Home Health & Hospice Week

200 attendees target disaster preparedness.

Need a reminder of why disaster preparedness is important? Look no further than New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

That's why the city made such a good setting for The Council of State Home Care Associations' first national conference. The new Council for state trade groups, which emphasizes its independence from any one national home care association, held the conference, "Transcending Tragedy, Transforming Your Future--Disaster Planning, Response and Rebuilding," Jan. 14 and 15.

Keynote speakers were former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge and Bernard Kerik, New York City Police Commissioner during 9-11. "Home care has no idea of how important they are to the disaster-preparedness and recovery process," Ridge told the conference's approximately 200 attendees, including 126 registrants. "Home care is instrumental--they are the only point of contact with the frail and elderly."

 The Council, which formed last fall, has 28 state associations as members, it reports in a release. "Other state associations ... are in the process of obtaining board approval for official participation," the Council adds. Six national trade associations participated in the conference talks as well.

"We honor home care for being the first trade group to bring a national conference to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina," Ridge lauded.

• Watch out--you may have an overpayment due thanks to a claims processing system error. "Cancel claims that appeared on remittance advices dated January 5, 2006 through January 17, 2006 did not properly offset against the total payments on the remittance advice," warns regional home health intermediary Palmetto GBA.

The problem is fixed and Palmetto is in the process of identifying overpayments associated with the cancel claims and sending out overpayment demand letters, the RHHI says.

• Now's your chance to give your two cents on RHHI Cahaba GBA's local coverage determinations for outpatient therapy billing. Cahaba wants input on the draft LCDs from home health agencies providing outpatient occupational and physical therapy, and billing Medicare Part A on a 34X type of bill, the intermediary says on its Web site.

Agencies can comment on the drafts, which are online at www.iamedicare.com/Provider/policy/draft/draft.htm, until Feb. 28. LCDs provide billing guidelines and consistency in medical review, Cahaba reminds providers.

• Home care providers should contact their congressional representatives and urge them to vote no on budget reconciliation legislation during the first week in February, the American Association for Homecare recommends. The bill includes a cap on oxygen equipment rental and a home health market basket freeze for 2006.

Provisions in the bill will enact "sweeping changes in capped rental policy, freeze home health reimbursement for 2006," and burden home care patients and providers, AAHomecare warns.

• Telehealth is a popular concept with home care providers, but they may have trouble finding money to implement the new technology.

Two-thirds of the nation's baby boomer and senior populations see little to no value in in-home health telemonitoring, according to a new study from Dallas-based market research firm Parks Associates. They don't want to pay out of pocket or higher health insurance premiums for it, says Parks.

But insurers, including the government, will be won over by home health monitoring once its cost benefits are clearly documented, the study predicts.

• LHC Group Inc. continues to partner with hospitals--this time in a competitor's own back yard. LHC plans to acquire a 67 percent interest in Stanocola Home Health in Baton Rouge, LA. Regional powerhouse Amedisys Inc. is headquartered in that city too.

Stanocola Home Health reported net revenue for 2005 of about $2.2 million and currently has a census of about 130 patients, Lafayette, LA-based LHC says in a release. The joint venture with Stanocola Medical Center will incorporate two existing LHC offices in Baton Rouge, for a combined active census of about 350 patients, with annual net revenues for 2005 of about $6.2 million, LHC adds.

• Flexpoint Partners LLC's newly formed infusion affiliate has acquired the assets of Midatlantic Home Infusion Inc. in Fairfield, NJ, the Chicago-based equity investment firm says in a release.

Previous Senior Vice President of Infusion Services for Apria Healthcare Group Inc., Donald Carlberg, has joined the new company, American Infusion Holdings, as CEO. Carlberg was a previous Option Care Inc. VP. The company will do business under the Midatlantic name. Midatlantic provides home infusion pharmacy services to patients in New Jersey and the New York metropolitan area.

• Akron, OH-based Cambridge Home Health Care has opened its twenty-fourth office in the state. The company, with the newest location in Blue Ash, serves more than 2,100 patients with 1,500 staff, Cambridge says in a release.

• Gentiva Health Services Inc. expects to close its massive acquisition of The Healthfield Group Inc. in the first quarter of 2006, the Melville, NY-based home nursing giant says in a release.

And President and Chief Operating Officer Al Perry will leave Gentiva, effective Jan. 31, after 12 years with the company.