Home Health & Hospice Week
Home Care Aides Need First COVID Vaccinations Too, Home Care Groups Urge
Newly approved priority guidelines lack many details. All eyes were on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee deciding on the first federal guidelines regarding vaccine distribution Dec. 1. Good news: The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended that “when a COVID-19 vaccine is authorized by [the Food and Drug Administration] and recommended by ACIP, vaccination in the initial phase of the COVID-19 vaccination program (Phase 1a) should be offered to both 1) health care personnel and 2) residents of long-term care facilities.” Not as good news: Home care aides may get left out of that “health care personnel” definition, industry members worry. Under ACIP standards, “it is obvious that nurses and therapists are health care workers and should be priority recipients of the vaccine,” says a joint letter from seven home care organizations including the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization, and the private duty-focused Home Care Association of America to the ACIP. “Those health care workers generally classified as home health aides, home care aides, hospice aides, personal care attendants, and direct support professionals are equally essential health care workers,” the letter emphasizes. “This workforce is at higher risk of contracting and/or transmitting the virus because of the nature of the services they provide that are focused on assisting with Activities of Daily Living that put them in close contact with their patients for extended periods of time. It is therefore crucial that specific inclusion of this segment of the health care workforce be included as a first-line priority class of health care workers eligible for the vaccine,” the groups urged ACIP ahead of its Dec. 1 vote. Nevertheless, ACIP used this definition of health care personnel: “paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials.” CDC Director Robert Redfield has adopted the recommendations, ACIP says on its website. Take It To The States “The recommendations to prioritize health-care workers and residents of long-term-care facilities in phase one of immunization leaves states and local jurisdictions with substantial leeway to define that category and prioritize within it,” NAHC cautions in its member newsletter. Industry members should put forth “efforts in the states to ensure that home health and hospice workers receive prioritization for the vaccine once one is approved.” Note: The ACIP recommendations are at www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/recommendations.html.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Compliance:
Home Health Improper Payment Rate Down To 9.3%
Insufficient documentation continues to plague HH claims. Not all the details are out about Medicare’s [...] - COVID-19:
Medicare Expands Hospital At Home Program As COVID Surge Swamps Hospitals
Make sure you understand the differences between the home health benefit and the hospital program. [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
CIA Violation Racks Up $1.3 Million in Penalties For HHA
OIG Semiannual Report works through the naughty list. ‘Tis the season for the OIG to [...] - Audits:
Miami HHA Owes $730,000, OIG Audit Charges
One-third of determinations reversed after rebuttal. A for-profit Miami home health agency is the latest [...] - Hospice:
OIG Admits It Got Nearly Half The Claims Determinations Wrong In Compassus Audit
Plus: OIG pats itself on the back for hospital pay proration for early discharges to [...] - Policy:
Home Care Aides Need First COVID Vaccinations Too, Home Care Groups Urge
Newly approved priority guidelines lack many details. All eyes were on a Centers for Disease [...] - Industry Notes:
Stark Law Reform Eases Some Self-Referral, Kickback Restrictions
Giving free tech to referral sources may be OK, one HHS example says. Home health [...] - Industry Notes:
Click On This For Medicare Advantage Carve-In Info
Medicare wants to make sure hospices are getting all the info about the new Medicare Advantage [...] - Industry Notes:
Beef Up HH Benefit, Study Urges
If insurers including Medicare really want to get the most bang for their buck out [...] - Industry Notes:
Sham Med Director Pay, Bonuses Feature In HH Fraud Settlement
A Sarasota, Florida home health agency and its top executives have agreed to pay $5.8 [...] - Industry Notes:
MACs Unite To Train On Addendum
If you’re struggling with the new hospice election addendum, the MACs are offering some help. [...]
