Volume 11, Number 22 — August  24, 2022



Dear Healthcare at Home Colleague,

DATA, DATA, DATA. You have been hearing it is king for so long, you are likely growing immune to the cliché. Please do not succumb to the temptation to say, "I've heard this song before."

This week is different.

We are learning about advances in data analysis due to Artificial Intelligence and Natural Language Processing are on the brink of changing your life and the lives of every clinician in Home Health. The way you train how to do an OASIS visit will change. The way your coders operate will change. Your hospital readmission rates will improve. And the overall impact will accrue to your bottom line.

Do I have your attention yet?

Note to Private Duty providers: we have forgotten you this week. Look below for information to nominate your caregivers for the 2022 CellTrak $1,000 scholarship for home care aides.

 

 

SmartCareAI

First up is a new artificial intelligence system designed for use by coders. Since the introduction of PDGM, and especially after Value-Based Purchasing arrives, coding accuracy and optimal sequencing are make or break functions for your star ratings, patient outcomes, and profit margins.

Our lead story unveils the long-awaited release of SmartCareAI, a futuristic AI tool for Home Health coders from Select Data. You will read about their years of testing and fine-tuning the system's intelligence by first giving it to their own experts on their coding services team, then expanding it to some large, national HHA organizations. Top-rated coders, already with the best outcomes in the industry, are seeing improvements in their accuracy, while slicing their intake document processing time by 90 percent. OASIS time is down and accuracy is up. As always, when OASIS is more correct and complete, PDGM revenue rises. 

The article you will read is not another rewrite of a tech company's promotional news release. We went to Anaheim and studied SmartCareAI in person; we spoke to a product designer and to CEO Ed Buckley; we read the comments of Select Data's coders. We read numbers from an early adopter and saw evidence of total elimination of ADRs. We became convinced that this product is no incremental improvement on existing data analysis tools. This is a leap forward. Scroll down to "Product Review: New AI Tool Turns Good Coders into Great Coders; Eliminates ADRs"

 

 

Aveanna and Medalogix 

Until AI came along, the data analysis made possible by Natural Language Processing was already improving Home Health processes for Homecare Homebase customers. Through its affiliation with Medalogix, HCHB is able to add a deep dive into data gathered by its EMR. This story is about national Home Health and Hospice provider Aveanna, with offices in 30 states and a flurry of recent acquisitions in California, Alabama, and Tennessee. A Homecare Homebase client, Aveanna has reported substantial gains in clinical outcomes from Medalogix data analysis. Look below for the complete Aveanna story.

 

Worth the Trip

We are packing up for the Lincoln Health Leadership technology conference in DC, September 6-8. I hope to see you at the Gaylord in National Harbor, Maryland. Click on the graphic ad above or click here for information and registration. I have also been confirmed to present at the New Mexico Association for Home & Hospice Care. I will be speaking about technologies for recruiting and retention of clinicians and caregivers on November 3-4 in Albuquerque. If not at one of these events, maybe I'll see you at the NAHC Annual Meeting in St. Louis, October 23-25. If you are in the Carolinas, be sure to scroll down for information about the South's annual meeting later this month and the North's in September.

Have a great week. Keep making a difference.

Editor signature
Tim Rowan


Product Review: New AI Tool Turns Good Coders into Great Coders; Eliminates ADRs
Early adopters report 6% reimbursement increases, 16.2% improvement in co-morbidities identification, and 35% reduction in hospital readmissions. Longtime users speak of employee satisfaction and a 27% decrease in clinician turnover.

Aveanna Healthcare Launches Homecare Homebase and Medalogix Platforms Across Home Health and Hospice Divisions
Data analysis leads to improved patient care for Homecare Homebase customers using Medalogix.

Nominations Open for Annual CellTrak Home Care Aide Scholarship Program
Act now to nominate a home care aide for a $1,000 scholarship.


During the 2nd Quarter of 2023, web sites of the above advertisers were visited by home care and hospice executives and staff 4976 times.

To inquire about placing your message here, contact:

Kristin@rowanresources.com

As of this date, approximately 46,794,000 Baby Boomers have become Medicare eligible.

 

Last Week's Most-Read Stories:

Brandi Kurtyka on Recruiting
Whether in Winslow, Arizona or anywhere else, Home Care recruiters should have seven women on their minds, but they only have one. Founder of myCNAjobs explains what you are doing wrong by not recruiting all seven caregiver personas.

Retaining And Growing The Direct Care Workforce
Your care worker shortage problem can only get worse as the number of senior citizens grows. Here are some recruiting and retention suggestions and a list of Congressional bills to support that may help.




Upcoming Events

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 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.


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.


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:


2032 NAHC Financial Management Conference & Exposition

Date: July 16-18
Venue: Hilton Riverside, New Orleans

Information and Registration

 

In addition to NAHC president Bill Dombi, featured speakers will include:


54th Annual Meeting: "Bring Care Home"Presented by: Texas Association for Home Care & Hospice

Dates: August 28-31
Venue: Grand Hyatt Riverwalk
City: San Antonio


Information and Registration


FREE Webinar: "The Role of the Hospice Physician in Organizational Compliance"Presented by: FEMA

Date: September 6

Time: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, EDT

Register here 

Collaborating with the Administration for Community Living, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Office of Policy, Planning, and Innovation, and the Schoharie County, NY, Area Agency on Aging, the webinar is designed to equip organizations with strategies to ensure seamless service continuity during an emergency. 

 


2023 NAHC Annual Meeting & Exposition *

"One Voice, Many Stories"

Date: October 15-17
Venue: Gaylord 
Location: National Harbor, MD

Information and Registration

Keynote Speakers:


 

Vision – Plan – Succeed: 2023 Leadership Conference

Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina

Dates: October 29-31
Venue: Renaissance Hotel
City: Ashville

Information and Registration 


Featured speakers:

Bill Dombi, Melinda Gaboury, Tim Rogers, Nick Seabrook, Mark Sharp, Robert Markette, Mark Kulik, and more.

 


 

Call for Speaker Proposals

Association for Home & Hospice Care of North Carolina (AHHC) Annual Convention and Expo

Dates: April 7-10, 2024
Venue: Raleigh Convention Center

 

Click this link to learn more and to submit your proposal: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6RRNNY3
The deadline to submit a proposal is November 15, 2023.


Conference Title:                                                   2023 Annual Hybrid Hospice & Palliative Care Conference

Sponsoring Association:                                       Hospice & Palliative Care Association of New York State
Date(s):                                                                    November 13-14, 2023
Hotel or Conference Center, City, State:            Albany Marriott Hotel, Albany, NY
URL:                                                                          www.hpcanys.org

 

 

?~Kim

Kimberly Ryan ?

Education & Membership 

Hospice & Palliative Care Association of NYS (HPCANYS)

Advance Care Planning Center for Excellence
119 Washington Ave, Suite 302 

Albany NY 12210 

518.446.1483 x 224 |www.hpcanys.org 


 

2023 Virtual Annual Conference
Virginia Association for Homecare and Hospice

Opening Date: November 15

More Information

 


*The Rowan Report will see you there.

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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Home Care Technology Report is published by Rowan Consulting Associations, Inc., Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved. Request reprint permission by writing to editor@homecaretechreport.com.

HCTR is free to subscribers and supported by its generous advertisers. To inquire about presenting your message to our 12,000 subscribers, write to Kristin in our ad sales department, Kristin@RowanResources.com.