Home Healthcare Weekly News - Nov 19, 2020
CMS introduced the Patient-Driven Grouping Model (PDGM) payment model for Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) starting January 1, 2020. Beginning January 1, 2021, home health agencies (HHAs) will be required to submit a Request for Anticipated Payment (RAP) before filing each claim. CMS will pay the RAP at 0 percent. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the No-pay RAP policy in the CY 2020 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update rule.
Although there is no payment assigned to the RAP, it still serves an operational role for the Medicare program by establishing the beneficiary’s primary home health agency (HHA) in the Common Working File (CWF) to enforce the consolidated billing rules. CMS has modified the criteria for submitting RAP beginning January 1, 2021.
CareVoyant will be implementing software enhancements to accommodate No-Pay RAP to help Home Healthcare Agencies effectively manage No-Pay RAP.
Also, read our blog titled Home Health Care Agencies: Are you ready for PDGM?, for more information on PDGM readiness for home healthcare agencies.
With falling reimbursement rates, the rollout of PDGM, and increased compliance, Home Care Agencies are under pressure to do more with less. Improving the health of the revenue cycle is a complex process that needs caregivers and financial administrator to work in synchrony to achieve optimal results. An integrated platform that covers all processes including intake, authorization management, scheduling, billing, and collections, and provides features to manage the revenue cycle requirements of these processes is a must for ensuring optimal reimbursements.
Scheduling home care visits presents a unique challenge to home care agencies. Achieving the right solution can be a daunting task and requires a careful balancing of many variables – from matching the right caregiver to the right patient, to travel time optimization, to client preferences, to balancing overtime pay and more.
Home Healthcare Industry News
CMS Reports Improper Payment Rate Continues to Decline
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) improper payment rate has continued to decline, the fourth year Medicare FFS improper payment rate has been below 10%, the threshold for compliance established in the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019.
Cellular Blood Pressure Monitor Hits Market
Blipcare, the company that developed the world's first Wi-Fi blood pressure monitor, announced the availability of its new cellular blood pressure monitor, the Blip BP800. The Blip BP800 is specifically designed to serve patients who need Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM). It requires neither setup nor cables to plug in. The monitor is the only product of its kind on the market that supports multiple users - and even guest users.
‘Taking Advantage of Home-Based Provider Workforce’ Will Be Key to Vaccine Delivery
After nine months of the public health emergency, a major breakthrough took place last week when Pfizer announced that one of its experimental COVID-19 vaccines was more than 90% effective in trials. Similarly promising results from a Moderna vaccine soon followed.
How Home Health Agencies Can Build Stronger Relationships with Senior Living Operators
During the COVID-19 crisis, senior living communities and long-term care facilities have sometimes been wary about letting outsiders onto their premises, including home health and hospice clinicians.
In some cases, however, COVID-19 has been a catalyst to better relationships between home health and senior living operators. The keys to those successful relationships have been communication and a commitment to best practices.
Verma: Older Adults Must Have a ‘More Robust’ Set of Home Care Options
“The COVID-19 crisis has shone a harsh light on the human costs of a long-term care system that relies too heavily on institutional services like nursing homes,” CMS AdministratoHow Home Health Agencies Can Build Stronger Relationships with Senior Living Operatorsr Seema Verma said in a statement included in Monday’s announcement. “Too often, they are seen as the default option, even for those who may not require round-the-clock care.”
About CareVoyant
CareVoyant is a leading provider of cloud-based integrated enterprise-scale home health care software that can support all home-based services under ONE Software, ONE Patient, and ONE Employee, making it a Single System of Record. We support all home care lines of service, including Home Care, Private Duty Nursing, Private Duty Non-Medical, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS), Home Health, Pediatric Home Care, and Outpatient Therapy.
CareVoyant functions – Intake, Scheduling, Clinical with Mobile options, electronic visit verification, eMAR/eTAR, Financial, Secure Messaging, Notification, Reporting, and Dashboards – streamline workflow, meet regulatory requirements, improve quality of care, optimize reimbursement, and bring operational efficiency.
For more information, please visit CareVoyant.com or call us at 1-888-463-6797.
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