Volume 10, Number 44 — June 23, 2021
Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,
In our continuing quest to find solutions to your primary challenge, staffing, we offer two pieces of good news in this week's issue. I urge you to pay close attention to both of them, one of which will require a small investment, the other which will pay you and your staff to participate.
What you need to do to deal with your staffing challenge is address both recruiting and retention, which are inextricably linked. Our first solution is to pay more than what unemployment pays, and we found something that will help until the federal unemployment supplements expire. Please direct your attention first to this week's lead item, "HHS Awards $125 Million in Workforce Grants to Bolster Vaccinations." We put you in touch with a national association that won one of these grants and is using it to pay home health and home care providers, clinicians, caregivers, and patients every time one of their patients gets a COVID shot. What does this have to do with recruiting and retention? Think about the power of word of mouth. If you participate, word will get around about your significant bonuses and you may start seeing more applicants. If nothing else, your agency and your people can bring in some well-needed cash.
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If staffing has you puzzled, maybe an outside expert is the answer. If so, take a close look at this week's entry from guest author and healthcare recruiting veteran Szilvia Toth. She explains, out of her decade of experience, what works and what does not in your efforts to fill your open positions with competent, dedicated people. Read about the importance of branding, reputation, communication, and data.
Care Coordination: Darcey Trescone interviewed FirstLight Home Care and communications technology vendor Dina this week and brings her insights into their joint effort to improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions. Click on Darcey's article below.
Vendor Watch: Quite a lot of vendor news this week. AlayaCare has raised another round of funding, this time $225 million. Health Recovery Solutions announced a $70 million investment in its remote patient monitoring company. eCaring™ acquired Home Care IT™. Homecare Homebase named Swift Medical as its preferred wound care technology partner. And home care veteran Brad Caldwell has been named COO for Careficient.
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CMS News: Two announcements this week were worth reprinting for you from notices we received. One is the official statement regarding the Supreme Court's recent 7-2 decision in support of the Affordable Care Act. The other is their update on the record number of Americans enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.
Upcoming: As we have been telling you, I ame attending Homecare 100 this week, so our next issue will be dated July 7. In the meantime, we will be posting frequent, brief video updates on our Facebook page. Go to facebook.com/homecaretech and 'like' us. Then return from time to time, Monday through Wednesday, to see if we have captured important technology news for you.
Let me take one more line to renew my gratitude to our sponsors. These companies make it possible for us to bring you this free service. Show your appreciation by clicking on their graphic ads. They may be offering just what you are looking for.
Have a great week. Keep making a difference!
HHS Awards $125 Million in Workforce Grants to Bolster Vaccinations
Home Care, Home Health agencies encouraging COVID vaccinations to receive payments from grantee.
Winning the War for Workers Against the Odds
Guest author and healthcare recruiting consultant Szilvia Toth explains how the right technology can be a game-changer for a home care and home health agency's recruiting and retention challenges.
FirstLight Home Care Partners with Dina in Care Coordination
Leading national non-medical home care provider to implement care coordination tool.
CMS Statement on SCOTUS June 16 ACA Decision
Official statement from CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on U.S. Supreme Court decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act in California v. Texas.
AlayaCare Raises $225 Million
CAD Series D funding "to accelerate digital transformation of Home Health Care."
CMS News: Record Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment
During the 12-month period that includes the onset of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP exceeded 80 million.
Vendor Watch
— eCaring™ acquires Home Care IT™
— Homecare Homebase names preferred wound care technology partner
— Careficient names Brad Caldwell COO
— HRS lands $70 million investment.
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During the 4th Quarter of 2022, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 6586 times. To inquire about placing your message here, contact: Kristin@rowanresources.com As of this date, approximately 42,097,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible. |
Last Week's Most-Read Stories:
Contaminated "Affiliations" Predicted to Shutter Hundreds of HHAs
Humana Acquires Another Home Care Provider
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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.
FREE WEBINAR: Targeted Probe & Educate: Where Do You Stand?
Presented by: Healthcare Synergy
Featuring: Michael Tidd, COS-C, HCS-D, HealthCare Synergy Clinical ManagerDate: Wednesday, November 3
Time: 11:00 am PDT / 2:00 pm EDT
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
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.
Important Final Rule Discoveries Every Agency Needs to Know: Examining HH PPS for CY2022
Presented by: HealthRevPartners
Featuring: John Reisinger, CPA
DATE: November 18
TIME: 2:00 - 3:00 EST
VENUE: Online
FEE: NONE
One of the major changes in CMS’ final rule for the Home Health Prospective Payment System announced is this — ???2022 will be a "pre-implementation year for the HHVBP, which was originally scheduled to begin in January.
Learn exactly what you need to do in 2022 for HHVBP.
Additionally, we will cover these final rule changes and more:
- Individual payment rate changes ranging from:
- An increase of 35.7%, to
- A decrease of 34.6%
- 2022 will be the last year of the Rural Add-on
- Significant changes with all 432 Case-Mix Weights
And, do you know how much your Medicare revenues are projected to change?
There will be a 3.2% increase ($570 million) in home health spending for CY2022.
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.
*The Rowan Report will see you there.
2022 Rocky Mountain Home Care, Home Health & Hospice Conference *Presented by: Home Care Association of Colorado
Dates: May 5-6
Venue: Keystone Resort & Conference Center, Keystone, CO
FREE WEBINAR: Combat the Great Resignation and Reduce Employee Turnover by 40%
Presented by: National Minority Health Association
Date: Tuesday, May 24
Time: 10:00 AM Pacific; 1:00 PM Eastern
Information and Registration
Agenda
As organizations plan for the future, they must cultivate a happier, healthier workforce. Most CEOs, CFOs, HR professionals, and other business leaders are eager to know the true impact of financial wellness. We are gathering to discuss and explore how prioritizing employee financial wellness can help increase caregiver retention and productivity at no cost to your businesses.
Gulf Coast Regional Conference & Exposition
Presented by: Home Care Associations of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama
Date: July 18-20
Venue: Grand Hotel Marriott Resort
Location: Point Clear, Alabama
2022 NAHC Financial Management Conference & Exposition *
Date: July 24-26
Venue: Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas
Register for the in-person conference - starting at $750 for NAHC members or $1,025 for non-members - or for the digital only content - $400 for members and $600 for non-members. If you register for the in-person conference, you'll get access to all of the digital content.
2022 ONC Virtual Tech Forum
Sponsored by: Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT
Location: Online
Dates: September 9, 16, and 23
ONC has posted the high-level agenda and opened up registration for the 2022 ONC Virtual Tech Forum on HealthIT.gov. This year's event takes place during three consecutive Fridays in September (9th, 16th, 23rd). As in years past, the Tech Forum will feature industry perspectives on the progress made in health IT over the past year, and highlight how we can continue to advance health technology to improve patient care, health equity, data exchange, and interoperability.
ARE YOU READY?
2022 Leadership Conference: Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina
Dates: September 25-27
Venue: Hotel Ballast
City: Wilmington
Register: ahhcconferences.com
20 educational sessions led by top industry experts, 30+ high caliber speakers, and over 40 exhibitors, including NAHC's Bill Dombi; David Rendall, Author; NC DHHS's Debra C. Farrington, MSW, LCSW; AHHC of NC Staff and Lobbyists; experts from ACHC; CHAP; Axxess; Wellsky; FORVIS; KATANA Safety; Cone Health; Delta Care Rx; The Joint Commission; Well Care Health; SembraCare, Inc.; SimiTree; LTSS Consulting, Inc.; Healthcare Provider Solutions; CareXM; 3HC and more!
MHCA 52nd Annual Meeting & Expo
Sponsored by: Minnesota Home Care Association
Date: October 12-14
Information and Registration
Venue: Breezy Point Resort
City: Breezy Point, MN
2022 NAHC Annual Meeting & Exposition *
"Connection 4.0: Linkup"
Date: October 23-25
Venue: America's Center Convention Complex
Location: St. Louis, MOThis year, we want to celebrate one of the most meaningful touchstones of our industry — connection. At the Home Care and Hospice Conference and Expo, we'll explore ideas around connection and community to help attendees reach their stakeholders in authentic and meaningful ways.
New technology, workforce developments, and the importance of high standards in quality care continue to push our community of clinicians and providers to revamp their strategies and skill sets. This event is the meeting point for you to uncover groundbreaking ideas, discover new interests, and network with industry pros.
Meet us in St. Louis, Missouri, once known as the "Gateway to the West." So, it is perfectly centered to make those connections even easier for members and attendees from all ends of the U.S. We look forward to linking up with you this October!
2022 Annual Conference
New Mexico Association for Home and Hospice CareDate: November 3
Venue: CNM Workforce Training Center
City: AlbuquerqueFeaturing:
- Lisa McClammy on "Navigating the New World of Home Health Value-Based Purchasing"
- Petria McKelvey on "Medicare Advantage & Third Party Payers: How to Get Paid!"
- Tim Rowan on "Technologies to Improve Staff Recruiting & Retention"
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
FREE WEBINAR: NAHC President Bill Dombi Shares 2023 Industry Outlook
Hosted by Mike Dordick, Netsmart
Date: January 18
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 EST
Details and Registration(Unable to attend? Register anyway to receive the recording.)
Discussion Topics:
- What is changing from a policy and regulatory perspective?
- When to anticipate relief for labor pressures
- What areas to focus on in the new year
Homecare 100 *
Presented by: Lincoln Healthcare Leadership
Date: January 22-25, 2023
Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Orlando, Grande Lakes, FL
Registration Information
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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