisville, Ky.-based Almost Family Inc. is buying the assets of the Medicare-certified home health agency [...] - Industry Notes:
Physician Gets Jail Time For Home Care Fraud
The physician involved in a Miami-area home care fraud ring has been sentenced to two [...] - Industry Notes:
Note This ICD-10 Change
When ICD-9 becomes ICD-10 in 2013, you'll need to know how to categorize your care [...]
