Home Health & Hospice Week

Thousands of HHA employees displaced. Many home care providers' and patients' worst fears came true when they were among the Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi residents struck by Hurricane Katrina.
 
Fifty home health agencies in New Orleans were flooded and possibly destroyed and another 44 in  Louisiana were affected by winds and rain, the American Association for Homecare reports. Those providers serve about 21,000 patients.
 
The hurricane and its aftermath have displaced as many as 2,000 home care employees from the New Orleans area for weeks or months, Warren Hebert of the Homecare Association of Louisiana tells AAH. Nearby HHA staffers may offer housing to colleagues and agencies may offer them jobs, Hebert says.
 
Alabama has also been hard hit. Lack of communication, flooding and power outages were the state's biggest problems after the hurricane hit, Mike Hamilton of the Alabama Durable Medical Equipment Association tells AAH.
 
Amedisys Inc. says it has fully operational headquarters in Baton Rouge, LA. But it estimates "significant damage" at six of its southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi agencies and "some disruption to service" at nine more locations.
 
"Amedisys is focused on contacting and assisting both our patients and employees," CEO William Borne says in a release.
 
Norcross, GA-based Pediatric Services of America Inc. reports "a significant disruption in operations" at a respiratory office and a nursing office in southern Louisiana and a respiratory office in Mobile, AL. "PSAI's additional branches in Louisiana are expected to return to normal operations over the next few days," the company says.
 
"We are working through our recovery plans and will remain focused on providing all appropriate forms of assistance to our employees and patients," PSAI CEO Daniel J. Kohl says in a release. Palmetto to the Rescue Regional home health intermediary and DME regional carrier Palmetto GBA has offered up assistance. "We realize the impact Hurricane Katrina may have on the provider community we service," Palmetto says in an Aug. 29 Web site posting. "We will provide assistance to providers impacted by the hurricane so that they may continue to provide services to the Medicare beneficiary community and consider those services for reimbursement."
 
DME suppliers can replace lost or destroyed equipment at replacement value, Palmetto says. And beneficiaries can pick up supplies before next month's drop shipment date if they had to evacuate and/or supplies were destroyed or lost.
 
Hospices can contract for core services due to the emergency. "Thus hospice agencies should not discharge or advise patients to revoke the Hospice Medicare Benefit," Palmetto instructs.
 
Here's what to do: Palmetto will accept paper claims for affected providers if they put "Disaster Claim" in bold letters at the top of the claim and "Flood Claim" in the supporting documentation.
 
Palmetto may also assist with other specific situations such as medical review, [...]