Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,
We are keeping our survey about your software experience open for another week. As you may remember, we are researching customer satisfaction with the EMR implementation and training process. If you will please take 10 minutes to answer a handful of questions, we will use your anonymous input to create educational materials that we hope will benefit everyone. Click here to begin.
In this week's news: Hospices that provide palliative care have been in a dilemma. They are required to use only ONC certified software to submit quality reports to CMS but there has previously been no certified hospice software. In fact, as we covered in a series of reports early last year, there was no process for certifying post-acute software of any kind. In our lead story, Netsmart announces that it has received ONC certification. We also provide links to our 2017 coverage for those who want to brush up on the background.
Telehealth reporter Audrey Kinsella discusses the implications of the CHRONIC Care Act for the use of remote patient monitoring in the home.
There was a great deal of interest in our primer on the basics of the technology called Blockchain last week. So we have followed up with an interview with a company that is deploying the technology in healthcare. You will be tempted to skip this article as too technical to be relevant. Don't. The implications for patient care, HIPAA compliance, and clinical operations run deep. Obscure as it may seem. Blockchain will have an impact on every home health, home care, and hospice provider's operations.
Besides Blockchain, the other tech buzzword we keep hearing this year is Artificial Intelligence. We include a story about an AI-driven heart monitor, developed by "PinpointIQ."
Have a great week. Keep making a difference!
Tim Rowan
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CMS Open Door Forum (Date and Agenda Subject to Change)
Tuesday, May 15, 2:00 PM EDT |
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Home Telehealth Offers Opportunity to Develop New In-Home Programs
Telehealth reporter Audrey Kinsella has an update on a new telehealth era she has dubbed simply: "It's Paid For and It Works." |
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Study Evaluates AI-Based Wearable Heart Monitor
Introduced at HIMSS, pinpointIQ's Wearable Heart Monitor is a continuous, AI-driven, biosensor-based, patient monitoring solution aimed at supporting post-acute patient care and clinical trials data collection. |
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Blockchain Ready to Enhance Patient Care Systems
After our primer on Blockchain was so widely read, we decided to interview an expert who could explain this technology's applications in healthcare. Lynn Carroll of HSBlox described more uses than we had thought possible. |
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Netsmart EMR Secures ONC Certification for Palliative Care
In early 2017, we ran a series of articles explaining the dilemma faced by hospices offering palliative care services. CMS requires "certified" software to submit quality data but there weren't any. Vendors are beginning to step up. Included are links to previous articles for background research. |
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During the 1st Quarter of 2019, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 2026 times. To inquire about placing your message here, contact: Kristin@rowanresources.com |
| Last Week's Most-Read Stories: |
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Ohio Association Wins EVV Plan Modifications States that are just now beginning to formulate their plans to comply with the 21st Century CURES Act's mandate to implement Electronic Visit Verification can learn a lot from the Ohio experience. We spoke with OCHCH Executive Director, Joe Russell. |
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CMS Administrator Unveils New Strategy to Fuel Data-driven Patient Care, Transparency "Data Driven Patient Care Strategy" is part of the MyHealthEData initiative. |
| As of this date, approximately 29,546,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible. |
| Notable Upcoming Conferences | Free Webinars |
2018 Annual Conference
West Coast Payer and Provider Summit to Address Social Determinants of Health for Complex PopulationsA World Health Care Congress Executive Series Event
The Healthcare Summits are the premium forums bringing senior level medical executives and solution providers together. The one-on-one business meetings provide access to senior medical executives within the largest healthcare organizations across the United States. A thorough selection process ensures a qualified audience, which grants unparalleled business and networking opportunities in a luxurious and stimulating environment. Information and registration
Registration and Information The Omaha System International Conference is held every two years as a venue for those in practice, education, research, and software development to exchange experiences. There is something for everyone involved with the Omaha System, from beginners to experts to everyone in between. Joyce Sensmeier, HIMSS is the keynote speaker, and The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing is the school host. The 2019 PDF flier includes location and registration information, speaker/planner list, agenda, exhibitors, and more. Hospice & Palliative Care Leadership & Advocacy Conference 2019 (LAC 2019)*
Andrew Gwin, Senior Director of Revenue Cycle, and his colleague David Maxwell, Senior Director of Performance Excellence at Ascension, present "Denials:Improving Your Playbook." They will discuss how Clinical Denials continue to be a leading opportunity to improve net revenue for most acute hospital organizations, and how Ascension is taking a collaborative approach by developing a comprehensive Playbook that invites each hospital to take an interdisciplinary approach to improving denials. The session will address:
*The Rowan Report will see you there. Your state or national association meeting not listed? Send the details to Conferences@RowanResources.com using this format: |
Giving and Getting Referrals from Hospitals Featuring: Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. Date: Wednesday, May 8 Encore date: May 15 Referrals from hospitals may be even more important for agencies under the Medicare Program's Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). Hospitals also remain a major source of referrals for hospices and HME, amid increasing competition. Private duty agencies have a key role to play in the discharge of patients to home and referrals from hospitals are expanding rapidly. All types of providers need to know how to get more referrals from hospitals without breaking the law. And hospital discharge planners/case managers need to know the rules so the referral process remains in compliance! This teleconference will address crucial questions for both providers and discharge planners, such as:
Extensive handouts will be provided, and there will be time for comments, questions and answers.
Learning Series Webinar: Million Hearts®2022 & Related Medicare-Covered Preventive Services
Are you aware of the policies and legislation that could impact your organization and the individuals you serve? Join us on Thursday, April 11 at 2 p.m. ET as Bill Dombi, National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) president, sits down with Kevin Scalia, our executive vice president, to discuss legislative issues and industry trends that could impact your organization now and in the future. You’ll walk away with practical understanding to address:
The ABCs of PDGM: What it Means to Home Health and How You Should Prepare Hosted and presented by: HEALTHCAREfirst Date: May 16, 2019
The home care and hospice industry is increasingly competitive. The shift from “volume” to “value” means that agencies must increasingly focus on quality outcomes and prove their “worth” to customers and referral sources alike. Agencies must have a robust quality program in place that identifies, tracks, and trends key metrics against agency goals. Successful agencies not only have visibility into their current performance, but they continually modify and develop new strategies for improvement, while engaging their clinicians.
Hospice compliance 2019: confronting a surprising new survey focus Sponsored by: Wellsky Date: March 14 Hospice providers today are confronting a new and unexpected survey focus. Hospice surveyors are increasingly focused on issues relating to hospice administration. This administrative focus includes topics such as your hospice’s corporate structure, the relationship between your hospice’s parent office and its multiple locations, and the role and job title of your administrator. Hospice providers who have been successfully operating for years are suddenly finding themselves hit with condition level citations. How will your hospice team adapt to the major survey focus of 2019? Join renowned hospice attorney Robert W. Markette of Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman, P.C. for an exclusive webinar that will prepare you and your team for the major survey focus of 2019. Why a poorly drafted organizational chart can be a significant problem for your hospice What hospice surveyors are looking for in the relationship between your hospice’s parent office and its multiple locations Why calling your administrator something other than “administrator” could be a survey issue Webinar hosts, send your announcements to: Conferences@RowanResources.com |
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Home Care Technology Report is published by Rowan Consulting Associations, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. Request reprint permission by writing to editor@homecaretechreport.com.