Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
The Sepsis Alliance initially designated September as Sepsis Awareness month in 2011. A Sepsis Awareness Month toolkit is available through Sepsis Alliance’s webpage. The Sepsis Alliance released a toolkit that provides agencies with handouts to spread the word about sepsis, fundraiser information, event hosting, Sepsis awareness SWAG, public service announcements, do-it-yourself sepsis community presentations and Sepsis […]
Three new COVID-19 codes were proposed for a January 2021 implementation during a Sept. 9 virtual ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee Meeting. These codes are proposed to improve specificity when capturing COVID-19 screening, exposure, and personal history. The new proposed codes are: For screening — Z11.52 (Encounter for screening for COVID-19) For exposure — Z20.822 […]
Data from a recent study of Medicare home health cost reports supports the case that the home health industry didn’t respond with the behavioral adjustments that CMS predicted prior to PDGM. And agencies have experienced increased challenges due to the public health emergency (PHE) that CMS should consider when finalizing the 2021 payment rule. The […]
The National Government Services (NGS) supports the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and National Immunization Awareness Month (NIAM) announcements that suggest Medicare patients get their flu and pneumonia shots. Medicare patients should remain current with flu, pneumonia and other vaccinations, according to NGS. A high-dose flu vaccine should be given to people who […]
CMS released additional Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Medicare providers regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Provider Relief fund and Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program payments. These are also commonly referred to as “coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) relief payments.” These FAQs cover how to report provider relief fund payments, uninsured charges […]
CMS recently posted a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Home Health PPS Grouper Software. The Home Health Grouper, released Aug. 7, contains acceptable primary diagnoses and the high comorbidity and low comorbidity adjustments for the new FY2021 codes — set to take effect Oct. 1. The FAQs include several questions about the grouper’s […]
A recently released bulletin provides state agencies and other interested stakeholders with information about available federal resources that may help patients in rural areas remain in their homes. The bulletin was a joint effort by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Department […]
CMS has released change request 11855, on July 31, 2020, to implement the calendar year 2021 home health Request for Anticipated Payment (RAP) payment policies. The change request imposes a penalty for delayed RAP submission implementation. Specifically, a non-timely submission payment reduction will occur “when the home health agency does not submit the RAP within […]
CMS has announced a policy allowing issuers to offer temporary premium reductions for those with 2020 coverage in the individual and small group markets. This is part of the agency’s efforts to facilitate the nation’s response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) and provide some additional flexibility to help ensure that consumers struggling to […]
There was an error on the home health agency provider preview reports and the quality of patient care star rating preview reports that were posted on June 25, 2020. The previous reports contained the home health agency observed values instead of the risk-adjusted values. The reports have been corrected and are available by selecting “My […]