Volume 9, Number 50 — December 2, 2020
Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,
Did you know that every article we have published since 2005 is still available for researchers? Employers often send new hires to our article search feature at http://homecaretechreport.com to study our sector's recent history. Try it! Just enter 1, 2, or 3 key words and click "Search Now."
We have heard your complaints. There are not enough care workers for home care agencies and not enough nurses for home health. In the second of our series exploring your dilemma and searching for solutions, staff writer Darcey Trescone, RN shares her research into recent literature on the nursing side of the problem. Her suggestions for retaining good nurses applies equally to non-nurse caregivers. Click below on "Nurse Job Satisfaction Increases Retention."
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As I write this, the COVID-19 pandemic has become worse than it was last spring. The U.S. is recording a daily COVID death count equal to Japan's total deaths since the virus appeared, over 2,000. Last spring, sending home healthcare and hospice staff to work from home became the norm. We did a study then of the cyber security dangers that arise when home networks are not as secure as office networks and found it alarming. Now, with the COVID resurgence, the danger is back but may be worse. International hackers are more practiced at attacking vulnerable home networks and can get through them into any network to which they are connected. Oh, you have firewalls and virus software? They do not help when a home worker clicks on a phishing email that appears to be from Amazon or Verizon or their own bank but is not.
So we are renewing our original warning and adding a new one: Healthcare, it seems, is getting hit by 25 percent of all ransomware and other breaches. If you are sending people home to work, please take a look at our two articles on the subject this week. "Working From Home Poses Major Security Risks...Again" and "Healthcare Prime Target for Pandemic Opportunist Cyber Attacks."
Our friends at Netsmart agree with us about the urgency of this problem. Scroll down to our Upcoming Events section to register for "Cybersecurity in Healthcare: Assess Threats & Reduce Your Risk." It is free and set for December 9.
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Did you find yourself getting hopeful when CMS announced the loosening of telehealth regulations so it can be used for more patients, even after the pandemic subsides? We did too, until we read the entire announcement. In one of my infrequent editorials, I critique Seema Verma's decision to make it easier for hospitals to treat people at home while ignoring the industry that has been doing exactly that for 120 years. My opinion piece is titled, "CMS Snubs Home Health in New Telehealth Rules." We have also reprinted the reaction to the CMS Final Rule by the American Telemedicine Association, which faults the new regulations for different reasons.
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With the changes coming to PDGM in January, a number of experts are offering instructional webinars. KanTime is offering "Home Health Final Rule: Preparing for the No-Pay RAP" on December 10. And if you hurry, you can still register for the December 3 free webinar from Healthcare Synergy, "2021's Most Vital Home Health Regulation Changes." Scroll down to our Upcoming Events section for details.
Have great week. Keep making a safe, masked difference!
Nurse Job Satisfaction Increases Retention
The current nursing shortage is only going to get worse as the population ages. Staff writer Darcey Trescone, RN, BSN, offers deep research into the causal relationship between job satisfaction and worker longevity. What causes satisfaction? Darcey explains that as well.
Working From Home Poses Major Security Risks...Again
COVID numbers are up again. Workers are heading back home. Hackers are licking their chops. We found a new, easy to use VPN from Microsoft that could prevent a PHI disaster.
Healthcare Prime Target for Pandemic Opportunist Cyber Attacks
Healthcare was the target of 25% of SSL-based hacker attacks in 2020. Without defensive measures, It could get worse in 2021.
CMS Snubs Home Health in New Telehealth Rules
Announcing "regulatory flexibility" to increase care in the home, Administrator Seema Verma makes it easier for hospitals to do what you have been doing for 120 years. She outlined a program of more telehealth payments to hospitals.
American Telemedicine Association Responds to CMS Telehealth Expansion
It is not only home health and hospice that find the latest CMS final rule on telehealth expansion less than expansive.
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During the 1st Quarter of 2021, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 10965 times. To inquire about placing your message here, contact: Kristin@rowanresources.com As of this date, approximately 39,864,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible. |
Last Week's Most-Read Stories:
Retaining And Growing The Direct Care Workforce
Documentation in Order to Manage Risks: Part I
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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.
Virtual Conference: Winter Leadership Summit
Presented by: National Association for Home Care and Hospice
Date: February 23, 2021
FREE WEBINARS: Virtual Seminar Series
"Building the Bridge to Hospice" and "How to Increase Referrals"
Sponsored by: WellSky
Featuring: Cindy Campbell, Jody Holmes-Dion, Bob Parker, Melanie Stover
Dates: March 2, 16, 30; April 6
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 ESTRegister for one or both webinars
Building the bridge to hospice: Leveraging connections between home health, palliative, and hospice care
Presented by consultants Cindy Campbell and Jody Holmes-Dion of WellSky and Bob Parker of Intrepid USA
CE credit offered – approved for up to 1.25 contact hours
Tuesday, March 2 | Tuesday, March 30Turn up the volume! How to increase referrals in a value-driven market
Presented by Cindy Campbell and sales and marketing expert Melanie Stover of Home Care Sales
Tuesday, March 16 | Tuesday, April 6
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,
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 soon.
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.
Sprinting Toward Brighter Days
Homecare & Hospice Association of Utah Annual Conference - LIVE AND IN PERSON!
Date: May 18-19
Location: Salt Lake Community College, Sandy, UT
Interested sponsors/exhibitors: hover over the "Partners" tab on the website menu and select "Sponsorship/Exhibitor Opportunities" or email info@hhau.org for more information.
Homecare 100 *
Presented by: Lincoln Healthcare Leadership
Date: June 27-30, 2021
Venue: JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, FL
Registration 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
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