Volume 12, Number 13 — May  10, 2023

Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,

We have a full docket of news this week. Before I get into that, please permit me a brief reminder to our readers from companies with products or services for Home Health, Hospice, and Home Care providers — to wit: tech companies, cost accountants, legal advisors, and insurance or consulting firms.

In 2022, graphic ads on these pages were clicked nearly 20,000 times. Since we converted to advertiser-supported from subscriber-supported in 2005, those clicks have exceeded 115,000. Today, our weekly issues go out to over 8,500 subscribers, nearly half of whom forward full issues or the most exciting news articles to their entire staff. Our relationship with our sponsors is synergistic. Their support enables us to continue this 24-year-old mission; our above industry average click rate brings them notoriety and, more importantly, customers. Our ad rates are relatively low, which means our ROI is relatively high. Our Director of Marketing has been with us since 2008 and is highly skilled at finding just the right plan to promote what you have to offer. 

Contact Kristin@RowanResources.com

IN THIS WEEK'S NEWS

— FOR ALL PROVIDERS

We continue to be excited about the research our new staff writer is doing into AI in healthcare. In this week's edition, Heather Thompson presents a demonstration of how to assign a topic area to ChatGPT and at the same time tell it how to respond, as a teacher, a student, psychologist, data analyst, or any of a hundred other personas. Heather will continue to examine how other healthcare sectors use AI tools and build a case for our sector. Do not miss this week's installment, "AI in Healthcare – Conversations with GPT4."

Healthcare seems to be a favorite target of cyber criminals. No type of provider is safe. We report on medical device cybersecurity specialist, Cylera, which has formed its first Advisory Council, bringing together World leaders in cybersecurity to share insight and drive innovation to help tackle the myriad of security challenges facing today's rapidly digitalizing healthcare sector. See "Council Analyzes Growing Cybercrime in Healthcare," below.

— FOR TELEHEALTH PROVIDERS

The American Telemedicine Association successfully lobbied for a 6-month extension of COVID rules allowing prescribing over video connections. Of course, it is physicians alone who benefit from this, but you may win some favorable points by letting your referring docs know about it.

— FOR HOME HEALTH AND HOSPICE

CMS released a flurry of announcements this month. In one story, "Public Health Emergency Flexibilities End May 11," we talk about advisories for healthcare providers to help you through the transition. In our regular CMS News column, we bring no fewer than a half dozen announcements, ranging from hospice, to CHIP funding, to the Quality Payment Program, and pass-through funding.

Lastly, if you have ever been hit with a deficiency from a surveyor who read their own rules wrong, you must read guest author Elizabeth Hogue's advice on how to respond. Scroll down to "Surveyors and "Light Bulb" Experiences."

WORTH THE TRIP

State and national conference season is here. We do our best to post every announcement sent to us. Scroll down to see our current list of upcoming events. There are some where we hope to see you. Let me point out a couple. 

Home Care Innovation Forum is a new conference from "The Influence Group," set for June 4-6 in Carlsbad, California. Not to be confused with Home Care Innovation and Investment Conference, a production of Lincoln Healthcare Leadership, the organizers of Home Care 100. It will take place in Chicago, June 12-14. Looking to the end of the month, CAHSAH is scheduled for the 22nd to 25th at the Westin Rancho Mirage Golf Resort & Spa. We hope to see you at one or more of these. In addition to the ones we will attend, look below for our Upcoming Events column, with links to state conferences in Utah, Colorado, Michigan, and the Homecare Homebase annual user group meeting. 

Have a great week. Keep making a difference!

AI in Healthcare — Conversations with GPT4
Staff writer Heather Thompson continues exploring the disruptive evolution in healthcare arising from artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Conversing with AI: Cautious First Steps
As promised, this article offers a transcript of my recent "interview" with GPT-4, in which I ask it to go over some basic information about AI in general and considerations for healthcare organizations.

Public Health Emergency Flexibilities End May 11
Guest author Lindsay Doak says Berry Dunn wants to know whether your agency is ready.

Surveyors and "Light Bulb" Experiences
How often to surveyors cite HHAs for inappropriate deficiencies? Often. How often do HHAs contest these mistakes? Not often enough.

Telehealth Wins Reprieve: For Physicians
Permission to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth extended beyond end of Public Health Emergency.

CMS News: 2023 Report Released, "Quality Measure Development Plan"
— Annual report describes progress in developing clinician quality measures to support the Quality Payment Program
— Report to Improve Care for People Receiving Hospice Services
— Latest Medicaid and CHIP Enrollment Snapshot
— CMS Notifies Sixteen States of Their 2023 Final Pass-Through Funding
— Quality Conference Focuses on Solutions to America’s Health System Challenges
— Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Comment Opportunities and Deadlines

Council Analyzes Growing Cybercrime in Healthcare
Healthcare IoT and medical device cybersecurity specialist, Cylera, has formed its first Advisory Council, bringing together world leaders in cybersecurity to share insight and drive innovation to help tackle the myriad of security challenges facing today's rapidly digitalizing healthcare sector.