Home Health & Hospice Week
Potential HHA Copay Will Hurt Seniors
Apotential home health copayment continues to garner mainstream press attention, and industry advocates hope the focus will help constituents tell their representatives that they don't want it. Seniors using home care are "on a fixed income," Linda Hotchkiss, CEO of Rochester District Visiting Nurse Association, told the Foster's Daily Democrat newspaper in New Hampshire. "If they get income of $900 a month, half of them can't buy their drugs. If their doctor says $150 for home care, they won't do it. They're barely paying their bill now." The Democrat is just one of scores of newspapers to run stories about the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission's proposal, which is hotly opposed by home care providers (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XX, No. 4, p. 26). MedPAC's aim of curbing fraud and abuse with the copay is "like taking a meat cleaver instead of a surgical approach," said John Albert, president and CEO of the Home Health Foundation in Lawrence, Mass. "Why impose a (sick) tax on everybody to go after a few bad guys," he told the paper. The Home Health Foundation runs a VNAand other affiliated agencies.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Compliance:
Physicians Balk At Face To Face Burden
Home care providers question CMS's education effort for docs on the new requirement. The new [...] - Reimbursement:
Choose New G Codes Correctly
Tip: Remember to use only one G code per visit. You'll need to keep your [...] - Regulations:
Get Your Next CAHPS Exception Form In Soon
CMS also reveals PECOS backlog in forum. Don't rest on your laurels if you're exempt [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
Feds Take Aim At HHA Fraud
Predictive modeling could put your claims under intense scrutiny. The home health agency industry might [...] - Contractors:
New MAC Takes Over From Cahaba In June
Palmetto transition goes smoothly, new HHH MAC says. CIGNA Government Services has announced the date [...] - Industry Notes:
New Claims System Update Brings New Problems
Watch out for these reimbursement-draining payment glitches. If your claims are getting ugly in the [...] - Human Resources:
Use 4 Leadership Qualities To Improve Your Supervising
Tip: Hone your negotiation skills, expert urges. What are the qualities of a good leader? [...] - Industry Notes:
Get To Know New Key Congressional Members
Home care providers may be getting used to some new names this congressional session, as [...] - Industry Notes:
CMS Delays Expansion Of DME Direct Solicitation Ban
CMS is holding off on its expansion of the direct solicitation ban for durable medical [...] - Industry Notes:
Home Oxygen Approved For Cluster Headaches In Trials
CMS has some good news for your patients battling cluster headaches (CH). "After careful reconsideration, [...] - Industry Notes:
New Law: NY Patients Get End Of Life Counseling
Hospices in New York may soon see if more education will lead to better utilization [...] - Industry Notes:
Potential HHA Copay Will Hurt Seniors
Apotential home health copayment continues to garner mainstream press attention, and industry advocates hope the [...] - Industry Notes:
Assess 36-Month Rule For Transactions, Experts Warn
If you hope to squeeze into an exception in the so-called 36-month rule to avoid [...] - Industry Notes:
Hospices Forge Ahead With Facility Development
An uncertain reimbursement future isn't putting the brakes on hospice facility growth. For example: Rowan [...]
