Category: Hospice

New Medicaid Proposed Rules: Overview and Implications for NAHC Members

  • Wednesday, May 10, 2023
  • 2:00 – 3:00 PM EDT
  • REGISTER

On Thursday, April 28, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released a pair of proposed regulations that will significantly impact the Medicaid program if finalized. The two notices of proposed rulemaking, Medicaid Access and Medicaid Managed Care rules, jointly address a wide range of issues regarding coverage, access, and payment for Medicaid services. While there are positive components to the regulations, there are also several areas of concern for providers.

This webinar will provide a summary of the regulations, an overview of the potential impacts on homecare and HCBS providers, and a discussion of next steps for NAHC advocacy.

Speakers:

  • William A. Dombi, Esq., President and CEO, NAHC
  • Damon Terzaghi, Director of Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services, NAHC

Price:

  • NAHC Members: FREE
  • Non-Members: $199

Get the Inside Scoop on the 2023 Hospice PEPPER

  • Monday, May 15, 2023
  • 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM EDT
  • REGISTER

If you’re a hospice provider, you know the PEPPER (Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report) can serve as a comparative and educational report that can play an important role in your internal compliance program. The 2023 Hospice PEPPER was released in early April, and this webinar is designed to provide education about the various PEPPER target areas and how to read the reports, as well as an explanation as to how the PEPPER can best be utilized. Further, the 2023 Hospice PEPPER contains two new target items which will be detailed during the session.

SPEAKERS:

  • Annie Barnaby, CPC, CPCO, CRC, CASCC, Outreach and Education Specialist, Reli Group, Inc.
  • Katie Wehri, Director of Home Health & Hospice Regulatory Affairs, NAHC

PRICE: 

  • NAHC Members: FREE
  • Non-members: $99

Thank You To Our Sponsor 

Webinar – Stay Alert for High-Alert Medications in Home Health: Anticoagulants and Insulin

  • Thursday, April 27, 2023
  • 2:00- 3:00 PM EDT
  • REGISTER
  • Free!

APTA Home Health is collaborating with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) for this nation-wide free webinar. The presenter, Melissa Bednarek, PT, DPT, PhD will define high-alert medications and focus specifically on anticoagulants and insulin.  The indications, mechanism of action, side effects and clinical implications for each medication class will be discussed.

Learning Objectives: 

  1. Define high-alert medication and list included medication classes.
  2. Describe the indications, mechanism of action, common side effects and implications for a home health patient taking anticoagulants.
  3. Describe the indications, mechanism of action, common side effects and implications for a home health patient taking insulin.

Speakers: 

Melissa Bednarek, PT, DPT, PhD

Price: FREE

Register for FMC 2023 for the Best Hospice Education

  • REGISTER HERE
  • Register by June 1 for the best rate
  • Learn more HERE
  • FMC 2023 is July 16-18 in New Orleans

The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) is thrilled to open registration for the 2023 Financial Management Conference (FMC).

Join us in New Orleans this July 16-18 for 2+ days of dynamic sessions and world-class networking while enjoying the BIG EASY. Take advantage of all the unique opportunities #FMC2023 offers—a must-attend CEOs, CFOs, administrative officers, financial managers in home care and hospice.

Register by June 1, 2023 to get the best rate and join the industry professionals who understand your day-to-day reality and challenges.

5 REASONS TO ATTEND FMC2023

There are many motives to attend, but we’ve outlined five. Show these to your boss to justify attending, along with just a few testimonials from happy past attendees. 9 out of 10 2022 attendee survey respondents said they would recommend FMC to a friend.

HOSPICE EDUCATION

Experience 28 immersive sessions led by content leaders across diverse areas of the industry. You can tailor your sessions to create a unique track based on your goals. Invest in yourself, your organization, and your career.

There are many educational sessions directly applicable to running a first class hospice and palliative care organization. Below are just four examples of what you can look forward to.

  1. Hospice Benchmarks & How to Use Them

Hospice benchmarks are like beignets; there are lots of them, everyone thinks they are great, but too many of them may not be good for you. This session will focus on key Hospice benchmarks-both internal metrics you should be tracking and disseminating, as well as publicly available such as the PEPPER report. This session will review the critical KPIs every hospice agency should be monitoring (and the appropriate time period in terms of reviewing the metrics), explain how KPIs can be used to move the needle on performance, and help attendees understand the key clinical and operational metrics that drive financial success.

2. Hurricane of Hospice Medical Review is Coming    

This session will discuss the governmental payor and non-governmental payor audit and investigative initiatives relating to hospice medical review and hospice eligibility. Recent trends, settlements and government and payor guidance will be discussed. This session will discuss best practices to assist hospice providers successfully navigate medical reviews and will provide practical “do’s” and “dont’s” for dealing with these reviews.

3. Medicare Advantage: Hospice VBID   

The Medicare Advantage Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Hospice Benefit Component demonstration entered Phase 3 January 2023. Most MAT Organizations have chosen to volunteer participation for at least some of their MA Plan Packages, which makes Hospice care among their benefit offerings. The four-year demonstration program started in January 2021 and has grown in scope, but aspects of the model are changing over time. This session will provide insights into key elements of the model, including various hospice providers’ experience under the model, key considerations related to contracting with MA plans as an in-network hospice provider and what providers that are out of network must consider. The demonstration has released the first annual report and the results will be reviewed in this session.

4. Jazzing up the Hospice Revenue Cycle: Compliance, Efficiency, & Cash Flow  

An optimized hospice revenue cycle effectively maintains cash flow and minimizes write-offs in a compliant and efficient way. Every year new challenges threaten to disrupt the revenue cycle, as new compliance risks continue to emerge and the hospice billing and payment landscape continues to evolve. Historical challenges, such as nursing facility room and board and Medicaid managed care organization billing and payment, continue to exist, along with added complexities created by the expanding Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) demonstration project, increasing frequency of Targeted Probe and Educate (TPE) audits, and heightened scrutiny by the Office of Inspector General and program integrity contractors. This session will provide attendees with an update on the latest billing and payment issues while examining actionable strategies for optimizing revenue cycle process management and resulting cash flow and mitigating compliance risks. Industry benchmarks for key performance indicators (KPIs) will also be shared to allow attendees to compare revenue cycle performance.

EXPO

The expo connects c-suite executives and upper-level management – with over 50 vendors who offer a variety of products and services tailored to the industry. Network, get onsite demos, and explore the latest trends to stay competitive.

FMC 2023 will be the most important event of the year for financial professionals in home care, home health, and hospice. Give your organization and your career a boost by being there in New Orleans July 16-18. We look forward to seeing you.

 

The Home Care Workforce Crisis: A Call to Action

  • Thurs., May 4, 2023
  • 3:00 – 4:00 EDT
  • REGISTER

 Over the course of 2022, the two largest associations representing the home-based care industry, NAHC and HCAOA, joined forces and brought together industry leaders from across the home care spectrum, charged with creating a solutions-focused document to truly address the home care workforce crisis. This collaboration resulted in a comprehensive report that not only identifies the needs of the nursing and home care workforces, but also recommends policy changes and business practices that can be implemented to address the worker shortages. Join NAHC and HCAOA to hear first-hand about this first of its kind report and what you can do to take action.

Faculty:

  • Bill Dombi, NAHC President
  • Vicki Hoak, Executive Director, HCAOA
  • Kristen Wheeler, Executive Director of Private Duty at NAHC

Price:

  • NAHC Members: FREE
  • Non-Members: $99
  • REGISTER

Summary of the Recent CMS Open Door Forum

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held a Home Health, Hospice, and DME Open Door Forum on February 23, 2023.  The summary of the Forum applicable to home health and hospice providers is below.

The most recent Hospice Care Compare refresh occurred in February.  As part of that refresh, CMS included an annual update of Provider Use File (PUF) data on Care Compare, which now includes data from 2018, 2019, and 2020.

CMS will host a Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Spring Forum in late April, which will provide an overview of HQRP updates.  Registration will be available in mid-March, at which time additional information will be available.

Similar to the HHQRP, CMS has established a new Health Equity tab (https://www.cms.gov/hospice-qrp-health-equity) on the HQRP website , and the agency anticipates that the report from the Health Equity TEP, which was conducted last year, will be available in the spring.

Attendees were encouraged to submit any questions related to hospice quality to HospiceQualityQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.  Additional resources provided on the meeting agenda are:

Preparing Hospice for the End of the COVID-19 PHE

  • Stay tuned to NAHC Report for details on an upcoming webinar regarding preparing for the end of the PHE.

The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) which began in early 2020 will come to an end on May 11, 2023.  Throughout the PHE various waivers, regulations, enforcement discretion, and sub-regulatory guidance were utilized to ensure access to care and give health care providers the flexibilities needed to respond to the PHE.  Some of these flexibilities became permanent over the years and some have been extended and will end after May 11.  In August 2022 CMS created a Roadmap for the end of the PHE to help guide providers towards returning to previous health and safety standards and billing practices.

As part of its Roadmap CMS issued provider-specific guidance that details plans for the phase out of various waivers and flexibilities. Below are links to two documents that address home health and hospice waivers and flexibilities:

The fact sheets were last updated on February 1, 2023 and it is important to note that CMS will be making additional updates.  NAHC contacted CMS shortly after the announcement of the end of the PHE to find out when CMS would update the fact sheets with the latest telehealth flexibilities, in particular. CMS indicated that it is working across the agency to have a consistent plan of action in making any of the necessary changes to reflect the provisions in the most recent Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) and other applicable changes.  (See previous NAHC Report coverage of the CAA here.)

The updated COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers & Flexibilities for Health Care Providers document lists most of the healthcare waivers and flexibilities in provider-specific sections.  However, it does not include a CMS statement on how each waiver is being handled.  The fact sheets include this information. Providers should be aware that unless a PHE waiver or flexibility has been extended or otherwise became permanent, CMS expects providers to be in full compliance with the requirements beginning May 12, 2023.

NAHC still has questions/concerns about expectations around provider responsibilities for some of the flexibilities.  We are awaiting a response from CMS and will update providers when we have more information.  We are also reviewing the waivers and flexibilities in light of the impending end date of May 11, 2023 and may have more questions we submit to CMS.  Until then, we are including below those waivers/flexibilities for which NAHC has had questions/concerns.  The questions/concerns are identified in bold next to the waiver/flexibility to which they apply.

HOSPICE

Annual Training: CMS is modifying the requirement at 42 CFR §418.100(g)(3), which requires hospices to annually assess the skills and competence of all individuals furnishing care and provide in-service training and education programs where required. Pursuant to section 1135(b)(5) of the Act, we are postponing the deadline for completing this requirement throughout the COVID-19 PHE until the end of the first full quarter after the declaration of the PHE concludes. This does not alter the minimum personnel requirements at 42 CFR §418.114.

Selected hospice staff must complete training and have their competency evaluated in accordance with unwaived provisions of 42 CFR Part 418. CMS will end this waiver at the conclusion of the PHE. Clarification is needed regarding whether postponed assessments must be completed within the first full quarter after the declaration of the PHE concludes or just the current year’s postponed assessment.

Stay tuned to NAHC Report for details on an upcoming webinar regarding preparing for the end of the PHE.

Please Take This Brief Heart Failure Care Survey

Happy Heart Month! The American Heart Association (AHA) and the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) are working together to bring you new education, resources, and connections to help you better care for your patients with Heart Failure (HF).

With a sharp focus on improving the care of HF patients receiving care in the home, please take 3 minutes to complete this AHA/NAHC survey so that we can best support the care you provide to your clients in their homes.

Your feedback will drive the development of relevant education resources we will make available to you. In advance, thank you.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Long Term and Post-Acute Care Law and Compliance (formerly Long Term Care and the Law)

  • March 1–3, 2023
  • New Orleans, LA
  • REGISTER

Hear Insights on Regulatory Changes, Operation Management, Transactions, and Compliance

Nursing facility, assisted living, and home health audiences won’t want to miss this year’s sessions, which focus on cutting edge issues that are front and center within the post-acute continuum. Registrants can attend these sessions in person and then watch sessions they miss on demand after the program. Attendees also have the opportunity to engage with colleagues during the networking opportunities available during and between sessions!

Explore the full schedule for this exciting and informative meeting, where leading in-house and outside lawyers, compliance officers, consultants, and other advisors for the long term care industry will be presenting on legal, compliance, and operational issues faced by providers.

NAHC members who are not AHLA members save $175 on the entire program at registration. In addition, NAHC’s President Bill Dombi will give a Home Health Legislative and Regulatory Update on March 3. Register and book your hotel by February 7 for early bird discounts. Learn more.  

NAHC’S Bill Dombi will speak on Thursday, March 3 at 9:45 am and 1:45 pm:  

Home Health Legislative and Regulatory Update (HH)

  • The 2023 Medicare home health payment rule updates
  • Nationwide expanded Medicare Home Health Value Based Purchasing Demonstration
  • Hospice quality of care survey and sanction reforms
  • Hospice claims oversight
  • Hospice business practices under review
  • 2024 MedPAC recommendations on home health and hospice reforms
  • Status of home care expansions in Medicare
  • Impact of PHE end on home health and hospice waivers by CMS

Connecting With Caregivers: Understanding Direct Care Workers & Their Needs

  • Thursday, January 26, 2022
  • 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM EDT
  • REGISTER
The shortage of direct care workers is a national crisis—and recruiting and retaining them is a priority for the industry. By 2040, the caregiving workforce needs to increase by 8.2 million jobs to meet projected demand. You can better recruit, train and retain caregivers if you can anticipate their needs. Join us for this RoundTable to learn more from experts in the field and get your questions answered.

Speakers:

  • William Dombi, President, National Association for Homecare & Hospice
  • Brandi Kurtyka, CEO, Missioncare Collective
  • Jeff Salter, CEO, Caring Senior Service
  • Hannah Wolfson, Editor, HomeCare Media