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 2nd Quarter of 2021, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 5944 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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WEBINAR: Documentation: How to Fight Auditors
A 90-minute Lunch & Learn Audio Conference by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. Health Care Attorney
Date: May 5
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 EDT
Encore date: May 12; On-demand recording available 24/7
Information and RegistrationHome health agencies and hospices are plagued by audits! The United Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs) are hard at work. RAC auditors are now back on the job, too. Plus, there are ADRs, scrutiny from the OIG, and more! What should providers do to avoid being in the crosshairs or to get out of the line of fire?
The answer, of course, is documentation. For home health agencies, auditors regard whether patients are homebound and whether care provided was reasonable and necessary as “low-hanging fruit.” Hospices are likely to face denials related to whether patients are terminally ill.
Home health agencies should continuously document regarding homebound status. Hospices must focus documentation on whether patients continued to be eligible for the hospice benefit. Both types of providers should “tell the story” of patients’ conditions so that care is clearly reasonable and necessary.
If providers are targeted by auditors, they should carefully review and make additions and changes consistent with applicable standards before submitting records.
Attend this presentation to learn exactly how to document to minimize denials.
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.
FREE WEBINAR: How Technology Enhances Home Care in an Increasingly Remote World *
Sponsored by: Care Connect
Moderator: Tim Rowan
Panelists: Mike Gelman, President COO, CareConnect; Jim Rolla, SVP, VNSYNY Partners in Care; Steve Pellito, SVP, Provider Sales, Sandata
Date: November 12
Time: 1:00 pm EDT
FREE WEBINAR: Cybersecurity in Healthcare: Assess Threats & Reduce Your Risk
Presented by: Netsmart
Featuring: Randy Pargman, Binary Defense senior director of threat hunting and counterintelligence; Sharon Hicks, MBA, MSW, OPEN MINDS senior associate; and Mike Murray, Netsmart director of Plexus Technologies,
Date: December 9
Time: 1:00 EST
Healthcare organizations are often at risk of cyberattacks due to a lack of dedicated IT and reliance on traditional reactive approaches. To learn how to protect your data, register now to join Randy Pargman, as they map the risk landscape and provide guidance for safeguarding your organization.
Key takeaways:
• Cyber threats in healthcare
• Impacts of a data breach
• Best practices for securing your data
FREE WEBINAR: Can you collect Cash faster?Sponsored by: Savii
Date: Tuesday, January 12
Time: 2:00 pm EST
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, AlayaCareDate: Wednesday, January 27
Time: 1:00 EST
Information and RegistrationAgenda
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.
FREE WEBINAR: 6 New COVID-19 ICD-10 Codes to Learn Webinar
Presented by: Healthcare Synergy
Featuring: Michael Tidd, HealthCare Synergy Clinical ManagerDate: Thursday, February 4
Time: 11:00 - 11:30 PST
COVID-19 has resulted in multiple waivers along with changes to programs and treatments to patients. April 1 had an unexpected release of a new diagnosis code for the COVID-19 disease. October 1 had additional diagnosis codes for agencies to learn and use. January 1, 2021 brings six additional diagnosis codes that CMS released the week of Thanksgiving. These will not be listed in your existing diagnosis coding manuals until a new manual is released later in August.
Objectives:
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: Practical Application of Information Blocking and Interoperability Rules for Post-Acute Care Providers
Sponsored by: Complia Health and Kno2
Date: February 18
Time: 1:00 ESTJoin healthcare technology experts Alan Swenson, VP of Interoperability at Kno2, and Melissa Turner, Director of Integration at Complia Health, on Thursday, February 18th at 1pm Eastern to learn about information blocking and what it means for your post-acute care organization today and looking ahead to the future.
FREE WEBINAR: Tech Titans Join Forces to Tackle Post Acute Care Challenges
Sponsored by: KanTime
Featuring: Terra Vicario (Moderator) CMO, Viventium; Malka Trump, Director of Compliance, Viventium; Kristen Duell, EVP, KanTime; Kim Spence, RN, Customer Success Division Leader, KanTime; James Cohen, CEO & Co-Founder, Nevvon
Date: Thursday, April 22
Time: 11:00 am PDT, 2:00 pm EDT
experts from companies with solutions for talent/retention and compliance issues, along with the continued challenges that COVID-19 has presented to our industry,
Homecare 100 *
Presented by: Lincoln Healthcare Leadership
Date: June 27-30, 2021
Venue: JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, FL
Registration Information
NAHC Financial Managers 2021 Conference and Expo *
Presented by: National Association of Home Care and Hospice
Date: August 1-3
Venue: Sheraton Grand Chicago
Information and Registration
2021 Home Care and Hospice Conference and Expo *
National Association for Home Care and Hospice
Date: October 3-5
Venue: New OrleansSadly, this conference has had to be postponed, due to the hurricane in New Orleans and COVID situation in Louisiana.
SCHCHA 2021 Annual Conference
Presented by: South Carolina Home Care & Hospice Association
Date: October 25-26
Location: Sonesta Resort, Hilton Head Island, SC
AHHC 2021 Leadership Conference
Presented by: Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina
Date: November 8-9
Location: Holiday Inn Resort, Wrightsville Beach, NC
Employee Owned 2021 — "Adapt / Innovate / Lead"
Presented by: The ESOP Foundation: International Employee Ownership Center
DATE: November 10-12
VENUE: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas
"Employee Owned 2021," a hybrid ESOP Conference, is built to help you adapt to the ever-changing business landscape. The pandemic, government regulations, supply chain issues, the list of obstacles to optimally running your ESOP goes on and on. We are here to help. Through insightful speakers, innovative ideas, the latest industry updates, technical content you can trust, and a focus on current events, Employee Owned 2021 will prepare you and your ESOP to march confidently into 2022.
More Information
Who Should Attend?
- CEO/CFO/C-Suite
- Department Heads & Supervisors
- HR Staff
- Trustees
- Board Members
- Employee Owners
- Professionals
- Anyone new to ESOPs
*The Rowan Report will see you there.
FREE WEBINAR: New, Science-Based Methodology Reduces Cost of Recruitment and Retention
Presented by: The Rowan Report
Featuring: Eric Becker, CEO, MiliMatch
Date: Thursday, March 18
Time: 3:00 pm EST; Noon PST
Recorded version available.
Agenda:
Every time a home care agency hires and trains a new caregiver, it invests about $4,500, which is wasted if that new hire does not work out, often before working a first shift. MiliMatch CEO Eric Becker will explain the company's patented product/service, based on the science of Applied Cognitive Linguistics, which has been proven to help home care agencies avoid those costly bad hires.
FREE WEBINARS: "Best of Home Care Heroes" Series
Sponsored by: Ankota
Featuring: Steve "The Hurricane" Weiss, Ophelia Cole, Barbara Gaines, Cheryl Hammons, others
Dates: Ongoing
- How Home Care Thrives in the Post-COVID World (with Steve "the Hurricane" Weiss)
- ADDED THIS WEEK: "Finishing 2021 STRONG!" Wednesday, September 15, 3-4pm EST.
Register HereContact Ankota directly about two special offers: a free trial of a staffed, live-chat solution for your website, and a discount to Steve Weiss' "Mililonaire Bootcamp."
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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