Why Accuracy, Timeliness Will Be More Important Than Ever in OASIS-E

Home Health Care News | By Joyce Famakinwa
 
Getting an accurate and timely OASIS is a challenge that home health providers continue to face. As providers continue to gear up for OASIS-E, it will be important to follow a set of processes that will help set them up for success.
 
“We’ve got to be thinking about how we can make this better,” Cindy Krafft, co-owner and co-founder of consulting firm Kornetti & Krafft Health Care Solutions, said earlier this month during a presentation at the annual Illinois HomeCare & Hospice Council (IHHC) conference. “I think OASIS-E is going to be a great place to start. A great place to say, however we did it before, how can we do better going forward?”
 
Broadly, the implementation of OASIS-E comes after public health emergency-related delays. OASIS-E is set to be implemented on Jan. 1, 2023, in order to line up with the start of the nationwide expansion of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model.
 
Since payment and outcomes for providers are directly impacted by OASIS data collection, it’s crucial that the data accurately reflects the status of the patient.
 
Thus, intake has a major impact on getting a clean and speedy OASIS.
 
During intake there are several key questions to be considered, according to Krafft: Which physician will provide the face-to-face encounter for the patient’s home health services?; What is included in the face-to-face documentation to support services for the patient?; What additional information should be requested to support eligibility for the patient’s care?; What must you ensure is provided in the referral order for services?
 
Providers should remember that physicians are responsible for diagnosis assignment.

Read Full Article

CMS Proposes Updates to Reduce Barriers to Coverage, Simplify Medicare Enrollment and Expand Access

Proposed rule would create Special Enrollment Periods, reduce gaps in Medicare coverage and improve administration of the Medicare Savings Programs.

[The] Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule to update Medicare enrollment and eligibility rules that would expand coverage for people with Medicare and advance health equity. This proposed rule would provide Medicare coverage the month immediately after enrollment, thereby reducing the uninsured period and expand access through Medicare special enrollment periods (SEPs). It would also allow eligible beneficiaries to receive Medicare Part B coverage without a late enrollment penalty. This proposed rule would make it easier for people to enroll in Medicare and eliminate delays in coverage.

Read Full Announcement

Most Want to 'Age in Place' at Home, But Many Aren't Prepared

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, April 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The vast majority of aging Americans want to stay in their homes and live independently for as long as possible, but many haven't considered what needs to be done to achieve "aging in place," a new poll reveals.

Nearly 9 in 10 Americans (88%) between 50 and 80 years of age said it's important to remain in their homes as they grow older, the latest University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging found.

But nearly half (47%) admitted they'd given little or no thought to the steps they'd need to take so they could remain safely and comfortably at home in their old age.

"So many older adults want to be able to stay at home for as long as possible, but it just doesn't seem as though most are really thoughtful about what that means and the sorts of ways in which they have to prepare," said Sheria Robinson-Lane, an assistant professor with the University of Michigan School of Nursing, and co-author of a report on the poll findings.

The AARP-sponsored poll found that only 1 in 3 middle-aged and older folks (34%) said their home has the necessary features that would allow them to age in place. Another 47% said it probably does, and 19% said it does not.

Common accessibility features people reported in their homes were a ground-floor bathroom (88%) and bedroom (78%). But after that, few people appeared to have homes outfitted for easy and safe aging. Only about half (54%) had door frames wide enough for a wheelchair; 32% had lever-style door handles, and 19% had home entrances with ramps or no stairs. About 36% of bathrooms had shower chairs or benches or raised-height toilet seats; 32% had grab bars, and just 7% had barrier-free showers.

Proposed Payment Rules for Other Settings Forecast Home Health Trouble

Home Health Care News | By Joyce Famakinwa
 
Home health operators are still several weeks away from getting a glimpse at the proposed payment rule for 2023. Even so, they’re beginning to see signs of concern that they’ll not be getting an inflation-adjusted rate.
 
Because of workforce investments, more expensive supplies and the overall cost increase of goods and services in the U.S., including the price of gasoline, it has gotten more expensive for home health agencies to stay in business.
 
As a result, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should factor that into its annual rate update, advocates say.
 
“Rising gas prices are an issue for home health and hospice providers, and expenses around workforce, supplies, and other goods and services cut across home health providers as well as hospice, nursing homes and other service settings,” Mollie Gurian, vice president of home-based and HCBS policy at LeadingAge, told Home Health Care News in an email. “LeadingAge’s nonprofit and mission-driven home health members tell us they’re concerned about the rising cost of gas and staffing – and they would love to see these price increases recognized in the annual update.”
 
Gurian is not alone in feeling that way.
 
While CMS does update the home health rates by an inflation index every year, the updates have failed to keep pace with the rising costs for staffing, medical supplies and fuel, Joanne E. Cunningham, executive director of the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare, told HHCN.

Read Full Article