Industry experts believe there will be an increase in audits over the next year, following a slower audit period during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Audits similar to the ones conducted by unified program integrity contractors (UPICs) hired by the U.S. Centers for Medicare… Read More »Prepare for More Audits Coming
As the demand for home health care increases and Medicare dollars go more into home-based care, it is certain that there will also be higher scrutiny for the quality of care that will be delivered. 2023 is the first full performance year of the expanded… Read More »Stricter Compliance in Home Health: Is Your Agency Ready?
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s (MedPac) July 2022 data revealed that the home health industry gained a more significant share of post-acute care admissions following the COVID-19 pandemic onset. This confirms the assumption that home health agencies were gaining more patient admissions that may have… Read More »Greater Market Share for Home Health: Challenges and Opportunities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new set of quarterly OASIS Q&As that address OASIS questions received by their help desks. The Q&As provide guidance on how to respond to certain M and GG items in complex scenarios. One of the… Read More »Stay Updated: New OASIS Q&As (July 2022)
A recent industry report examined how the pandemic affected home health and how the industry will cope in the coming years. It provides useful predictions and insights on how certain strategies will help the industry and its players succeed. With already less than a year… Read More »Preparing Ahead: 2023 Home Health Predictions
Home health agencies need to start gearing up for the imminent 2023 performance year of the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) program by understanding the data sources and measures used in the calculation of performance scores and corresponding payment adjustments. While the OASIS and… Read More »Patient Satisfaction in Value-based Purchasing: How Important Is It?
In the face of the shifting home health landscape and in anticipation of the implementation of the OASIS-E and expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) on January 1, 2023, home health agencies must focus on the best ways to prepare for it. The industry’s transition… Read More »Preparing for OASIS-E: A Step-By-Step Guide
A new study that reflects data from over 1,000 home health agencies provides key insights into how agencies can optimize performance and operations. The study examined which agencies were performing the best clinically, operationally, and financially, focusing on technology, palliative care, staffing, and future care… Read More »Survey Results: Key Insights for Optimizing Agency Operations
Last June 17, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2023 home health proposed payment rule—and it has not been received well. It validates the concerns that providers have had since the hospice and skilled nursing facility proposed payment rule was… Read More »2023 Home Health Proposed Payment Rule: What You Should Know
Patient referrals to post-acute care, including home health, have increased by 33%. However, despite this, the acceptance rate has decreased by 15%. In addition to the existing staffing shortage, what has been destabilizing the referral chain is that patients being discharged from hospitals tend to… Read More »Analyzing the Declining Referral Acceptance Rate
