Volume 10, Number 44 — January  6, 2021




Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,

"HAPPY 2021," everyone has been saying to each other, sounding more like a prayer than a greeting. Healthcare continues under a stressful cloud of uncertainty, "Will there be enough PPE?" "When will we get our vaccine?" I wish I had better news, but, when this is over, home health, hospice, and home care will be faced with another problem, if one South Dakota VA hospital nurse's prediction comes true. "When this is over," nurse Kristen Cline told a reporter, "those of us who don't die are going to quit." Here is a link to her full story.

Turning to better news, we are proud to present the second in our series of CEO interviews. This month, meet CEO Tony Ott and President Keith Crownover of Delta Health Technologies. We asked them for their predictions for 2021. With Crownover's four decades in home care, his perspective carries a lot of weight. Click here to view this video interview. Or click here for the audio only version. We are grateful to sponsors like Delta for making this free service possible. I am in the process of scheduling other CEOs for upcoming video conversations. Watch this space!

 

 

Big Private Duty Home Care News

As you know better than I, the nursing shortage Ms. Cline is predicting will likely trickle down to home health, but is not the only staffing challenge in post acute care. Recruiting and retaining quality caregivers seems to be the primary concern that keeps non-medical home care agency owners awake at night. I personally have had many owners tell me they cannot believe how many applicants quit right after orientation and training, costing them thousands of dollars per failed hire. If your home care agency struggles with this, we have good news for you this week.

What would you say if I told you there is a new technology that can detect likely "bad hires" before training, before orientation, before you hand them a W-4 form to fill out? This technology has completed beta testing, where it produced significant increases in retention and decreases in the case of the disappearing new hire, and is ready for prime time. If you are a staff-strapped home care agency, please take the time to study our description of this new technology and the results it has produced for four of your peers. Click below on "Four Home Care Agencies Solve Expensive 'Bad Hire' Problem."

 

 

Home Health News

In the last and fourth lesson of his series, Arnie Cisneros concludes his instructions on how to convert your home health operations to succeed in a value-based reimbursement era, starting with adapting to PDGM for better patient outcomes and profit margins. If you have missed earlier segments of this landmark series, you will find links to them within this final episode. Click below on "Stop Nibbling At The Edges! Part 4: Discharge for Outcomes."

CMS News

Wait, private duty people, don't turn away from this paragragh yet. CMS has announced a new model for Managed Care Organizations to deal with beneficiaries who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid. This could be relevant to both home health and home care. Click below on our "CMS News" column.


Worth the Trip

There are two free webinars tomorrow, Thursday, that both dovetail with the news we have brought to you in this issue. KanTime is sponsoring an event titled, "Tactics for Mastering Recruitment, Retention and Team Development — from Agency Owners," featuring Jessica & Clint Nobles, Co-Founders of Nobility Care Solutions and HomeCare Ops.

Healthcare Synergy is also offering a Thursday webinar, "Three Tools to WOW! Referral Sources." Home Health sales representatives will want to hear Michael Tidd's expertise on this topic. Scroll down for information and registration on these and several other free upcoming webinars.

Editor signature
Tim Rowan



Stop Nibbling At The Edges! Part 4: Discharging for Outcomes
This 4-part series addressing Impact Act reforms for Home Health concludes with a focus on a Value-Based Operational Model that addresses PDGM and prospective IMPACT Act reforms.

CMS News: Dual Eligibles and Managed Care
CMS Announces New Model Opportunity for Medicaid Managed Care Organizations Serving Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.

American Telemedicine Association Offers Mixed Reaction To Telehealth Provisions In The Pandemic Relief Package
National association keeps pressure on for permanent Telehealth access.



During the 4th Quarter of 2023, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 30286 times.

To inquire about placing your message here, contact:

Kristin@rowanresources.com

As of this date, approximately 40,249,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible.

 

Last Week's Most-Read Stories:

No-Pay RAPs and Late RAP Penalties: How To Thrive Under PDGM 2021
New RAP rules have been confusing...until now. Print and keep this guide to new RAP late-submission penalties.

PointClickCare Acquires Collective Medical
Post-acute technology leader to combine with leading full-continuum real-time care coordination platform to facilitate patient data exchange. Deal expected to be done by the end of the year.


Upcoming Events

 

FREE WEBINAR: Can you collect Cash faster?

Sponsored by: Savii

Date: Tuesday, January 12

Time: 2:00 pm EST

Information and Registration

With small margins in home care it has prompted the question, “Can we collect cash faster?” And what would this do for an agency? One thing we know is margins are small and have become more challenging than ever to for agencies to profit. This doesn’t mean it impossible for agencies to survive; it means a focus on collecting cash faster will be ever so important.


Agency leaders will first need to develop a timeline cadence of when to address claims based on when they were submitted for payment. In addition it will be pertinent to understand their own agency metrics such as DSO (Daily Sales Outstanding) and how they compare to industry standards.

On this webinar you will walk away with how to develop a timeline and your own DSO dashboard for benchmarking. All of these topics will weave into  strategic steps to take toward collecting cash flow faster.

FREE WEBINAR: The Rise of Hospital at Home: A Roundtable Discussion

Sponsored by: AlayaCare

Featuring: Dr. Bruce Leff, Hospital at Home Pioneer & Professor, John Hopkins School of Medicine; Adrian Schauer, Founder and CEO
AlayaCare; Joel Theisen, Founder and CEO, Lifesprk; Brady Murphy, VP Sales & Marketing, AlayaCare

Date: Wednesday, January 27
Time:
1:00 EST

Information and Registration

Agenda
Across the U.S., the Acute Hospital Care at Home initiative from CMS is taking off amid the pandemic with at least 80 approved participants to date. As hospital-at-home models become more popular and more beneficial to both patients and health care organizations, those that have recognized the perks of home-based care prior to the COVID-19 crisis may have the upper hand.

Join us on Wednesday, Jan 27th at 1:00 pm EST for a roundtable discussion with industry experts such as Dr. Bruce Leff, Hospital at Home Pioneer and Professor at John Hopkins School of Medicine who deserves his reputation as a founding father of this virtual hospital concept, to learn about the hospital-at-home model and its impact on the home care industry.



2021 Home Care and Hospice Conference and Expo *

National Association for Home Care and Hospice

Date: October 3-5
Venue: New Orleans

Sadly, this conference has had to be postponed, due to the hurricane in New Orleans and COVID situation in Louisiana.


FREE WEBINAR: Targeted Probe & Educate: Where Do You Stand?

Presented by: Healthcare Synergy
Featuring:
Michael Tidd, COS-C, HCS-D, HealthCare Synergy Clinical Manager

Date: Wednesday, November 3
Time: 11:00 am PDT / 2:00 pm EDT

Register

Overview:
Targeted Probe and Educate is a CMS initiative to seek a better understanding of agencies practices in order to protect the Medicare funds. Agencies self-identify themselves and request reviews by their actions and the data they provide to CMS. Are you aware of the signals you might be sending and how to protect yourself?
Objectives:
Speaker:
Michael Tidd has over 19 years of experience in the Home Care Industry and is a frequent speaker at HealthCare Synergy Workshops and Webinars. He is a Software Developer, LVN and Certified in ICD-9/10 Coding and OASIS (COS-C, HCS-D). As the Clinical Manager for HealthCare Synergy, he directs the Outsourced Management Services, assists in directing the development of the Healthcare Assistant Web Edition, oversees the Clinical Documentation Auditing provided to clients and directs the Clinical Form Development for the Healthcare Assistant Web Edition. Michael continues to educate agencies in the ongoing regulations that CMS produces, the proper application of the Medicare Conditions of Participation and completing timely, accurate and defendable clinical documentation to survive in the current Medicare Reimbursement Model.

FREE WEBINAR: Admit more Patients & Stop Nursing Burnout!

Presented by: OperaCare

Date: November 10

Time: 1:00 pm EST; 10:00 PST

Information and Registration

The nursing shortage is getting much worse and will most likely impact your business if it has not already.
During this event we will demonstrate how to complete an entire OASIS in approx. 60 minutes or less. This includes ICD-10 coding, entry and revision of medication’s, all the OASIS items, and Quality Assurance while the nurse is with the patient in the home.

The result: Eliminating 100% of after-hours documentation, increasing clinical productivity, and reducing your labor costs.

The Benefit: The ability to significantly increase your recruitment and retention efforts by providing your clinicians with a sane and humane work life balance.


20th Annual Northeast Home Health Leadership Summit

Sponsored by: State Associations of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York (HCA), New York (HCP), Rhode Island, VNAs of Vermont

Dates: January 17-19

Venue: Revere Hotel, Boston

 

Information and Registration


Homecare 100 *

Presented by: Lincoln Healthcare Leadership

Date: January 22-25, 2023
Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Orlando, Grande Lakes, FL

Registration Information


 

Shine Your Light
Illinois HomeCare & Hospice Council Annual Meeting and Exposition

Dates: April 9-10
Venue: NIU Naperville

Information and Registration


FREE WEBINAR: CMS’ Proposed Hospice FY2024 Payment Rule: Implications for Agencies and the Hospice Community

Sponsored by NAHC
Featuring: Theresa Forster, Katie Wehri

Date: April 11
Time: 12:00 - 1:30 EDT

Details and Registration

 

Description: In addition to routine annual payment changes, CMS proposed FY2024 Hospice Payment Rule, issued on March 31, contains valuable updates on the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). Perhaps most notable, the rule's deep dive into utilization trends signals an intensified interest in hospice care patterns, potentially inappropriate behavior in the hospice sector, and program integrity concerns.  Join two of NAHC's hospice experts as they detail proposed changes, including a new requirement that hospice certifying physicians be Medicare enrolled (or to have validly opted-out) and CMS' Requests for Information on hospice utilization and health equity, and examine their potential impact on hospice practice going forward.

Faculty: Theresa M. Forster, NAHC VP for Hospice Policy & Programs
Katie Wehri, NAHC Director of Home Health & Hospice Regulatory Affairs


WEBINAR: Audits: What to Do

A 90-minute Lunch & Learn Audio Conference by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. Health Care Attorney

Date: Thursday, April 6
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 EDT

Encore date: April 13
On-demand recording available 24/7
Option to purchase recording and handouts

 

Information and Registration

 

Audio-Conference Description: Home care providers of all types; including home health agencies, private duty agencies, hospices and HME companies; remain targets of audits by various regulators, including but certainly not limited to United Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs). The results of these audits can be devastating because they may threaten the ability of providers to remain in business, especially when overpayments are extrapolated to millions of dollars. Audits of all types must be taken seriously and providers must take action to close audits as quickly as possible! The first thing providers must do is to review records requested by auditors.

The purpose of this teleconference is to give providers detailed steps to follow to avoid adverse consequences of audits. Examples of common issues targeted by auditors will be provided and there will be time for questions and answers.


Rise Above!

Michigan Home Care & Hospice Association Annual Conference

Dates: May 3-5
Venue: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

Registration and Information

The theme for the Conference is “RISE ABOVE” a fitting recognition of the challenges our industry and each of you overcame in your personal lives and professional careers to navigate the challenges of the past three years.

The MHHA conference presents an opportunity to meet new friends and reacquaint with peers. What better place to rise above, than at the spacious and beautiful Grand Traverse Resort & Spa? This conference has a little bit for every service line and discipline. Wednesday offers a track for Volunteer Managers and Thursday offers a track for Palliative Care as well as many other sessions for Certified Home Health, Hospice, DME and Private Duty Home Care.


Home Care Innovation Forum*Presented by: The Influence Group

Dates: June 4-6
Venue: Park Hyatt Aviara 
City: 
Carlsbad, CA


Information and Registration

Featured Speakers:

Partial list of topics:


HI2: Home Care Innovation and Investment Conference *Presented by: Lincoln Healthcare Leadership

Dates: June 12-14
Venue: Swissotel 
City: 
Chicago


Information and Registration

Featured Speakers:


leading ONE vision

Homecare Homebase User Group Meeting

Dates: June 12-14
Venue: Sheraton Dallas Hotel

Information and Registration

Clinical Education Credits
Nationally recognized speakers, eight clinical sessions. Clinicians are encouraged to sign up for the clinical sessions, but are free to jump between clinical and non-clinical topics. Clinical topics include a homecare focus on Wound Care, Value Based Purchasing, Clinical Leadership, conflict resolution, Quality Report, Oasis and more.

Featured Speakers:


2032 NAHC Financial Management Conference & Exposition

Date: July 16-18
Venue: Hilton Riverside, New Orleans

Information and Registration

 

In addition to NAHC president Bill Dombi, featured speakers will include:


54th Annual Meeting: "Bring Care Home"Presented by: Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice

Dates: August 28-31
Venue: Grand Hyatt Riverwalk
City: San Antonio


Information and Registration


FREE Webinar: "The Role of the Hospice Physician in Organizational Compliance"Presented by: FEMA

Date: September 6

Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, EDT

Register here 

Collaborating with the Administration for Community Living, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Office of Policy, Planning, and Innovation, and the Schoharie County, NY, Area Agency on Aging, the webinar is designed to equip organizations with strategies to ensure seamless service continuity during an emergency. 

 


 

Home and Community-Based Palliative Care: Past, Present, and Future
NAHC and HHFMA

September 28, 2023

More Information

 


I've been surfing online more than 3 hours these days, but I never discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours. It is lovely value enough for me. In my opinion, if all site owners and bloggers made just right content material as you probably did, the internet will be a lot more useful than ever before.

2023 NAHC Annual Meeting & Exposition *

"One Voice, Many Stories"

October 15-17
Gaylord Hotel and Conference Center
National Harbor, MD

Information and Registration

Keynote Speakers:

 


 

2023 National Home Care Conference*
Home Care Association of America

October 23-24, 2023

Hilton Chicago
Chicago, IL

More Information

 

 


Vision – Plan – Succeed: 2023 Leadership Conference

Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina

October 29-31, 2023
Renaissance Hotel Ashville, NC

Information and Registration

Featured speakers:

Bill Dombi, Melinda Gaboury, Tim Rogers, Nick Seabrook, Mark Sharp, Robert Markette, Mark Kulik, and more.


Ignite Your Revenue Engine - Virtual

HomeCareSales

November 1-3, 2023

More Information


Strategic Analysis and Provider Guidance

CMS CY2024 Final Rule Cuts to Home Health

Axxess

November 9, 2023
2 PM CST

More Information


Unlocking Home Care Agency Efficiency with AI

Virtual Workshop

Automation Edge

Nov 8, 2023

11 a.m. CST

More Information


Home Health Final Rule: Clinical & Financial Strategies for Success in 2024

McBee Associates

Nov 8, 2023
1:30 - 2:30 p.m. EST
Virtual

More Information


Automating Your Compliance Process in Home Care

AxisCare and CareAcademy

Nov 8. 2023
12 p.m. CT
Virtual

More Information


Call for Speaker Proposals

Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina (AHHC) Annual Convention and Expo

April 7-10, 2024
Raleigh Convention Center

Submit Your Proposal

The deadline to submit a proposal is November 15, 2023.

 


2023 Annual Conference – Hybrid Hospice & Palliative Care

Hospice & Palliative Care Association of New York State

November 13-14, 2023
Albany Marriott Hotel
Albany, NY

More Information


Understanding the CY 2024 Home Health Final Rule:

Your agency's path forward

WellSky

Nov 15, 2023
12 p.m. CST

More Information

Presented by Cindy Campbell, MHA-Healthcare Informatics, BSN, RN, COQS, CHHCM

Request for Speakers: 2024 Annual Conference

Indiana Association for Home Health Care

April 16-17, 2024

More Information

The deadline to submit proposals is November 17, 2023.

2023 Virtual Annual Conference
Virginia Association for Homecare and Hospice

Opening Date:November 15

More Information


Rapid Competency and Quality Improvement Training

CMS

November 30, 2023
1:00 p.m. EST

More Information


Safety Matters:
Protecting Home Care Workers from Violence

National Association for Home Care and Hospice

Nov 29, 2023
3 p.m. - 4 p.m. EST

More Information


Safety Matters: Protecting Home Care Workers from Violence

National Association for Home Care & Hospice

Nov 29, 2023
3:00 - 4:00 p.m. EST

More Information


Turning Lemons into Lemonade: Developing resilience in the face of change

McBee

Dec 6, 2023
1:00 p.m. EST

More Information


CRM Showcase:Empowering Reps for Smarter, More Efficient Growth

Trella Health

December 12, 2023
12 p.m. EST

More Information


Don't be Late for Section GGPrepare now for the new Discharge Function Score

NetSmart

Dec 12, 2023
2:00 p.m. EST

More Information


CRM Showcase: Empowering Reps for Smarter, More Efficient Growth

Trella Health

Dec 12, 2023
12 p.m. EST

More Information


Excavate-Tell-Affirm

Brand Leadership Summit

Revealing Genius

Dec 7-15, 2023
1 p.m. - 2 p.m. EST

More Information


RCM Success Toolkit:

Insights for RCM Leaders

NetSmart

December 14, 2023
2:00 p.m. EST

More Information


Understanding, Identifying, and Overcoming Conscious and Unconscious Bias

Home Care Pulse

Ongoing
FREE Sample Course

More Information


Home Health and Hospice Summit

HealthCare Synergy

January 10, 2024
Renaissance Hotel
Long Beach, CA

More Information


Learn how M1400 Dyspnea Impacts VBP

McBee

January 11
12 noon EST

More Information


2024 Industry Outlook with NAHC President Bill Dombi

NetSmart

Tuesday, January 16
2:30 pm, EST

More Information


Home Care 100*

Lincoln Intelligence Group

January 21-24, 2024
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess
Scottsdale, AZ

More Information


Provider Enrollment Changes in Medicare

NAHC

January 31, 2024
1:00 P.M. EST

More Information

NAHC would like to thank the sponsor of this webinar, Red Road Healthcare Business Solutions


How to Market Without Violating the Law

Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq.

February 8, 2024

More Information


Mastering Compliance for a Stronger Healthcare System

NetSmart

February 13, 2024
1:00 P.M. EST

More Information


Clinical Impacts for Success in PDGM

Axxess

February 14, 2024

More Information


Mastering M2020 Oral Medications

McBee a NetSmart Company

February 20, 2024

More Information


The Definition of "Work" and Common Off-The-Clock Work Pitfalls

WellSky

March 6, 2024
3:00 p.m. EST

More Information


Demistifying Value-Based Purchasing:

Current State and for 2025

Axxess

March 7, 2024

More Information


Call for Speakers

NAHC Financial Management Conference

Deadline to Submit
March 15, 2024

More Information


How to get Referrals From ALFs and ILFs

Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq.

March 7, 2024
Replay Date: March 14, 2024

More Information


PAC Sales Leader Exchange
Insights, Trends, and Strategies

Trella Health

March 13, 2024
12:00 P.M. ET

More Information


Home Care Industry Update

NAHC & Polsinelli Law

March 14, 2024
12:00 PM ET

More Information


Interpretation of Value-Based Purchasing Interim Reports

HealthCare Synergy

March 14, 2024
2:00 P.M. ET

More Information


2024 Telehealth Reimbursement Updates

Health Recovery Solutions

March 20, 2024

1:00 P.M. ET

More Information


Quarterly Coding Update

McBee Associates

March 22, 2024
1:00 P.M. ET

1.5 Contact Hours for Nurses & Administrators
Meets criteria for 1.0 HCS-D Hour
$99

More Information


Introduction to Artificial Intelligence in Home Care & Hospice

Part 1 of 3

NAHC & HHFMA

March 26, 2024
1:00 P.M. ET

More Information


Empowering Change: Advocacy in Private Duty Home Care

NAHC

March 27, 2024
2:00 p.m. EDT

More Information


What To Do About Violence

Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq.

March 28, 2024
1:00 P.M. ET

More Information


Sink or Swim?

What we've learned after four years of PDGM

Netsmart

April 4, 2024
1:00 p.m. ET

More Information


Transforming Community and Home-Based Care in an Aging World

International Home Care Nurses Organization

April 18-20, 2024
York Hotel Singapore
Singapore

More Information


NAHC Advocacy Day

NAHC

April 16, 2024
5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. EDT

April 17, 2024
All day

Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.

More Information


AGILE: Axxess Growth, Innovation and Leadership Experience*

Axxess

April 21-24, 2024
Irving Convention Center
Dallas, TX

More Information


Spring Conference

Homecare & Hospice Association of Utah

May 8-9, 2024
SLCC Miller Conference Center
Sandy, UT

More Information


Annual Conference & Trade Show

Michigan HomeCare & Hospice Association

May 8-9, 2024
Radisson of Kalamazoo

More Information


2024 Nexus*

American Telemedicine Association

May 5-7, 2024
Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix, AZ

More Information


Home Care Innovation Forum*

Influence Group

May 19-21
Silverado Resort & Spa
Napa, CA

More Information


Home Care 100 Summer*

Lincoln Healthcare Leadership

June 3-6, 2024
Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort
Dana Point, CA

More Information


2024 KHCA Annual Conference

Kentucky Home Care Association

August 14-15, 2024
Embassy Suites by Hilton Lexington/UK Coldstream
Lexington, KY

More Information


Insight2024

6th Annual Forum on Coding, OASIS & Quality

McBee

Aug 5-7, 2024
Sheraton Overland Park Hotel at the Convention Center
Overland Park, Kansas

More Information


Agency Amplify

HomeCareSales

Recurring
2nd Tuesday

More Information


*The Rowan Report will see you there.


Your state or national association meeting or webinar not listed? Send the details to Conferences@RowanResources.com using this format:

Conference Title
Sponsoring Association
Date(s)
Hotel or Conference Center, City, State
URL



Did you receive this issue as a forward from a colleague? Would you like to have your own free subscription? Click here.

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.

HCTR is free to subscribers and supported by its generous advertisers. To inquire about presenting your message to our 12,000 subscribers, write to Kristin in our ad sales department, Kristin@RowanResources.com.