Home Health & Hospice Week
HRSA Continues To Recoup PRF Relief Funds
Heads up: RP 6 reports are due Dec. 31. As more reporting period deadlines for CARES Act Provider Relief Funds approach, providers face further risk of takebacks. So indicates a new report from the Government Accountability Office. The GAO looked at the $135 billion in payments from the HHS Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to healthcare providers under the PRF program. HRSA has audited a sample of PRF reports as well as reviewing “irregular payments” and recouping funds from noncompliant (i.e., non-reporting) providers, the GAO notes. As of May 2023, HRSA had recouped nearly half of the $2.62 billion in PRF payments identified for recovery, with the other half scheduled by August 2023. Reminder: Reports for Reporting Period 5 are due Sept. 30, while Reporting Period 6, covering funds distributed from July 1 to Dec. 1, 2022, will have a deadline of Dec. 31, 2023. After that will follow RPs 7, 8, and 9. The report is online at www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-106083.pdf. 
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Value-Based Purchasing:
Put October Value-Based Purchasing IPRs On Your Calendar
Get more info on whether you’ll see a pay boost or penalty based on your [...] - Reimbursement:
HHAs Get Fuller Picture Of Their VBP Payment Fate With October IPR’s Total Performance Score
TPS isn’t binding yet, however. With home health agencies nearly three-fourths done with their first [...] - Hospice:
SFP Burdened With A Plethora Of Flaws, Providers Warn CMS
From CAHPS issues to surveyor shortfalls, serious faults dog the program — and could close [...] - Surveys & Certification:
Medicare Should Change These 5 Things About SFP, Commenters Urge
Start with taking CMS’ foot off the gas pedal. Hospices are not happy with Medicare’s [...] - Telehealth:
Home Health Telehealth Needs Watching, OIG Tells Medicare
Have agencies learned from their initial mistakes? In the early days of the COVID-19 public [...] - Industry Notes:
HRSA Continues To Recoup PRF Relief Funds
Heads up: RP 6 reports are due Dec. 31. As more reporting period deadlines for [...] - Industry Notes:
Tackle Coding Conundrums For BIMS, N0415 With New Educational Tools From Medicare
Boost your assessment staff ’s OASIS accuracy with two new educational tools from Medicare. BIMS: [...] - Industry Notes:
Hospice Medicare Advantage VBID Carve-In Area Shrinks A Bit Geographically
The Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in will change shape a bit next year, Medicare officials have [...] - Industry Notes:
Head Off Steep Settlements With Smart Onboarding Checks
If you don’t have a spare $150K lying around, then be sure to check your [...] - Industry Notes:
Equity Reports To Hit Post-Acute Providers In October
Keep watch for two new equity-focused reports coming your way next month — the Discharge [...] - Industry Notes:
Take A Look At New Medicaid Hospice Payment Rates
Check out Medicaid payment rates for hospice services at www.medicaid.gov/sites/default/files/2023-09/medicaid-hospice-rate-letter-FY2024.pdf. Rates take effect Oct. [...]
