Volume 8, Number 43 — August 7, 2019
Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,
It turned out to be a brilliant idea to bring together all types of post- and non-acute care organizations in one conference. The interactions among private duty home care, Medicare home health and hospice, skilled nursing facility, and rehab hospital owners and other executives last week were rich with insights and ideas. We learned about joint ventures between non-medical in-home care providers and large hospital systems, about the growing need for care transition case management, and about the way MedPAC commissioners look at post-acute care.
This last insight is the topic of our lead article this week. If you wonder why Medicare payment rates have suffered under downward pressure ever since MedPAC started advising Congress, our summary of the keynote presentation by MedPAC Commissioner and Harvard Professor David Grabowski may help you understand. You may still disagree with him, and we cannot say you will enjoy reading the article, but at least you may understand why they treat you the way they do.
Review Choice Demonstration
CMS has published details for Ohio HHAs, the second state to join RCD. Texas, North Carolina, and Florida are next. Ohio needs to act quickly to choose between two ways to participate (three if you count the silly one). The window for choosing opens August 16 and closes September 15. We re-published the CMS announcement for your convenience.
A Book for Everyone
Whether you are a professional caregiver or the child of an aging parent, "Eldercare 101: A Practical Guide to Later Life Planning, Care, and Wellbeing" by Mary Jo Saavedra should be on your desk. Frankly, I wish she had written it before my own parents died. In our review, we share a couple of excerpts and congratulate her for the way she pulled together expert authors to write a chapter, each in her own field -- legal, financial, healthcare, spiritual, etc. -- instead of merely interviewing them and trying to write it herself.
New App for Hospices
Tina Marrelli has been helping nurses learn and improve their skills for decades. Her "Red Book" can be found in nearly every HHA and hospice in the country. Now, she has created an app to accompany her book. The "Red Book Hospice Care Planning" app supports care plan development to help clinicians care for hospice patients and their caregivers.
Worth the Trip
Competition is top-of-mind for every agency owner. Whether you do battle for physician referrals or from that coveted telephone call from the adult daughter across the country, your sales efforts are your business's oxygen. If you want to learn how to do it right, from top national experts, join me at this year's "Growth Summit" with Melanie Stover, OT, and Cheryl Petelkis, RN. We'll be in Las Vegas, September 17-19. I went last year and was surprised at how much content they can squeeze into three days. Click the graphic on the right side of this page or go to homecaresales.com/vegas for all the details.
Have a great week. Keep making a difference!
Commissioner Offers Rare Peek into MedPAC Decision-Making Process
David Grabowski shared data with SNF, HHA, hospice audience, offered frank explanation of how MedPAC uses it.
CMS News: Review Choice Demonstration in Ohio
Illinois started Review Choice in the spring. Ohio begins on September 30. Texas, North Carolina, and Florida to follow every 60-90 days.
Book Review: Eldercare 101 by Mary Jo Saavedra
For your patients and clients, or for your own parents, you need the guidance offered in this book.
Hospice Care Planning App Released to Accompany Tina Marrelli's Popular "Red Book"
Tina Marrelli's Red Book has been a Home Health and Hospice staple for generations. Her new app accompanies the book and supports nurse care planning.
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During the 4th Quarter of 2020, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 4319 times. To inquire about placing your message here, contact: Kristin@rowanresources.com As of this date, approximately 34,551,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible. |
Last Week's Most-Read Stories:
Hospital-to-Home Program Saves Lives, Slashes Costs
Ongoing Series: PDGM Vendor Perspectives and Preparations
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Webinar: Post-Acute Care Quality Reporting Programs
Presented by: CMS
Date: Thursday, November 14
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 pm EST
Fee: Free
Description: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting a webinar for Medicare-certified hospice providers to provide an overview on Hospital Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) requirements.
During this webinar, CMS subject matter experts will provide information on the following topics:
- Hospice Item Set (HIS) reporting requirements;
- HQRP compliance cycle;
- How to achieve hospice compliance;
- CAHPs survey requirements; and
- How to switch CAHPS survey research vendors.
CMS will answer questions at the end of the webinar as time permits.
Register
Conference: Successful Home Health Transformation
Hosted Dixon Healthcare Solutions, Inc.
Date: December 5-6
Location: Bally's, Las Vegas
Time: 7:00 am - 4:00 pm
Speakers: Richard K. Dixon, Cheryl Peltekis, RN, Meaghan McCormick, Esq., Donna Floyd, RN, BSN, J'non Griffin, RN, MHA, HCS-D, BCCH-C, COS-C, WCC; Annette Lee, RN, MS, HCS-D, COS-C; Cory Mertz, managing partner for a leading healthcare M&A firm.Approved for up to 10 hours of Continuing Nursing Education by Corexcel, an accredited provider by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
WEBINAR: Key Documentation Issues for 2020 & the Future
A 90-Minute Lunch & Learn Audio Conference by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. Health Care Attorney
Date: March 18
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 EDT
Encore date: March 25; On-demand recording available
Information and Registration
Documentation remains a key requirement for home care providers as the consequences for inadequate documentation become more severe.
- What can home health agencies do to avoid denials by ZPICs, RACs, etc., for lack of homebound status and reasonable and necessary care?
- What kind of documentation must home health agencies, hospices, private duty agencies and HME companies maintain regarding gifts to referral sources and payments to physicians who make referrals to them?
- How can providers avoid an increase in enforcement action in this area?
- What kinds of documentation problems are private duty agencies facing with regard to recoupments from state Medicaid Programs?
- What dangers do electronic medical records cause for all types of home health providers?
- Is it true that if it wasn't documented, it wasn't done?
Gather your staff members to emphasize effective documentation yet again. Real examples of cases involving problematic documentation will be presented. Questions and case examples are welcome, and extensive handouts will be provided for use by staff members.
Recordings Available: Pandemic Recovery - Rebuild Stronger Than Ever
Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice
Two days of keynote and breakout presentations for home health and hospice providers.
Webinar Series: Sales Training, Home Health and Hospice
Presented by: Healthcare Strategica, LLC
Featuring: Michael Ferris
1 - 8-week Hospice & Palliative Care Sales Training Course2 - 8-week Home Health Sales Training
Rowan Report subscribers: Register with this link to receive $100 discount.
We have taken our best of class industry specific sales training bootcamps and are offering them via Webinar to enable you to continue to train your sales team in today's world of limited travel and social distancing.
The Hospice and Palliative Care course will be offered live every Tuesday starting May 19 through July 7, 2020.
The Home Health course will be offered live every Tuesday starting May 21 through July 9, 2020.
Each class will have participation exercises, homework assignments, quizzes and question and answer opportunities.
Each participant will receive their own course materials and individual coaching and feedback. At the conclusion of the course each student will receive a certificate of completion, an invitation to join the exclusive Sales Mastery Group* and opportunity to join the 52-week Sales Training Excellence Course.*
* Only available to Sales Professionals that have successfully completed the 8-week Sales Training Course – additional fees may apply.
Each session will be offered on-demand and if unable to attend the live webinar, you will be able to view the recording and participate in exercises, questions, coaching and quizzes. If you start after the first webinar date, you will be provided with access to those classes missed so that you can get caught up or you may elect to attend via the recorded sessions.
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
The 2021 Home Health Final Rule
Insights to position your agency for success
Sponsored by: WellSky
Featuring: Sharon Harder, president, C3 Advisors; Jill Dyer, BSN, RN, HCS-D, HCS-O, president, JID Consulting and Coding, LLC
Date: November 18
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 ESTAttendees will learn:
- How to prepare for and implement the operational changes imposed by the final rule, including submission of no-pay RAPs within five calendar days of the start of care and changes to the types of non-physician practitioners who can order home health services
- The impact of CMS’s decision to retain the PDGM behavioral adjustment
- The status of proposed legislation aimed to allow home health agencies to bill for telehealth services during public health emergencies and how this change would affect care planning and delivery
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: Return to Work under COVID-19
Presented by: Healthcare Synergy
Featuring: David Mauzey, SVP & General Manager, HealthPointe SolutionsDate: January 14
Time: 11:00 - 11:30 PST
The COVID pandemic has evolved, initial processes in place ensure a safe work force environments but need to evolve to stay effective and efficient. Home health has an extra layer of scrutiny given the population may be at a higher risk. This webinar will focus on how an organization can evolve to keep their workforce and patients safe. HealthPointe Solutions has a full inventory of new and advanced recommendations that help implement and maintain site safety. This includes step-by-step guidance that include medical testing administration strategies, patient/employee monitoring, training/education and program auditing.
Objectives:
David Mauzey has over 25 years' experience in healthcare, helping bring operational efficiency solutions to both providers and payers. Within HealthPointe Solutions, he is responsible for operations and was a part of the team that developed HealthPointe Solutions’ COVID response solutions. Prior to joining HealthPointe Solutions, David served as VP and GM of Optum's Network Payment Innovation, where he focused on alternative payment programs, including bundle d payments and population-centric, value-based programs.
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: 5 Key Elements of a Successful Home Health Remote Patient Monitoring Program
Presented by: Amity Healthcare Group
Featuring: Irina Gorovaya, owner and president of Amity Healthcare Group; Erin Vallier, AlayaCare Account Executive; Kaila Raimondo, AlayaCare Solution Engineer
Date: Wednesday, January 27
Time: 2:00 pm EST
Information and Registration
Agenda:
Explore key factors and solutions necessary for successful deployment of patient remote monitoring program in home health.
The discussion will include policies and procedures, documentation, staff education, and telehealth equipment and solutions.
FREE WEBINAR: Rubber Meets the Road with the No-Pay RAP
Sponsored by: KanTime & BlackTree Consulting
Featuring: Nick Seabrook, Managing Principal and Founder, BlackTree; Kim Spence, RN, Director, KanTime Customer Success; Greg Lotz, Director, KanTime Marketing & Sales Technology
Date: February 4
Time: 2:00 ESTAGENDA:
Re-visit regulatory changes and how they have impacted agencies. Plus, tips and tricks to stay ahead of the curve.
Virtual Conference: Winter Leadership Summit
Presented by: National Association for Home Care and Hospice
Date: February 23, 2021
Homecare 100 *
Presented by: Lincoln Healthcare Leadership
Date: June 27-30, 2021
Venue: JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort, FL
https://www.homecare100.com/
*The Rowan Report will see you there.
PDGM’s Behavioral Adjustments - What You Need to Know Now
Sponsored by eSolutions
Featuring: Karri Wright, Sr. Director, Product Management at Homecare Homebase
Date: Thursday, August 29
Time: 2:00 pm CDT
Fee: FreeThe webinar covers:
- CMS assumptions and intended adjustments and their impact on:
- Upcoding
- Comorbidities
- LUPA Avoidance
- Considerations for HHAs
- Evaluating your HHA data now to assess tomorrow based on today’s reality
A QUALITY JOB: Clinical Management & Care Coordination Under PDGM
Hosted by VNAA
Sponsored by MatrixCare/Brightree
Presented by Simione Healthcare ConsultantsFeaturing: Laura Wilson, RN, BSN, Sr. Manager, Simione Healthcare Consultants
Date: Wednesday, September 11
Time: 12:00 pm EDT
Free Registration
PDGM is so much more than a billing change! Home health agencies preparing for payment reform need to look closely at clinical operations to make accommodations that will uphold quality, including care alternatives that add value to the equation. In this webinar, we’ll share insights based on the findings of gap analyses to help your organization make a successful transition under the new requirements. Recommended Attendees: Clinical Managers, Intake Staff, Coders / QA, Finance & Billing personnel Hosted by VNAA, sponsored by MatrixCare/Brightree, presented by Simione Healthcare Consultants
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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