CMS released the CY 2024 home health final payment rule last November 1. CMS estimates that Medicare payments to HHAs in CY 2024 will increase in the aggregate by 0.8 percent, or $140 million, compared to CY 2023. The final rule sets a permanent payment… Read More »Key Takeaways: CY 2024 Home Health Final Payment Rule
On October 5th, CMS published the Preview Reports for the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (QRP), which show in advance the data that will be reflected in the forthcoming January 2024 Care Compare refresh. For this refresh, the OASIS and all HH QRP claims-based measures… Read More »Available now: Preview Reports for 2024 Care Compare Refresh; BIMS Explainer Video
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new set of quarterly OASIS Q&As. It features inquiries received by their help desk from the third quarter of the current year. This new set of Q&As offers guidance in completing the Transfer OASIS… Read More »Out Now: October 2023 OASIS Q&As
Surveys are unannounced yet foreseeable, making it crucial for home health agencies to remain survey-ready. Survey deficiencies can have severe consequences for a home health business, particularly if they pose a risk of causing serious harm to patients. The top 10 home health survey deficiencies… Read More »Tips for Avoiding Common Survey Deficiencies
A recent report released by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) on September 5th revealed that home health agencies (HHAs) failed to properly document and report a significant number of fall incidents with major injuries, among Medicare patients. According to the report, 55% of major… Read More »OIG Report Inadequate OASIS Documentation of Falls with Major Injury
A patient’s functional ability is a key factor to consider in creating a home health care plan. The intent is to discharge the patient with better, safer functional ability, demonstrating improved outcomes. According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) guidelines, the therapist… Read More »Assessing Functional Ability for an Effective Plan of Care
In 2025, significant changes are coming to the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model. These changes are designed to make the program better at evaluating and rewarding high-quality care in home health services. It is important to understand that while these changes will not officially… Read More »HHVBP Proposed Changes for 2025
The Plan of Care (POC) is a vital component of home health care as it promotes patient-centered services and facilitates effective collaboration among care teams working with the patient. It is also a requirement for Medicare claims reimbursement, and strict adherence to highly specific documentation… Read More »5 Tips for Compliant and Patient-Centered Plan of Care
Consistent with its annual update cycle every July, the most recent version of the Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) for home health was released last month and is currently available for download from the PEPPER Resources Portal. To get your hands on… Read More »Now Available: Home Health PEPPER
Maintaining a consistent cash flow is crucial for home health agencies amidst challenges brought by Medicare payment cuts, regulatory changes, and shifts in the payer mix among agencies. A fundamental aspect of achieving this goal is ensuring that claims are not rejected. Rejected claims can… Read More »The Impact of Rejected Claims on Your Time and Money
