Home Health & Hospice Week

Door-to-door marketing restriction lifted for affected DME suppliers.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has offered even more flexibility with some regulatory requirements for Hurricane Katrina victims.
 
CMS at first said while HHAs could abbreviate start of care OASIS assessments (RFA 1) to the 24 payment items and the patient tracking sheet, the rest of the OASIS time points had only a 30-day deferment (see Eli's HCW, Vol. XIV, No. 32, p. 253).
 
In a revision to its online hurricane guidance, CMS now says agencies can abbreviate SOC, resumption of care (RFA 3), and recertification of care (RFA 4) assessments to the 24 payment items, and all other OASIS time point assessments are outright "suspended during the waiver period." The SOC still requires the patient tracking sheet.
 
"HHAs should maintain adequate documentation to support provision of care and payment," however, CMS warns in a survey question-and-answer set on its Katrina Web site.
 
Out of luck: Agencies that have software vendors in the affected area aren't receiving as much slack on OASIS requirements, however. One HHA complains in the Q&A that its vendor, Baton Rouge, LA-based Lewis Inc., will be offline for several weeks.
 
"HHAs do have other options as far as software to use," CMS responds. "We suggest they use HAVEN for the interim." Agencies can get assistance with importing other software's data into the free HAVEN software by calling the HAVEN Help Desk at 1-877-201-4721, CMS instructs.
 
CMS offers much more guidance on its Web site, including how to change physical locations temporarily and how to apply for accelerated payments due to the hurricane.
 
In light of the hurricane, affected durable medical equipment suppliers are seeing a looser attitude toward the usually prohibited practice of soliciting door to door for Medicare business.
 
"Suppliers are currently seeking out and serving beneficiaries displaced by Hurricane Katrina who do not have any means of transportation or communication and are in need of DMEPOS items," CMS says in a fee-for-service Q&A set. While CMS normally discourages door-to-door solicitation, "in light of the current crisis, we encourage suppliers to continue aiding beneficiaries in these situations," the agency says.
 
Suppliers can't waive copayments and deduct-ibles for hurricane victims across the board -- but they can waive them for patients they determine to be indigent on a case-by-case basis, CMS says in the Q&A. Acceptable proof of indigence might be residing in a shelter or possessing a Medicaid card.
 
And Medicare will pay for portable oxygen for patients who usually have stationary oxygen at home but were transported due to evacuation, or who use portable oxygen due to power loss at the home, CMS confirms. Medicare also pays for repair or replacement of DME damaged by the hurricane, CMS adds. 
 
Note: CMS' hurricane guidance is at www.cms.hhs.gov/katrina.