Home Care Tech Report

We have so many major announcements this week, we will push our usual summary of our news articles (all 8 of them!) to the bottom. You can also scroll all the way down to our "Upcoming Events" section for details on these briefings.

First in importance: we published an analysis of the 2021 proposed rule for home health last week, with a plea to submit comments by the deadline. They changed the deadline. Try to get your comments submitted by August 24, not 31. More detail in this week's CMS News column.

Private Duty Home Care Provider Honor will hold its 2nd Annual "SAGE" conference next month, though it will be online rather than in person. We gave the first iteration rave reviews last year, saying we thought it would be a day-long sales pitch to join the San Francisco company as a partner, but it wasn't. It was profoundly educational. (See: "Top National Healthcare Experts Appear at First Annual 'Sage' Conference") The lineup of celebrity experts speaking this year at least matches, if not surpasses, last year's all-keynote all stars. Leading the parade this year will be Pulitzer Prize finalist and geriatrician Louise Aronson, author of Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, and Reimagining Life.

There will be no charge for this event, which will take place over two consecutive half days, leaving you time to get other work done while attending. Scroll down to see the entire lineup of expert speakers or click here to register. This free conference is set for September 1-2. Speakers will cover topics around innovation, technology, the evolving art of caregiving, and the future of senior living.

Any public, private, or non-profit organization may submit a product, service, or technology entry for the 9th Annual New Product & Technology Awards® awards. Sponsored by "The Mature Market Resource Center, headquartered in Libertyville, IL, a 30-year-old, national clearinghouse for professionals who work in senior markets, the awards recognize innovative products, services, and technologies for older adults and their families. For more details and information about how to enter your product in the competition, visit AgingAwards.com. Home Care Tech: The Rowan Report is proud to be a co-sponsor of this year's event. We have also posted a Fact Sheet on our Partners Page (bottom of homecaretechreport.com).

Winners receive Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Merit recognition, by entry category and division. Winning entrants receive colorful award certificates, a one-year license to use the official awards logo, listing on the agingawards.com website, a list of all 2020 winners, and other resources to help promote your achievement.

THANK YOU for responding to our survey. We learned a lot from you about your post-pandemic plans for working from home. You'll be surprised by the results. Click below to explore the results in "Will Working from Home Become the New Normal?"

In this week's news: We found two stories about Medicare fraud accusations – one for $192 million, another for $1.4 billion – and put them together so you could compare them. Click below on Darcey Trescone's analysis of a July OIG report.

In our analysis of the CMS proposed rule for 2021, guest author John Reisinger, CPA made a point of bemoaning there is still no home health-specific telehealth provision after the end of the pandemic. So, we asked CMS for an explanation and got one...after a fashion. We went back to Reisinger to get his reaction to their non-answer. If you are hoping to use telehealth with your patients, you need to understand what the proposed rule does and does not do for you. Click below on our CMS News column. It includes information about weekly home health COVID-19 update calls as well.

There is a lot more this week but I'm running out of room. Scan the headlines below to see which of these appeals to you: Elizabeth Hogue, esq. on treating COVID-positive patients; Thornberry's Kristen Klawitter on the right and wrong ways to choose an EMR software system; brand consultant Mary Maloney on "Excavate Your Brand Genius;" our interview with Netsmart execs about their sudden influx of hospice and palliative care clients; and a report for IT professionals that tries to explain why their unemployment rate is so much lower than everyone else's since the pandemic-induced financial crisis began.

Upcoming Events

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
Register

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
Information and Registration
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
Information and Registration
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, AlayaCare
Date: Wednesday, January 27
Time: 1:00 EST

Information and Registration
Agenda
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 Manager
Date: Thursday, February 4
Time: 11:00 - 11:30 PST
Register

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:

Verbalize the six new diagnosis codes effective January 1, 2021
Discuss the use of these codes
Review example of used cases with new diagnosis codes

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 EST
Information and Registration
Join 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
Register

2021, in many ways, is a continuation of challenges from 2020 and more! During this webinar, experts from companies with solutions for talent/retention and compliance issues, along with the continued challenges that COVID-19 has presented to our industry, will cover rules, regulations, and programs you need to stay on top of so your company can thrive amidst the pandemic.

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 Orleans
Sadly, 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
Information and Registration

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
Information and Registration

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 Here
Put the Client First and Match the right Caregiver (with Ophelia Cole and Barbara Gaines)
Captivate Website Visitors in 8 Seconds or Less
New Source of Revenue Helping Veterans (with guest Cheryl Hammons)
Contact 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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Upcoming Events