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Agency Productivity

Medicare Advantage Plans for 2020

 

CMS Signals New Home Care Benefits Coming in 2020 with MA Plans

 

 (MA) plans (Medicare Advantage plans) are poised to release a new set of benefits for home care in 2020. Home care premiums are anticipated to experience a significant drop by more than 22%, this the announcement from the current federal government.

This year's challenging business and healthcare environment has brought about a number of questions and unforeseen circumstances that have impacted Home Health Care agencies nationwide. With COVID-19, PDGM, EVV, and a series of other developments making waves, the home health software your agency is using makes a huge difference in your agency's ability to adapt and thrive in the homecare market...

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 RCD Implementation Update

In the latest homecare news, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will delay the implementation of Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) so agencies have adequate time to adapt to the upcoming Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) prior to implementation of RCD. In one state however, CMS is not delaying implementation.

We’re well into 2019, and it seems PDGM (Patient-Driven Groupings Model) is among the most discussed healthcare topics at the moment. From industry trade publications to speakers at national conferences, everyone is talking about how PDGM will affect home health agencies in 2020. The information can be insightful, but it can also be overwhelming. Here is a key-point summary that will help your home health agency prepare for 2020, both financially and operationally.

The moment PDGM (The Patient-Driven Groupings Model) takes effect in the year 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) looks to see their new edict change the landscape of home health care operations, specifically with regard to double billing. With PDGM representing the largest wholesale revamp in many years, agencies and providers will need to dedicate significant attention to using this year to ensure proper preparation. With the number of changes in store, inevitably some agencies will contest specific aspects of PDGM’s new requirements.

January 2020 OASIS-D Changes

 

OASIS-D to OASIS-D1 Information

OASIS-D is the current version of the OASIS data set. It was implemented on January 1, 2019. OASIS-D introduces new standardized items to support measurement domains mandated by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014. New items were also added for standardization to align with assessment sets for other post-acute care settings. Several items were also removed to reduce provider and patient burden. OASIS-D was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on December 6, 2018, with an intended expiration date of 12/31/2021.

Illinois Review Choice Demonstration to Begin on June 1

The Center for Medicare Services (CMS) recently released information about the next steps for its Review Choice Demonstration (RCD). Illinois will be the first state to participate with the newest version of this demonstration, beginning  June 1, 2019. The Five (5) state claims review demonstration also includes Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas.

National Shortage of Home Care Workers Drives Agencies to Recruit Retired, Aged Workers 

Agencies & organizations providing home health and home care in the U.S have felt the brunt of a growing shortage of able and qualified workers at an increasing pace over the last few years. With competition from other more lucrative industries siphoning off younger freshly educated potential workers, Home Health agencies have been turning to a seemingly unlikely source, in retired workers. While many of these workers may carry higher associated costs such as healthcare of their own, the level of skill, patient care, and professionalism has driven many home health care organizations to increase recruitment from this pool of the former fulltime workforce.