The Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology released a scathing report concerning the failure of hospitals to make any improvements at all in their 30-day readmission rates over the last eight years. Unable to do it themselves, hospital executives are looking for ideas. More than likely, the first home health care agency to walk into the right hospital executive's office will be welcomed with open arms. Oh, one more thing. You have to walk in with evidence in hand that you actually have excellent readmission scores.

Most 30-day readmission causes would be prevented by post-discharge home health care but fully 50% of patients who are readmitted within 30 days had been discharged to no follow-up care of any kind. This summary of a presentation delivered by a Boston physician is packed with facts and figures about the recidivism problem that range from frustrating to shocking. Nevertheless, it reveals a clear path for home care to follow to become the solution.

— 2012 HHPPS payments will be calculated on episode ending date, not M0090 date.
— CMS reminder: "We are not sending paper checks anymore." Here are the forms you need to complete and submit.
— 10 arrested for Medicare fraud in Puerto Rico.

Guest writer Nick Dobrzelecki offers Daymarck's 10-step plan to prepare your home health care agency or hospice for next year's conversion from ICD-9 to ICD-10.

If hospital administrators are ever to have their eyes opened to the power of home health care to help them reduce avoidable readmissions and avoid looming Medicare financial penalties, it will have to happen through direct, one-on-one conversations. Support from national studies, such as the recent Dartmouth Atlas report, ignore home health care completely as a factor.

The question on everyone's mind is, "How to do we lower healthcare costs while still providing optimal care to our patients?" See how guest writer Beth Kennedy, a home care nurse from northern Virginia, would answer.

— Erroneous 5010 transition information corrected, clarified
— ICD-10 transition assistance
— National Provider Call: Medicare FFS Implementation of HIPAA Version 5010