Abt Associates has released its annual report designed to justify CMS’s contention that home care agencies have been gradually inflating OASIS assessments since PPS began, resulting in artificially higher payments that do not accurately reflect a patient’s level of service need. The "case-mix creep" theory convined MedPAC to recommend four consecutive years of rate cuts and raised pressure on clinical software developers, OASIS checking services and OASIS trainers to help clinicians become ever more accurate and consistent with their assessments. The report was just released but we offer some quick reactions to its highlights and invite readers to examine it more closely.
ICD-10 Fact Sheet available for download.
There will be fewer steps to take to receive federal stimulus funds. This may hasten the day when hospitals and physicians have been paid and the government and its quasi-private Certification Commission for Health Information Technology may begin to set standards for home care and hospice EHRs, a necessary step before stimulus funds reach home care.
Verizon Wireless has been busy lately. The Basking Ridge NJ mega-cellular company that was formed by a joint venture between Verizon Communications and Vodafone appeared in two product announcements this week. Both home care mobile communications vendor CellTrak and Panasonic Computer Solutions Company®™ have partnered with Verizon to provide real-time, cellular data services for their respective devices. CellTrak now communicates via virtually every North American cell provider and Panasonic offers built-in, chip-level connections to the Verizon network from its Toughbook H1 Mobile PC.
by Heather Wilson There is not much new since the update last week so we will provide a recap of the current status of each RAC. For Region A, Diversified Collection Services is the only RAC that has not posted any approved issues on its website and therefore has not begun any automated reviews.
by Heather Wilson I had the opportunity to speak with a hospice executive director this week who stopped by the Weatherbee offices for a visit during her vacation/workshop on Cape Cod. She talked about how challenging it is to keep up with issues like the RACs given the amount of information she needs to absorb […]
We may not always have a Medically Unbelievable Denial story to offer every week but this one could not wait until next month. This episode was denied, in part, because “home health care agencies are paid more when they provide more therapy services.”
Achieving and maintaining compliance has always been high on the goal statements of every legitimate home care agency. Today, compliance is quickly becoming a survival issue. To help readers sort through current challenges, we traveled to Boston to interview Denise Bonn, Deputy Director of NAHC’s Center for Healthcare law, and sit in on her comprehensive […]
Welcome to “RAC Assistance for Home Care,” a “Home Health News Source” publication. Read our Mission Statement here.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will host a telephone conference on Thursday, August 20 to provide information for healthcare providers about the H1N1 Virus Title: Information Exchange with HHS on H1N1 Healthcare System Preparedness and Response Date: Thursday, August 20, 2009 Time: 1:30 -3:00 pm, EDT Call-in Number: 800-837-1935 Conference ID: H1N1 […]
