TIP OF THE WEEK
Conference resources for PPS Final Rule
On Wednesday, August 22, 2007, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced changes to the Home Health Prospective Payment System (PPS), including an increase in the home health market basket by three percent for 2008. However, the rule withholds two percentage points from agencies that do not submit quality data.
The following training sessions are being offered in Ohio to help agencies prepare for these changes to the PPS.
September 2007
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR HOME CARE (NAHC)
NAHC is presenting a teleconference on September 5, 2007 on the overview of the HHPPS Reform elements and on 9/12/07 on billing and IT issues. Download registration flyer >>
OHIO HOME CARE ORGANIZATION (OHCO) CODING TELECONFERENCE
OHCO has scheduled a coding teleconference for September 12, 2007 to guide providers on the huge increase of case mix diagnosis changes. Contact Karen Lowe at 614-763-0036 Ext 206 for more information.
OHIO COUNCIL FOR HOME CARE (OCHC) FALL CONFERENCE – SPECIAL SESSION
OCHC will offer a breakout session on September 19, 2007 during the OCHC Annual Conference to provide an overview of this final rule. Download flyer >>
October 2007
OCHC HOME HEALTH REFORM PPS WORKSHOP
A full day in-depth program is scheduled for October 24, 2007 to provide detailed instruction on how to implement the changes at your agency. Download flyer >>
OHCO: CONNECTING OASIS AND CLINICAL DECISIONS IN THE POST PPS REFORM ENVIRONMENT
October 30, 2007 - - Contact Karen Lowe at 614-763-0036 Ext 206 for more information.
IN THE NEWS
CMS ANNOUNCES THE START OF PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT FOR POST ACUTE CARE PAYMENT REFORM DEMONSTRATION
August 21, 2007 -- CMS -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now recruiting acute care hospitals, long term care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and home health agencies to participate in a project designed to generate recommendations for improving CMS payment models based on data collected in the demonstration. This demonstration will give CMS and Medicare-participating providers better information on the case-mix severity of Medicare beneficiaries using their services. The information will be critical in creating recommendations for refining CMS approaches to measuring case mix intensity in PAC populations. Read more >>
MANY FAMILIES HAPPY WITH DEMENTIA CARE AT HOSPICES
August 24, 2007 -- Reuters Health -- Most families of dementia patients who receive end-of-life care at a hospice are satisfied with the experience, a new study suggests. Using survey data from 796 U.S. hospices, researchers found that families of dementia patients were as likely as cancer patients' families to be happy with the care their loved one received. In both cases, roughly three quarters of families rated the care as "excellent." Read more >>
MEDICARE INCREASES COVERAGE OF PREVENTIVE SERVICES, PROMOTES SCREENINGS AMONG BENEFICIARIES
August 28, 2007 -- Kaiser Network -- Fewer than 10% of Medicare beneficiaries receive recommended health screening and immunizations, even as Medicare increasingly is covering preventive services, according to CMS, the Wall Street Journal reports. About 5% of Medicare spending is on preventive services, but CMS in recent years has authorized more spending on screenings and immunizations amid mounting evidence about the cost effectiveness of prevention, officials say. Read more >>
NURSES EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT TECHNOLOGY'S EFFECTS ON PATIENT CARE
August 27, 2007 -- Kaiser Network -- As hospitals increasingly implement health care information technology, many nurses say they are "overwhelmed with documentation" that requires them to spend more time on computers and less time with patients, the Baltimore Sun reports.
Read more >>
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Ohio Immunization Partners for Healthy Adults Meeting
September 6, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.
LifeCare Alliance, 1699 W. Mound Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43223
Or dial 1.877.339.0018, conf ID: *8625947*
RSVP by calling Liz Simpson at 216.447.9604 by August 31, 2007
OHIO COUNCIL FOR HOME CARE (OCHC) FALL CONFERENCE
September 18 & 19, 2007, Columbus, Ohio
Together We Make a Difference: Solutions for Senior Care 2007
October 5-7, 2007, Columbus Ohio
The conference features plenary sessions and didactic sessions on medical direction, physician- nurse practitioner collaboration, urinary incontinence, atrial fibrillation, appropriate medication prescribing, and the latest diabetic medications (Registration ends Sept 28, 2007). Contact Catherine Austin at (216) 778-8087, Executive Assistant of OMDA, for more details.
The Tip of the Week Archive is available on the Ohio KePRO Web Site.
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