Home Health & Hospice Week
Prepare For Quicker Responses To Complaints
Big Brother is watching, and that could mean more survey hassles for Medicare providers. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is getting serious about complaints against health care providers after criticism from the HHS Office of Inspector General and General Accounting Office. The watchdog agencies said CMS doesn't do enough to ensure that beneficiaries receive care in safe environments. In response, CMS is establishing a new database to track and respond to complaints or problems at home health agencies, hospices and other health care entities. As a result, investigators may be quicker to reach your door after receiving a complaint against your organization. In an Aug. 22 Federal Register notice, CMS unveils the ASPEN Complaints/Incidents Tracking System (ACTS), a system of records designed to "track and process complaints and incidents reported against Medicare/Medicaid/CLIA providers and suppliers and to maintain information on laboratory directors and owners." The national system, which reflects CMS' increased emphasis on quality of care, will be used for all certified providers and suppliers, the notice says. Before ACTS, minimal complaint data was collected in the OSCAR system, CMS notes. Editor's Note: The notice is at www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/fedreg/a030822c.html.
Home Health & Hospice Week
- Recruitment & Retention:
Survey Your Way To Successful Recruitment, Retention
The Department of Labor targets health care worker shortage. If high staff turnover rates are [...] - Compensation:
Are You Paying Your Staff Enough?
A little sleuthing could mean more satisfied employees. If your pay rate is making it [...] - Reimbursement:
Medicare Must Add Service To RADs Or Risk Harming Patients
Payment switch is 'a sledgehammer approach to killing a fly,' one expert says. The controversial [...] - Survey & Certification:
Prepare For Quicker Responses To Complaints
Big Brother is watching, and that could mean more survey hassles for Medicare providers. The Centers [...] - Compliance:
Think You're Exempt From HIPAA? Think Again.
Don't let this common HIPAA myth fool you into non-compliance with the transaction standard. If [...] - HIPAA:
9 Steps To HIPAA Privacy Success
With HIPAA's electronic transaction standard deadline fast approaching, some providers may be neglecting the privacy [...] - Fraud & Abuse:
Medicaid Probe Costs Supplier $400,000
Failing to use manufacturer discounts a pricey mistake for one New York supplier. Medicaid enforcement [...] - Industry Notes:
Implementation Of Rulings First Among Contractors' Appeals Priorities
The double standard for Medicare contractors versus Medicare providers is evident once again in appeals [...]
