Volume 8, Number 43 — November 20, 2019
Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,
Interoperability will be one of the most important capabilities in 2020 for all post-acute providers, home health, hospice, and home care. Winning collaborative partnerships with health systems, SNFs, rehab hospitals, and other care providers will not be possible if you tell them you can only exchange patient data by phone or by that brilliant technology from 1980, the fax (shudder). Interoperability can be accomplished through your EMR, if your vendor has developed that function. It can also be offered to your partners through a 3rd party service, a Health Information Exchange.
I know, I know, you've looked into HIEs. They are handy but sometimes their membership or subscription fees range from burdensome to outrageous. That is why every post-acute provider needs to read this week's lead article, our interview with Reynold Bunzel, an HIE user in New Mexico. The HIE he uses so impressed payers in that state, they underwrite the cost for New Mexico post-acute providers to participate. The founders of that HIE are working on payers in the other 38 states in which they operate. We titled our article, "HHAs Eschew HIE, Even When It's Free" because, so far, Mr. Bunzel is the only NM home healthcare provider using it. Here's the article's bottom line. Data interoperability has saved him so much money and improved patient care so drastically, he would be using this HIE even if it were not free. Every provider needs to hear his story and, when you read the article, be sure to click on the footnotes for a lot more valuable HIE information.
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We have been impressed by the industry insights of Adrian Schauer, founder and CEO of private duty scheduling and EMR software vendor AlayaCare, and not just because they are one of our sponsors. As the Toronto-based company makes its presence more and more known south of the border, non-medical home care providers are beginning to take notice. We asked Schauer what he sees coming in the immediate future for the private duty sector. Read Darcey Trescone's interview with him in "Alayacare Forecasts What 2020 Will Bring for Home Care."
Again in the interoperability category, WellSky sent us two announcements this week about new product and services releases that will help its clients exchange patient data with health systems and payers. Read about both WellSky I/O and WellSky REACH in this week's Vendor Watch column.
The Visiting Nurse Service of New York is developing its population health service and has chosen Netsmart CareManager™ to support its program, known as Care360°Solutions. Details are in the article cleverly titled, "VNSNY Selects Netsmart CareManager™ to Support Its Population Health Management Activities."
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We do not have all the details yet, but we heard just as we were wrapping up this week's issue that a longtime EMR software vendor was hit with a ransomware attack recently. Customers were shut down for a few days while they worked through the attack. All it takes is one gullible employee to click on a link or open a document disguised in an apparently legitimate email and the entire company is compromised. I have gotten a few of them recently, some appear to come from people I know. You can always tell they are bogus though. The English is awkward, the greeting is usually "Hi, Friend" or some other wording that does not include your name, and the closing is rarely signed, ending in "Sincerely," and nothing else. Train your people to be on the alert. It could happen to anyone and it can be extremely expensive.
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Join me in Columbus next month for a full day exploring the technologies that can ease your transition into, and increase your changes of thriving during, PDGM. Not a Medicare provider? Come along with us anyway. My keynote address to the Ohio Council for Home Care & Hospice will include a number of new tech systems specifically designed to help non-medical home care agencies, many of them surprisingly affordable. December 12, Crown Plaza Columbus North-Worthington, 9:00-5:00. Here is the registration link.
No issue next week. Have a terrific Thanksgiving. Keep making a difference!
HHAs Eschew HIE, Even When It's Free
If home health, hospice and home care providers say they avoid using Health Information Exchange services because of high subscription fees, why do they not use this free one? The one agency that does loves it.
Alayacare Forecasts What 2020 Will Bring for Home Care
We were lucky enough to catch Adrian Schauer, AlayaCare CEO to discuss his viewpoints on 2020 and what will be important with technology for the year to come.
VNSNY Selects Netsmart CareManager to Support Its Population Health Management Activities
VNSNY will utilize Netsmart CareManager™ to provide care coordination, data reporting and analytics support for its full range of population health management programs, including VNSNY Care360°Solutions.
Vendor Watch
— Two announcements from WellSky: WellSky I/O, a new interoperability framework; and WellSky REACH a Technology and Services Platform Powering Payer-Provider Collaboration.
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During the 1st Quarter of 2020, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 2948 times. To inquire about placing your message here, contact: Kristin@rowanresources.com As of this date, approximately 35,706,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible. |
Last Week's Most-Read Stories:
What Home Care Providers Need to Know About New Stark Rules
Hospice Expert Wants Home Health Nurses to Understand Hospice
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Conference: Successful Home Health Transformation
Hosted Dixon Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
Date: December 5-6
Location: Bally's, Las Vegas
Time: 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
Speakers: Richard K. Dixon, Cheryl Peltekis, RN, Meaghan McCormick, Esq., Donna Floyd, RN, BSN, J'non Griffin, RN, MHA, HCS-D, BCCH-C, COS-C, WCC; Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C; Cory Mertz, managing partner for a leading healthcare M&A firm.Approved for up to 10 hours of Continuing Nursing Education by Corexcel, an accredited provider by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
WEBINAR: PDGM Preparation: Operational StrategiesSponsored by Kornetti & Krafft Health Care Solutions & MedBridge
Date: December 5
Time: 1:00 pm EST
Knowing that resources are tight as PDGM approaches, Kornetti & Krafft is offering a free overview of OASIS D1 to ensure that changes to this critical data collection instrument do not get lost in the shuffle.
What is Included:
- Highlight key differences between OASIS D and D1
- Make an informed decision about the use of "=" as a response
- As an outsourced OASIS/Coding company, the most commonly seen OASIS errors and proven strategies for success will be included.
Homecare 100 *January 19-22
JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort
Miami, FL
https://www.homecare100.com/
WEBINAR: Key Documentation Issues for 2020 & the Future
A 90-Minute Lunch & Learn Audio Conference by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. Health Care Attorney
Date: March 18
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 EDT
Encore date: March 25; On-demand recording available
Information and Registration
Documentation remains a key requirement for home care providers as the consequences for inadequate documentation become more severe.
- What can home health agencies do to avoid denials by ZPICs, RACs, etc., for lack of homebound status and reasonable and necessary care?
- What kind of documentation must home health agencies, hospices, private duty agencies and HME companies maintain regarding gifts to referral sources and payments to physicians who make referrals to them?
- How can providers avoid an increase in enforcement action in this area?
- What kinds of documentation problems are private duty agencies facing with regard to recoupments from state Medicaid Programs?
- What dangers do electronic medical records cause for all types of home health providers?
- Is it true that if it wasn't documented, it wasn't done?
Gather your staff members to emphasize effective documentation yet again. Real examples of cases involving problematic documentation will be presented. Questions and case examples are welcome, and extensive handouts will be provided for use by staff members.
Free Webinar: Marketing During a Lockdown
Presented by: Savii
Featuring: Steve Weiss
Date: April 21
Time: 12:00 - 1:00 EDTWho should attend this webinar?
Home care agency owners, directors, and marketers who want to remain relevant in their market and prepare for anticipated growth as we come out of a crisis.
You will walk away armed with knowledge about:
- What you should be doing now
- How to contact your referral sources
- Creative ways to grow and maintain your business
Course materials will be sent to all who register, even if you cannot attend.
Steve "The Hurricane" Weiss is a dynamic and entertaining public speaker, known for his expert knowledge in all things sales and marketing. From a young age, Steve has been driven to succeed, and excelled across vastly different industries. Steve founded his current company, Hurricane Marketing Enterprises, in 2012 with a goal to help other business owners across the country. In a few short years, he grew it to a seven-figure business and it has been booming ever since.
FREE Webinar: Digital Strategies to Survive and Thrive During and After COVID-19
Sponsored by: AlayaCare
Featuring: a panel of experts from AlayaCare, Hireology, Home Care Pulse, and CareMaster Medical Services
Date: Thursday, April 30
Time: 2:00 pm EDT
Information and Registration
As weeks turn to months of social distancing and government regulations continue to restrict in-person contact, home and community care agencies must embrace digital strategies both to maintain operations now and future-proof for a post-pandemic world. This webinar unites a panel of experts from AlayaCare, Hireology, Home Care Pulse and CareMaster Medical Services to discuss best practices for all aspects of digital operations – from tips on managing remote staff and virtual hiring to best practices for maintaining quality care.
After the discussion, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a live Q&A session.Learning objectives:
After this webinar, participants will be better able to:
-Discuss ways to adapt to remote hiring
-Strategically manage remote staffing needs
-Ensure continuity of care between caregivers and clients
-Describe how technology supports each aspect of virtual operations
Free Webinar: Tips for Launching Telehealth and Remote Care in Less Than a Week
Presented by: Ankota
Featuring: Ken Accardi
Date: May 19
Time: 12:00 EDT
Fee: FreeThe COVID-19 pandemic has made the importance of Telehealth and Remote Care abundantly clear. This webinar will cover:
- When to use secure video chat vs secure messaging
- How to build "manage by exception" care plans
- Reviewing notifications and non-compliance in minutes per day
- Getting started quickly and affordably
FREE WEBINAR: Q2 2020 Post-Acute Care Compliance Forum
Presented by: Casamba
Featuring: Holly Hester, Casamba SVP of Compliance and EducationDate: Thursday, May 21
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDTIn-depth discussion of regulatory and compliance updates for the post-acute care industry, including CMS waivers and flexibilities in response to the Public Health Emergency, telehealth and other virtual services, TRICARE update, and more.
Free Webinar: On the Heaviness of Halos: care for the professional caregiver during crisis
Sponsored by: Wellsky
Featuring: Dr. Carla Cheatham, M.A. M.Div., Ph.D. Philosophy/Health/Kinesiology
Date: Friday, May 29
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 EDT
Join us for a powerful webinar that will help caregivers in all disciplines tend to their own emotional and mental health as they continue to serve others during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Cheatham, renowned educator and author on compassion fatigue and resilience, will discuss the trauma and moral injury that professional caregivers face and will provide you with practical techniques to help yourself, your colleagues, and your patients or clients, including:
- What the terms "moral distress," "moral injury," and "secondary/vicarious trauma" mean, and how they affect your health and well-being
- Practical solutions and strategies from the fields of resilience, emotional intelligence, and post-traumatic growth
- How to develop and use a personalized plan of care that tends to your mental and emotional needs, as well as those of your team and the people you serve
WEBINAR SERIES: Hospice Academy FOUNDATIONS
Sponsored by: Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice
Part 1: The Evolution of Hospice - from Practices to Regulations Over Time
Instructor: Katie Wehri, Director, Home Care & Hospice, Regulatory Affairs, NAHCDate: June 2
Part 2: The Hospice Plan of Care - An Interdisciplinary Document
Instructors: Amy Ives, RN, BSN, CHPN, Director, Peterson Hospice; Danny Mack, Director of Spiritual and Social Services, Christian Care HospiceDate: June 4
Information and Registration
Webinar Series: Sales Training, Home Health and Hospice
Presented by: Healthcare Strategica, LLC
Featuring: Michael Ferris
1 - 8-week Hospice & Palliative Care Sales Training Course2 - 8-week Home Health Sales Training
Rowan Report subscribers: Register with this link to receive $100 discount.
We have taken our best of class industry specific sales training bootcamps and are offering them via Webinar to enable you to continue to train your sales team in today's world of limited travel and social distancing.
The Hospice and Palliative Care course will be offered live every Tuesday starting May 19 through July 7, 2020.
The Home Health course will be offered live every Tuesday starting May 21 through July 9, 2020.
Each class will have participation exercises, homework assignments, quizzes and question and answer opportunities.
Each participant will receive their own course materials and individual coaching and feedback. At the conclusion of the course each student will receive a certificate of completion, an invitation to join the exclusive Sales Mastery Group* and opportunity to join the 52-week Sales Training Excellence Course.*
* Only available to Sales Professionals that have successfully completed the 8-week Sales Training Course – additional fees may apply.
Each session will be offered on-demand and if unable to attend the live webinar, you will be able to view the recording and participate in exercises, questions, coaching and quizzes. If you start after the first webinar date, you will be provided with access to those classes missed so that you can get caught up or you may elect to attend via the recorded sessions.
Conference: Leading Age Leadership Conference
Hosted by: VNAA, Elevating Home, and Leading Age
In light of the President’s national emergency declaration to address the coronavirus pandemic, LeadingAge is postponing the 2020 Leadership Summit originally scheduled April 20-22 to August 10-12, 2020 at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.
We understand that the possibility or reality of COVID-19 means all-hands-on-deck at our member communities and travel bans for our Business Partners, with a singular focus on the health and welfare of residents, clients, staff, and families.
LeadingAge will continue to assist with information and resources to help you respond to COVID-19. You’ll find a clearinghouse of resources—updated daily—at leadingage.org/coronavirus-resources.
If you registered for the conference, you will be sent an email with information on your registration and hotel reservation.
With the Leadership Summit, LeadingAge has designed an event for forward-thinking leaders to connect, engage in dialogue, and deepen their knowledge about the future—how we can shape it, and the paths to get there together.
*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
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