Volume 9, Number 50 — October  7, 2020



Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,

We work hard to balance our news and analysis to meet the needs of all our readers, who range from personal care providers to Medicare home health and hospice. This week, however, news coming out of CMS dominates and we must focus on two critical issues: Medicare rule changes coming next January 1 and the strange failure of many HHAs to adapt to the changes introduced last January 1. But first...

...a couple of exceptions for Private Duty providers

This week's list of free webinars is especially suited to the interests of non-medical home care providers. First, I invite you to join me this Thursday, October 8, for "The Family Caregiver Speaks Up." At 2:00 EDT, I will be moderating a discussion with the founder and CEO of Citus Health, Melissa Kozak, who recently released a research study about the importance of communications to family members of patients under your care. It seems that keeping families in the loop is a major factor in their decision about which provider to choose. Scroll down for more details and please join me Thursday.

An equally timely webinar provided by Savii Care will feature James Cohen discussing infection control, a topic on everyone's mind these days. Scroll down to read the details of "Preparation for a New Normal." James is the CEO of Nevvon, a leading online education system for personal care providers and home health aides.

Got Competition?

Every little addition to your online visibility can help your phone ring more often with that coveted inquiry from the far away adult child. "I found you online and my mom may need your services." Online marketing consultant Roger McManus returns this week with 12 Tips in 120 Seconds that you can do yourself at no expense other than your time. Read "Optimize Your 'Google My Business' Listing."

 

 

Attention HHAs

CMS issued an update that changes the oddly named "No-Pay RAP" that will enter your world in January. Medicare reimbursement consultant John Reisinger sorts through the new procrastination penalties and outlines ways to avoid them. Click on "Penalty Announced for Delayed No-Pay RAP Submission."

 

 

We had a great conversation this week with industry veteran Bill Creach, whose company Careficient has just acquired IGEA software from Complia Health. In a bulletin Monday, we reported that Complia Health is pivoting to turn all its resources on its ContinuLink and Suncoast EMR systems and was happy to find a home for IGEA with a solid company. Read "Careficient CEO Discusses IGEA Acquisition" below.

 

 


Worth the Trip

After a brief hiatus, the six-state Southwest Homecare & Hospice Conference is back. Under the leadership of the Homecare and Hospice Association of Utah, "Home: Where Our Heart Is" will be presented online, featuring experts from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. The Utah association has the information you need on its web site.

Editor signature
Tim Rowan



Stop Nibbling At The Edges! Part 1
PDGM requires operational changes to clinical care planning and treatment protocols, not merely coding and billing adjustments. Home Health consultant Arnie Cisneros, PT, begins a 4-part series that will show HHAs how to build a Value-Based Operational Platform and explains how Medicare will pay you for it.

Penalty Announced for Delayed No-Pay RAP Submission
If the phrase "no-pay request for anticipated payment" makes no sense to you, you are not alone. CPA and Medicare reimbursement consultant John Reisinger sorts out the latest CMS update.

Careficient CEO Discusses IGEA Acquisition
Following Monday's announcement, we spoke with Careficient CEO Bill Creach.

Six States to Collaborate on Virtual Conference
Attend "Home: Where Our Heart Is" from your desk.

Optimize Your Google My Business Listing
12 ideas in 120 seconds to draw attention to your private duty agency.



During the 1st Quarter of 2023, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 4163 times.

To inquire about placing your message here, contact:

Kristin@rowanresources.com

As of this date, approximately 39,248,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible.

 

Last Week's Most-Read Stories:

PRF Reporting Requirements and Potential Audits
CMS has changed the rules after the game began. If you took emergency COVID funds, learn these new reporting rules and deadlines.

Medicaid News: New Funding Released for SNF-to-Home Transitions
CMS Announces New Federal Funding for 33 States to Support Transitioning Individuals from Nursing Homes to the Community. "Our goal must always be to keep our loved ones in their own homes and communities for as long as possible." —Seema Verma


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: 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.

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.


FREE WEBINAR: Targeted Probe & Educate: Where Do You Stand?

Presented by: Healthcare Synergy
Featuring:
Michael Tidd, COS-C, HCS-D, HealthCare Synergy Clinical Manager

Date: Wednesday, November 3
Time: 11:00 am PDT / 2:00 pm EDT

Register

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

Information and Registration

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

Register Here

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:

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.


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

Information and Registration


2022 NAHC Financial Management Conference & Exposition *

Date: July 24-26
Venue: Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas

Information and Registration

 

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

Information and Registration

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.

MHCA 52nd Annual Meeting & Expo

Sponsored by: Minnesota Home Care Association

Date: October 12-14
Venue: Breezy Point Resort
City: Breezy Point, MN

Information and Registration

2022 NAHC Annual Meeting & Exposition *

"Connection 4.0: Linkup"

Date: October 23-25
Venue: America's Center Convention Complex
Location: St. Louis, MO

Information and Registration

This 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 Care

Date: November 3
Venue: CNM Workforce Training Center
City: Albuquerque

Information and Registration

Featuring:


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

 

Information and Registration


Homecare 100 *

Presented by: Lincoln Healthcare Leadership

Date: January 22-25, 2023
Venue: Ritz-Carlton, Orlando, Grande Lakes, FL

Registration Information


 

Shine Your Light
Illinois HomeCare & Hospice Council Annual Meeting and Exposition

Dates: April 9-10
Venue: NIU Naperville

Information and Registration


FREE WEBINAR: CMS’ Proposed Hospice FY2024 Payment Rule: Implications for Agencies and the Hospice Community

Sponsored by NAHC
Featuring: Theresa Forster, Katie Wehri

Date: April 11
Time: 12:00 - 1:30 EDT

Details and Registration

 

Description: In addition to routine annual payment changes, CMS proposed FY2024 Hospice Payment Rule, issued on March 31, contains valuable updates on the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). Perhaps most notable, the rule's deep dive into utilization trends signals an intensified interest in hospice care patterns, potentially inappropriate behavior in the hospice sector, and program integrity concerns.  Join two of NAHC's hospice experts as they detail proposed changes, including a new requirement that hospice certifying physicians be Medicare enrolled (or to have validly opted-out) and CMS' Requests for Information on hospice utilization and health equity, and examine their potential impact on hospice practice going forward.

Faculty: Theresa M. Forster, NAHC VP for Hospice Policy & Programs
Katie Wehri, NAHC Director of Home Health & Hospice Regulatory Affairs


WEBINAR: Audits: What to Do

A 90-minute Lunch & Learn Audio Conference by Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. Health Care Attorney

Date: Thursday, April 6
Time: 1:00 - 2:30 EDT

Encore date: April 13
On-demand recording available 24/7
Option to purchase recording and handouts

 

Information and Registration

 

Audio-Conference Description: Home care providers of all types; including home health agencies, private duty agencies, hospices and HME companies; remain targets of audits by various regulators, including but certainly not limited to United Program Integrity Contractors (UPICs). The results of these audits can be devastating because they may threaten the ability of providers to remain in business, especially when overpayments are extrapolated to millions of dollars. Audits of all types must be taken seriously and providers must take action to close audits as quickly as possible! The first thing providers must do is to review records requested by auditors.

The purpose of this teleconference is to give providers detailed steps to follow to avoid adverse consequences of audits. Examples of common issues targeted by auditors will be provided and there will be time for questions and answers.


 

First Joint Conference of the Carolinas

Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina & South Carolina Home Care & Hospice Association

Dates: April 23-26

Venue: Westin

City: Charlotte

Information and Registration 



Rise Above!

Michigan Home Care & Hospice Association Annual Conference

Dates: May 3-5
Venue: Grand Traverse Resort & Spa

Registration and Information

The theme for the Conference is “RISE ABOVE” a fitting recognition of the challenges our industry and each of you overcame in your personal lives and professional careers to navigate the challenges of the past three years.

The MHHA conference presents an opportunity to meet new friends and reacquaint with peers. What better place to rise above, than at the spacious and beautiful Grand Traverse Resort & Spa? This conference has a little bit for every service line and discipline. Wednesday offers a track for Volunteer Managers and Thursday offers a track for Palliative Care as well as many other sessions for Certified Home Health, Hospice, DME and Private Duty Home Care.


2023 Annual Home Health & Hospice Conference
Homecare and Hospice Association of Utah

Date: May 10-11

City: Sandy

Attendee Registration

Exhibitor/Sponsor Registration


2023 Rocky Mountain Home Care, Home Health & Hospice Conference *Presented by: Home Care and Hospice Association of Colorado

Dates: May 18-19
Venue: Beaver Creek


Information and Registration for Attendees and Exhibitors


Home Care Innovation Forum*Presented by: The Influence Group

Dates: June 4-6
Venue: Park Hyatt Aviara 
City: 
Carlsbad, CA


Information and Registration

Featured Speakers:

Partial list of topics:


HI2: Home Care Innovation and Investment Conference *Presented by: Lincoln Healthcare Leadership

Dates: June 12-14
Venue: Swissotel 
City: 
Chicago


Information and Registration

Featured Speakers:


leading ONE vision

Homecare Homebase User Group Meeting

Dates: June 12-14
Venue: Sheraton Dallas Hotel

Information and Registration

Clinical Education Credits
Nationally recognized speakers, eight clinical sessions. Clinicians are encouraged to sign up for the clinical sessions, but are free to jump between clinical and non-clinical topics. Clinical topics include a homecare focus on Wound Care, Value Based Purchasing, Clinical Leadership, conflict resolution, Quality Report, Oasis and more.

Featured Speakers:



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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