by Audrey Kinsella To hospice nurses, this is a familiar scene. A woman nearing the end of her battle with lung cancer begins heavy, labored breathing. The daughter panics and calls 911, even though her mother is at home, under hospice care and has a valid DNR order. Paramedics arrive, administer oxygen, and transport the […]
By Tim Rowan, Editor & Publisher of Home Care Technology Report July 13, 2017 will arrive before you know it. On that date, Healthcare at Home organizations that participate in the Medicare program will be under new Conditions of Participation. According to the rules, the new CoPs become law six months after they were published […]
By Tim Rowan, Editor & Publisher of Home Care Technology Report Elizabeth Pearson, esq. You cannot pick up a newspaper, turn on a TV news broadcast or visit a news web site today without hearing stories about Congressional town hall meetings. Either they are invaded by Affordable Care Act supporters or they are being avoided […]
By Tim Rowan, Editor & Publisher of Home Care Technology Report A new predictive analytics system has brought better patient outcomes and stronger revenue growth to nine branches of 30-state Encompass Home Health and Hospice. The results were so significant, management is set to expand use of the tool to all 225-branches. One of a Medicare HHAs […]
ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA — FEBRUARY 15, 2017 — The nation’s health care system is moving from volume to value, yet it remains fragmented and complex. Post-acute health care providers are facing increased pressure to move from fee-for-service to value-based payment. However, current market technology solutions to accelerate this journey have been criticized as too rigid and […]
Springfield Mo. — February 17, 2017 — HEALTHCAREfirst has announced expansion of its workforce “to meet the rapidly increasing market demand for its products and services as well as the growing needs of its customers.” A company news release indicated that growth is expected to continue through 2017 as substantial investments in product development and client […]
by Michael Giudicissi, CEO & Principal of Power Shot Training
WESTBURY, N.Y. — Feb. 6, 2017 — Enhancing the telemonitoring services it has been delivering for more than a decade, Northwell Health Home Care Network announced an agreement with Health Recovery Solutions. The Hoboken, NJ-based telehealth company will provide Northwell patients with Bluetooth-enabled remote monitoring systems. Patients like 100-year-old Bernard Feinstein of Queens (see inset) […]
by Tim Rowan, Editor and Publisher In January, I was invited to speak at a compliance-oriented conference, organized by a couple of attorneys. We learned about Medicare rules and labor laws that certified and private duty home healthcare providers violate at their own peril. As if the urgency of their message was not already apparent, […]
On February 1, 2017, a judge in the so-called Jimmo case ordered the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to enter into a Corrective Action Plan (CAP). The CAP requires CMS to provide more education about the addition of a coverage standard for maintenance therapy. That is, CMS is required to provide additional education to providers regarding the fact that improvement is not required in order to be eligible for Medicare coverage for skilled care in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home health agencies (HHAs), outpatient therapy centers and inpatient rehabilitation hospitals.
