Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
The Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire Inc. (VNH) will pay nearly $2.4 million to address an issue with orders that weren’t signed in line with requirements at the time, according to the Office of Inspector General. After self-disclosing the issue to the OIG, VNH agreed to pay $2,389,706.26 for allegedly […]
The COVID-19 outbreak has affected almost every area of our pre-pandemic “normal” lives including more telework, a surging demand for toilet paper, and a shrinking workforce, just to name a few. Almost no industry has been spared when it comes to the contagious disease’s impact. In particular, cyberattacks are on the rise in nearly every […]
A new transmittal to MACs issued Oct. 21, 2021, notes the manual updates for clarification on the election statement addendum requirements. Key among the changes included in the hospice rule that went into effect Oct. 1, 2021: Hospices have five days to furnish the addendum if requested within the first five days of the effective […]
Q: If an individual provides authorization for a disclosure, can the individual later revoke the authorization? Is the covered entity (CE) then required to “take back” or demand the erasure of any documentation by third parties that may have been made following the original authorization? A: Individuals have the right to revoke their authorizations in […]
CMS recently released an MLN article targeting hospitals and billing for patient care that involves a home health admission. When patients are transferred, a hospital is typically paid at per diem rate. An OIG report last year found improper payments tied to hospital claims that should have been subject to the transfer policy because the […]
Q: Can we use U07.1 (COVID-19 virus, identified) for suspected COVID-19 cases? A: The ICD-10-CM guidelines now state you can only code confirmed cases of COVID-19, and only positive COVID-19 test results can be reported as well. For a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, code U07.1 should be reported. This is an exception to inpatient coding guidelines, […]
Q: Acute respiratory failure is consistently one of our top denied diagnoses. We’ve tried to address common documentation errors through education but are still seeing issues. How can our CDI staff and coders create more effective queries for this condition? A: The main reason I see for acute respiratory failure denials is a lack of […]
Q: What are some key revenue cycle topics that should be included in education geared toward clinical staff? A: Education for clinical staff should be specifically tailored to their functions and their direct interaction with and impact on the revenue cycle. Clinical staff should not be inundated with information that is not relevant to them. […]
Ensure caregivers speak to clients in a way that clients can comprehend and that any documentation your agency provides is understandable as well. A huge percentage of U.S. adults have some form of literacy issue, notes Misty Kevech, project coordinator for the Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign. And clients who are 65 years […]
Today, long-term care expert Maureen McCarthy, RN, BS, RAC-MT, CQP, president of Celtic Consulting, LLC., discusses how nurses can recognize when the care they are providing is skilled and how COVID-19 impacts skilled care and documentation. We also dive into lessons learned from northeast facilities as COVID cases rise in the other parts of the […]