Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
SNFs, HHAs May Need System Upgrades
Alert to all nursing homes and home health agencies that have outdated computer equipment: The countdown to CMS compliance is nearly at zero.
To accommodate the upcoming Quality Improvement and Evaluation System(QIES) in January 2006, CMS is transitioning to a new computer system and reporting software. That means nursing homes and home health agencies (HHAs) will be under the gun to meet new minimum system requirements by Dec. 31, 2005.
CMS plans to upgrade software that supports the submission of patient assessments and facility reporting - such as the NH quality indicator (QI) report, HHA outcome (OBQI) reports and the submission and error reports.
A recent CMS survey of nursing homes found that about one-third of nursing facilities use computers that need upgrades to support the new software. Although CMS didn't survey HHAs, the agency said most systems at HHAs are most likely due for an overhaul as well.
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