Home Health & Hospice Week
Oxygen Pay Rates Should Be Lower, GAO Tells Congress In New Report
Oxygen suppliers will see Medicare reimbursement rates for the equipment fall even further, if the Government Accountability Office gets it way. "Congress should consider reducing home oxygen payment rates," the GAO says in a new report on the matter. One problem is that rates for stationary oxygen units include refill costs, but about one-third of beneficiaries use stationary equipment that doesn't require refills, the GAO notes in the report. The report did bring up problems with the 36-month oxygen cap, noting that it may decrease access for benes nearing the cap who need to find a new oxygen supplier. In fact, the GAO's draft report recommended that CMS repeal the cap, notes the National Association for Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers. But CMS insisted that it had found suppliers for every beneficiary that reported such a problem, so the GAO removed the recommendation. The report is at www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-56.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Regulations:
FFE Burden Crushes HHAs
Docs get inconsistent messages about the new face-to-face requirement. Getting physicians on board for the [...] - Compliance:
Access Problems Loom Due To FFE
Many HHAs opt to deny admission if FFE visits and forms aren't in place. Once [...] - Documentation:
FFE Documentation Presents Complications
Many providers fear that some physicians will stop referring home care patients, based on comments [...] - Strategy:
Use These 11 Tips To Tackle FFE Requirement
Reach out to variety of sources for education. The new face-to-face encounter requirement is overwhelming [...] - Budget:
President's Budget Gives Home Care A Break
Industry still faces an uphill battle in this budget-cutting year. Home health agencies breathed a [...] - Industry Notes:
Get Your Physician Orders, Signatures Right
Documentation second-biggest problem for HHAs, latest CERT review shows. With medical review on the rise, [...] - Industry Notes:
Don't Let Response-Specific Instructions Lead You Astray
Beware an error in the latest OASIS-C guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid [...] - Industry Notes:
Home Therapy As Effective As Locomotor Therapy
You may receive more referrals for stroke patients requiring therapy, thanks to a new study [...] - Industry Notes:
Oxygen Pay Rates Should Be Lower, GAO Tells Congress In New Report
Oxygen suppliers will see Medicare reimbursement rates for the equipment fall even further, if the [...] - Industry Notes:
Another Claims System Fix On Deck For March
If you have claims spanning from 2009 to 2010 that are editing incorrectly for timeliness [...] - Industry Notes:
Campaign To Repeal New 1099 Tax Reporting For Small Biz Continues
The campaign against new 1099 reporting rules continues. The House Committee on Small Business held [...] - Industry Notes:
FBI Says Home Care Fraud Investigations Are On The Rise
Home care fraud investigations are on the rise, increasing your chances of getting caught up [...] - Industry Notes:
Tip: Check This If Your Adjustments Aren't Working
If you're wondering why your claims adjustments won't work, you might have to check where [...]
