POWERFULLY SIMPLE.
As 2019 begins to get into the books, many home health industry insiders and experts are preparing for what’s ahead while learning some lessons from the previous year. By most if not all measures, 2018 was a monumental year of change, growth, and adaptation, particularly within the Medicare-certified home health spectrum.
Home health is a dynamic industry that requires constant review of regulations changes. In 2018 the industry experienced a major update to the Conditions of Participation including revisions to the plan of care and comprehensive assessments. So far 2019 has brought a fairly high level of arguably drastic changes. In this article we will highlight some of those changes, and where relevant point out any direct impact to your Home Health Software or your agency’s operations as whole.
Electronic Visit Verification, also known as EVV, is quickly becoming a federally-mandated requirement which all state Medicaid programs must implement in order to verify that home health, homecare and/or personal care services are delivered to their intended patients. Electronic visit verification is mandated under the 21st Century Cures Act, which was effectively signed into law in 2016 with the intent of decreasing the rampant levels of reported fraud within Medicaid claims filings.
The new EVV mandates require that each state must have a state-wide and properly approved Electronic Visit Verification system fully operational by an implementation deadline of January 1st 2019 for all Medicaid-funded home health agencies providing services, and by the first of January, 2021, for all Medicaid-funded personal care services.
Alora is committed to keeping home health professionals informed about regulatory changes that affect your businesses, patients, and staff. With December right around the corner, many are preparing for the January first, 2019 implementation date for OASIS-D.
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Homecare agency owners small and large have recently had good reason for optimism over a provision in the health care reform bill related to the home care industry’s opportunity with hospitals. Thanks to a provision in health care reform legislation that penalizes hospitals that fail to reduce their hospitalization rates for three specific diagnoses, Homecare agencies have the opportunity to be more than just a provider. They can actually come to the rescue of hospitals and develop mutually advantageous relationships that keep the hospital in compliance, and increase business for the Home care agency.
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In this edition of the ALORA Home Health news blog, fresh off the presses is a recently published article presenting information on a study of middle-schoolers in the state of Florida. This study revealed that children who are more often acting as caregivers at home, spend almost two hours per day assisting older adult family members. The Washington Post and other news outlets carried this story not too long ago.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that they have completed the mailing of new Medicare cards for Waves 1, 2 and 3. This includes: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Alaska, American Samoa, California, Guam, Hawaii, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Read more:
OASIS-C1 PREPAREDNESS
As part of our commitment to keeping our blog readers informed on important developments in the Homecare industry, we would like to spend some time addressing Alora Home Health Software's OASIS-C1 preparedness as well as the upcoming changes to the CMS OASIS Data submission. This information pertains to all Medicare Certified agencies. The following information will help all Medicare Certified agencies prepare for the upcoming conversion to OASIS-C1:
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During the years of 2016 & 2017, the overall usage nationwide of home health care and hospice services both experienced a significant uptick, with several millions of additional Medicare beneficiaries receiving care. Examining the most recent data pulled from Medicare Part A and Medicare Part B claims, there were nearly 58 million Medicare beneficiaries living in the United States by December 2017. This number was representative of a roughly 2 percentage points increase in the population compared to the year 2016. It is now estimated that within the next 30 years, the overall number of enrolled beneficiaries approach 93 million. These numbers offer economic opportunity for home health agencies, hospice care facilities, EVV and home health software providers, aides and other players within the market.