We asked you last week [in the HCTR August 27, 2014 issue] to tell us about your experiences with VA physicians. We had been hearing how difficult it is to get essential documents signed and returned but we hoped what we were hearing were random anecdotes. According to what you told us, the problem […]
WASHINGTON, DC — September 3, 2014 — The Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA) filed comments with CMS regarding its proposed Calendar Year 2015 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM). In its comments, VNAA asserts nonprofit home health agencies are critical access providers for vulnerable patients and […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – (Sept. 3, 2014) – District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), U. S Representatives Erik Paulsen (R-MN), Diane Black (R-TN) and Phil Gingrey, MD (R-GA), Colonel Al Bonnema, MD, US Air Force, Medical Corps, Department of Defense and Dr. Theresa Cullen, CMIO and Director of Health Informatics for the […]
By Richard Chesney, founder and president of Healthcare Market Resources As part of the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) was authorized to initiate demonstration projects to improve healthcare utilization of dual-eligible beneficiaries. How will changes in the payment and delivery of services for dual-eligible patients impact home health providers? […]
The cost of a privacy or security breach can reach into the tens, even hundreds, of thousands. The attitude “It probably won’t happen to us” is not a compliance strategy. Preparation and staff training are far less expensive than recovering from fines, penalties, and a damaged reputation. Our friends at Carosh Compliance Solutions (See HCTR […]
Do home care agencies make a profit, break even, or lose money caring for veterans? Stories have been surfacing recently across the country about growing numbers of full episodes of care that were never reimbursed and had to be taken as a loss. These are cases where the patient was referred to the home care […]
On August 5, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a guidance entitled “Design Considerations for Devices Intended for Home Use.” The guidance provides device manufacturers with recommendations to minimize safety and effectiveness risks associated with devices that are intended to be used in the home. Leah Mendelsohn Stone, of the healthcare law firm […]
Why would anybody want to hack into a home care agency’s servers, or smash a car window to steal a clinician’s laptop computer or tablet device? What can be gained by getting one’s hands on patient data? According to a report by the Aberdeen Group, the answer is about $500, per patient, depending on […]
Crown Point, Indiana – HIPAA consultancy firm Carosh Compliance Solutions announced this week that Liz Mayer has joined the firm as Chief Operating Officer for the company’s central region. Based in Des Moines, Iowa, Liz will be responsible for expanding Carosh’s client base in the upper Midwest and support Carosh’s national HIPAA consulting practice with […]
Judi Peacock, RN, of United Hospice of Rockland, just up the Hudson River from New York City, is dedicated to serving terminal patients with excellent care and following their families with compassion. She emphasizes the importance of staff training but was shocked to learn, shortly after arriving as Administrator of Joe Raso Hospice […]
