Exploring the depth of misunderstanding of the serious challenge that will be presented by HHGM and 30-day episodes.
by Fred Schulte A new whistleblower case accuses a Texas medical consulting firm and more than two dozen health plans for the elderly of ripping off Medicare by conducting in-home patient exams that allegedly overstated how much the plans should be paid.
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 […]
The Department of Health and Human Services should never have allowed the Administrative Law Judge system to become overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of appeals. They asked contractors to find more excuses to deny Medicare payments; they knew the number of appeals would climb; they should have been prepared. Home healthcare providers have no alternative but prevention. Better clinical documentation = fewer denials = reduced reason to appeal.
Have you figured out what it means to you that CMS has changed the way it counts your hospital readmissions? We interviewed SHP CEO Barbara Rosenblum to get more detail on her recent blog note on the subject.
by Rebecca MacKinnon Historically, a Pediatrics program to Homecare was much like Kolkata to Mother Theresa: a labor of love and a vow of poverty. In any industry, change always generates the need for new businesses, which means new opportunities. As healthcare changes, pediatrics is emerging as a business option and may offer a glimpse […]
by Michael Deck Within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, was included HITECH, the “Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health” law. This is the section that encourages the use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) by paying bonuses to healthcare providers who purchase and use an EHR. Bonuses, however, are not […]
With no Democrats voting in favor, the U.S. House of Representatives approved Paul Ryan’s budget plan on March 21. It has little chance of clearing the Senate, which was expected to bring its own, very different, budget to a vote the next day. The document is essentially a fiscal blueprint that outlines the GOP’s priorities […]
By Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued final rules to: Modify the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy, Security and Enforcement Rules to implement statutory amendments under the Health Information Technology Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) to strengthen the privacy and security […]
Representative Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) has introduced a bill (HR 6719) that fixes the two existing barriers to the use of telemedicine in federal health programs: reimbursement and physician licensure. By eliminating arbitrary coverage restrictions and simplifying licensure requirements within federal health programs, the bill would extend the benefits of telehealth and mHealth to nearly […]
