Adjustments to Medicare’s home health payments under the 2019 proposed PPS rule would increase agencies’ total reimbursement by an estimated 2.1%, or $400 million. By comparison, the 2018 PPS final rule included a 0.4%, or $80 million, payment reduction. A recent study compared Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries to Medicare Advantage beneficiaries, both with hip fractures, to determine if payment structured changed the nature, timing, and outcomes of care. CMS stance/policy on interoperability among providers and the resultant debate are rather interesting. I encourage clients and readers to tune-in on this subject as the positive and negative implications are sweeping. During a June 27 MLN call, CMS presented its rationale for seeking to remove one measure from home health star ratings in quality of care and seeking to add another measure instead. Readers, I just finished our tech run for our next webinar on contract reviews and it’s going to be a great program! This webinar will help skilled nursing facilities take a look at their current vendor contracts and better negotiate future contract for better negotiation, compliance, and lower risk! And who better to help you with than an attorney who focuses on regulatory and compliance issues in the post-acute arena, Todd J. Selby. As it turns out, your service contracts could create liability and compliance issues if you’re not paying attention. Ensure you know the federal Requirements of Participation – including specific regulations that should be addressed in your contracts. Here’s the full agenda. New in the July issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care... Spice up your corporate compliance and ethics program with PEPPER Every spring, CMS makes available the Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) for SNFs. The agency offers variant reports for a number of other Part A provider types, including hospitals, home health agencies, and hospices. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. Monthly In-Service: July issue of CNA Training Advisor Caring for residents with diabetes Click here to receive a new lesson plan every month, including course materials, a 4-page in-service, and a quiz targeted to address the unique needs, interests, and concerns of CNAs. Education and Training Tools QAPI for Outcomes and Compliance: Including Both Conditions of Payment and Participation OASIS-D Is coming: Prepare your clinicians today Achieve better compliance through service contract review | | Product Spotlight At HCPro, we help your organization make faster, better decisions by connecting your challenges and questions to an unrivaled network of experts, resources, and solutions. With a shared-cost membership, you can expect world-class thinking and advice without having to worry about the meter running or expensive consulting fees. An all-encompassing offering, PROPELAdvisory Services is available in six domains, with more on the way. Our growing family includes memberships in Medicare, long-term care, clinical documentation improvement, medical staff, coding, and revenue cycle management. Click here to learn more, or contact us at: 615-724-7213 | advisoryservices@hcpro.com |
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