Volume 9, Number 38 — August  12, 2020

Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,

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.

Have a great, safe, and healthy week. Keep making a difference!

Will Working From Home Become the New Normal?
You answered our survey with surprising comments about making work-from-home permanent. We found an IT security expert who has something to say about that.

CMS News: Can We Use Telehealth or Not?
When Seema Verma makes an announcement about telehealth, we always ask for a specific comment about whether home health will ever be included. Once again, the press office sent a lengthy reply that did not answer our question.

Caring for Seriously Ill COVID-19 Patients at Home
Guest author and home care attorney Elizabeth Hogue has been studying the legal ramifications of caring for patients infected with COVID-19.

How to Find the Best EMR Solution for Your Home Health or Hospice Agency
To coincide with the launch of our Home Care Buyer's Guide, we asked our friends at Thornberry Ltd. to allow us to reprint an article from their blog page.

OIG Report "CMS Could Have Saved $192 Million"
OIG data mining found $41,613 of questionable payments to HHAs by examining 120 claims from 2017. The Office is demanding that CMS recover an extrapolated $192 million from all providers.

Netsmart Advancing in Hospice Sector
Netsmart surprised even itself by signing 16 new hospice and palliative care customers so far this year.

Unemployment Still A Crisis, Except in IT
With unemployment breaking 90-year records, IT turns out to be a relatively safe profession. Job openings skyrocketed in July.

Excavate Your Brand Genius
Guest author Mary Maloney outlines how messaging “What You Stand for” correlates to more quality Referrals and clients.