Volume 9, Number 50 — July 29, 2020
Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,
If we were to put a headline on the early results from our poll, it would be "Bad News in Store for Landlords." The poll is still open (click here) but early results show a number of you are seriously thinking about downsizing your office space to save rent, and keep some staff working from home in order to facilitate that. If you haven't already, please share your own post-pandemic plans. There are only four questions. Would you give a couple of minutes to help all readers?
HOME HEALTH: CMS published the proposed rule for Calendar Year 2021 and you have until August 31 to submit your comments. Guest author John Reisinger, CPA, went through the proposed rule with a fine toothed comb and offer his analysis of the changes it may bring. He targets for us specific areas of the rule that the entire industry should comment on. Preview: Get used to the term "No-Pay RAP." John's excellent analysis is below, aptly titled "It Is Time to Send CMS Your Comments on 2021 Proposed Rule."
Yes, you are tired of hearing about COVID-19, but CMS keeps sending out updates to its provisions and warnings. There are three separate announcements in this week's CMS News column, including a list of support calls the agency has scheduled for August, targeted to home health and hospice.
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HOME CARE: Staff writer Darcey Trescone spoke with an innovative home care provider in New York who has improved both patient care and caregiver retention by sending his caregivers to advanced training and supplying them with a mobile app. Read about Richard Keller, President of All Metro Health Care in "Building A Stronger Direct Care Workforce Yields Better Outcomes."
Speaking of New York, the state's home care association has made headlines recently. The Home Care Association of New York State was awarded a grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to leverage Selfhelp Community Services’ "Virtual Senior Center," so that every home care provider in the state can make VSC available to their patients.
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VENDOR RELEASES INDUSTRY DATA: PlayMaker Health does a quarterly deep-dive analysis of CMS claims data. The recent release of Q4 2019 data will create a benchmark against which the twin 2020 challenges of PDGM and COVID-19 can be compared. Read about the shrinking number of HHAs, growing influence of Medicare Advantage, and lengthening hospice stays in this week's Vendor Watch column. A CRM company, PlayMaker Health's data is informative well beyond physician referral counts.
We round out this week's issue with a reprint of an appeal by the American Telemedicine Association to Congress to pass the "Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act." It is a bill to keep support for remote patient monitoring going post-COVID-19.
As we approach the dog days of summer, I hope you are taking some time for yourself. After the last seven months, you deserve it.
Have a peaceful, healthy week. Keep making a difference! (And please take a moment to take our survey.)
It Is Time to Send CMS Your Comments on 2021 Proposed Rule
Public comment period expires August 31. Home health financial advisor says, "Let's flood CMS with thoughtful comments."
Vendor Watch: PlayMaker Health Releases Q4 2019 Market Data and Growth Trends
Medicare Advantage enrollment up. Consolidation a growing factor. Hospice admissions may be impacted by Palliative Care.
CMS News: Three Major COVID Updates
— New COVID-19 Data Reveals Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries. Important to all, especially to those serving minority populations, especially Native Americans.
— Home Health QRP COVID-19 PHE Tip Sheet is Available
— COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls — July 27 to August 14
Building A Stronger Direct Care Workforce Yields Better Outcomes
New York HHA increases aide retention, improves patient care by providing aides with training and a mobile app.
ATA Urges Congress to Protect Telehealth Post-COVID
Though it does not mention home care, the ATA issued a statement pushing Congress to pass the "Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act."
State Association Expands "Virtual Senior Center" for NY Home Care Patients
Grant from Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to fund statewide technical expansion of Selfhelp's online VSC platform so home care providers statewide can offer service, connect patients.
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During the 3rd Quarter of 2022, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 4251 times. To inquire about placing your message here, contact: Kristin@rowanresources.com As of this date, approximately 38,478,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible. |
Last Week's Most-Read Stories:
Overcoming Sales Challenges During the COVID Pandemic
CMS News: Audits to Resume August 3
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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: 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,
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.
*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.
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!
Bandwidth, Not Burnout: Workforce Technologies To Combat Burnout in Home-Health and Hospice
Free Webinar, presented by: CareXM
Speakers: - Kelli Carner, RN, BSN, BRMP, MHA, CBRM, Executive Director of Information Services, Providence Home and Community Care; Jeanette Dove, RN, MA, Executive VP & Chief Quality Officer Emeritus, Bristol Hospice and Founder/Principal, Engage Home-Health and Hospice Consultancy; Laurie Nelson, BSN, RN, Director of Clinical Services, CareXM
Date: September 28, 2022
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 EDT
Details and RegistrationIn our post-Pandemic world, higher percentages of operating budgets are going to "staffing." But in spending these extra dollars are we solving for triage chaos, improving both patient and clinician experiences?
Three expert clinician-managers – two from top-10 Home-Health and Hospice providers and one the from the company delivering Software with a Service solutions – will assess our current situation, point out what is needed for future development, and share their POV about what is available today to solve for triage chaos and sustainable, scalable growth, yielding Bandwidth, not Burnout.
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!
42nd Annual Conference
Presented by: Hospice & Palliative Care Association of NYS
Dates: November 2-3
Venue: Albany Marriott
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"
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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