Home Health & Hospice Week

HHAs see M2030 downcodes.Don't be surprised if medical reviewers are quicker to take your Medicare dollars back based on inaccurate OASIS answers.In the latest Comprehensive Error Rate Testing results, CERT reviewers reduced home health agencies' HIPPS codes due to errors in M2030 -- "Patient's current ability to prepare and take all prescribed injectable medications reliably and safely, including administration of correct dosage at the appropriate times/intervals. Excludes IV medications." In the downcodes, "responses to this OASIS item ... were inconsistent with the documentation submitted by the provider," notes HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor CGS in its review of the CERT results in its June newsletter for providers.In the majority of cases, "the documentation did not indicate that the beneficiary was receiving any injectable medications" even though the clinician chose a response indicating the patient was receiving injectable meds, CGS notes.Chicago-based regulatory consultant Re-becca Friedman Zuber is surprised to see this problem [...]