Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
CMS has released a checklist to help providers counsel patients who are self-isolating after they are tested for COVID-19 and prior to the onset of symptoms, CMS said in a news alert. A counseling checklist is available through CMS on their website, along with links to more information. View this at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/counseling-checklist.pdf. This checklist was […]
PEPPERs for the fourth quarter of calendar year 2019 will be delivered to home health agencies on August 12, 2020. According to the PEPPER website, PEPPERs will be available electronically to the agency’s CEO, president, administrator, compliance officer or quality assurance/performance improvement officer with the certification number (which is also referred to as Provider Number […]
A recent OIG report suggests that the MACs could be recouping money they believe was incorrectly paid for home health episodes that ended with five to seven visits, slightly above the LUPA thresholds in PPS. And they could be enforcing stricter oversight of periods just above new LUPA thresholds in PDGM. Twenty out of 25 […]
Any providers and suppliers interested in becoming a Home Infusion Therapy (HIT) supplier will be treated as new entrants into the program and be required to comply with all Medicare provider enrollment regulations, according to the 2021 proposed home health prospective payment rate update rule. A HIT supplier can be a pharmacy, physician or provider […]
Accelerated and advance payments (AAP) could be retrieved in the next few weeks for qualified Medicare providers during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). CMS has released a fact sheet titled “Expansion of the accelerated and advance payments program for providers and suppliers during COVID-19 emergency.” The AAP has been expanded to a broader group […]
A COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) tip sheet is available on CMS’ website. The tip sheet identifies two reporting requirements for The Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). They are: Hospice Item Set (HIS) Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems ( CAHPS®) Hospice Survey The tip sheet also covers HQRP exemption and extension policies, what […]
The IRS has issued frequently asked questions about taxation of provider relief payments. According to the IRS FAQs, “a payment to a business, even if the business is a sole proprietorship, does not qualify as a qualified disaster relief payment under section 139. The payment from the Provider Relief Fund is includible in gross income […]
Coders can get a head start on getting to know the changes to coding rules for diagnosis coding as the FY2021 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines on Coding and Reporting were issued July 8 – weeks ahead of the typical early August release date. The coding guidelines, which take effect Oct. 1, include additional instructions on reporting […]
CMS announced an organizational change to help reduce provider and clinician burden and improve patient outcomes during this time. This change is through the creation of the Office of Burden Reduction and Health Informatics. The new office is an outgrowth of the federal agency’s Patients over Paperwork (PoP) Initiative, which is the cornerstone of CMS’ […]
CMS released preliminary Medicare COVID-19 snapshot data that focus on Medicare claims. The data show an elevated risk for seniors with underlying health conditions (see related link). Among those hospitalized with COVID-19, “the five most prevalent chronic conditions for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries were: hypertension (79%); hyperlipidemia (60%); chronic kidney disease (50%); anemia (50%) and diabetes (50%),” […]