Hello, everyone!
Here are some home health related updates for this week:
AMITY’S NEWS
Amity Healthcare Group is excited to announce that on December 2, 2020, we will be co-hosting a webinar with ACHC University.
Telehealth in Home Health and Hospice: New Norm, New Opportunity will be presented live at 1 p.m. EST (11 a.m. MST) on December 2.
Join ACHCU and Irina Gorovaya, Owner and President of Amity Healthcare Group, as we discuss current trends and potential opportunities for telehealth in home health and hospice. We will review existing and pending regulations directing the use of telehealth in home health and hospice, as well as telehealth reimbursement. We will also discuss recommended guidelines and ACHC accreditation standards for distinction in telehealth and provide guidance related to the successful deployment of telehealth use in home health and hospice, including policies, documentation, staff education, and telehealth solutions. Register here.
The next available CNA/HHA and Skilled Nursing Competency is Tuesday, November 10, 2020 and Thursday, November 12, 2020.
If you would like to register your Skilled Nurses and/or HHAs/CNAs for a competency, please follow the links below:
Skilled Nursing Competency: https://amityhealthcaregroup.com/services/nursing-competencies/
HHA/CNA Competency: https://amityhealthcaregroup.com/services/cna-hha-competency/
Let Amity Healthcare Group to assist you with staying compliant with competency and ongoing training/continued education requirements in a worry-free manner.
For more information, please call 303-690-2749 or email: ig@amityhealthcaregroup.com or schedule a meeting at https://calendly.com/ig–3/30-min-free-consultation.
Amity’s Friday emails (newsletters) will be archived on Amity’s Healthcare Group website at https://amityhealthcaregroup.com/resources/ under Weekly Newsletter section.
NATIONAL NEWS
CY 2021 Final Rule
Last week we explored penalty for delayed Request for Anticipated Payment (RAP) submission as described in CY 2021 Final Rule. This week, let’s review the 2021 Home Infusion Therapy benefit.
Home Infusion Therapy (HIT)
Section 1834(u)(1) of the Social Security Act (the Act), as added by Section 5012 of the 21st Century Cures Act (Pub. L. 144-255), established a new Medicare HIT benefit under Medicare Part B. The Medicare HIT benefit is for coverage of HIT services for certain drugs and biologicals administered intravenously, or subcutaneously for an administration period of 15 minutes or more, in the home of an individual, through a pump that is a DME item.
Key things you need to know about Home Infusion Therapy (HIT)
- New Part B benefit-coverage effective January 1, 2021
- Covers the professional services related to HIT for Part B drugs- infused via a pump ONLY
- Involves the parenteral administration of drugs or biologicals in the patient’s home; not in the hospital setting, clinic setting, ambulatory infusion clinics, or skilled nursing facilities.
- Home Health Agency may become HIT supplier or may contract with a HIT supplier
- Skilled services related to Part B infusion drugs are removed from the home health benefit beginning 1/1/2021. Please note that this will affect Part B infusion drugs ONLY. Services related to drugs outside this benefit may continue under home health benefit (note: evaluate your patients requiring Part B IV infusion drugs, as may be appropriate, and prepare for transition to a HIT provider, as may be necessary, effective 1/1/21).
Patient qualifications for HIT:
- The patient must be receiving a parenteral drug and/or biological that is administered intravenously or subcutaneously for an administration period of 15 minutes or more; and
- Through a pump that is an item covered under the Medicare Part B DME benefit; and
- Patient does not have to be homebound to qualify for HIT or have an additional skilled need.
Provider qualifications and enrollment requirements for HIT:
An entity that wishes to furnish HIT services to Medicare beneficiaries must enroll in Medicare as a HIT supplier. Such providers must meet the following requirements:
- Furnish infusion therapy to individuals with acute or chronic conditions requiring administration of home infusion drugs,
- Ensure the safe and effective provision and administration of HIT on a 7-day-a-week, 24-hour-a-day basis,
- Be accredited by an organization designated by the Secretary in accordance with Section 1834(u)(5) of the Act, and
- Meet such other requirements as the Secretary determines appropriate.
- Obtain and maintain a valid Tax Identification Number (TIN) and National Provider Identifier (NPI) at the organizational level
- Be currently and validly accredited as such by a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services(CMS)- recognized HIT supplier Accreditation Organization (AO) to enroll and remain enrolled in Medicare. The CMS-recognized HIT supplier AOs include:
-
- The Joint Commission (TJC)
- Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC)
- Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC)
- Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP)
- National Association Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)
- The Compliance Team (TCT).
- Pay an application fee at initial enrollment, revalidation, and when adding a practice location
- A HIT practice location is a location accredited by one of the AOs listed above.
- Have appropriate licensure in accordance with all state requirements in which HIT services are provided
If you are interested in becoming a HIT provider and need assistance with obtaining HIT accreditation, please reach out to Amity Healthcare Group for assistance.
Home Health Quality Reporting
Just a couple of updates related to Home Health Quality Reporting:
- Home Health Compare will be going away soon, but you’ll still be able to find the same information about home health and other health care providers on Care Compare on Medicare.gov.
- Last Quality Reporting refresh was done on October 30, 2020. Following the October 2020 refresh, CMS will hold the reported data constant (i.e., freeze the data) for Home Health Compare OASIS-based measures and claims-based measures. Public reporting will be resumed after the October 2021 refresh and updated data will be published in January 2022.
- Home Health Quality Reporting Program Measure Calculations and Reporting User’s Manual Addendum was published effective October 2020- please review at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/hh-qrp-qm-users-manual-v1-addendum.pdf
Please review Tables 1-1 and 1-2 of the document for the list of quality measures:
Table 1-1. Home Health Assessment-Based (OASIS) Quality Measures Reference: HH QRP
Table 1-2. Home Health Assessment-Based (OASIS) Quality Measures Reference: Removed from HHQRP
D. As per CMS recommendation, if you are considering changing your Home Health CAHPS (HHCAHPS) vendor, please contact HHCAHPS Help Desk at hhcahps@rti.org or call 1-866-354-0985 before changing the vendor.
COLORADO NEWS
ANNUAL HEALTH CARE WORKER INFLUENZA VACCINATION REPORTING
As we entered the 2020-2021 Influenza season (October 1, 2020- March 31, 2021), just a reminder that healthcare facilities are still required to report data each spring. For the 2020-2021 influenza season, at least 90% of your employees should be immunized with the influenza vaccine.
To report these data, you can use the National Health Safety Network (NHSN) or a new reporting tool that will be made available through the Health Facility Division this spring. Data should be submitted through only one of these electronic systems. Deadline to submit data: May 15, 2021.
Please do not hesitate to reach out for any assistance or questions via email, phone, or website at https://amityhealthcaregroup.com/resources/
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Thank you,
Irina Gorovaya, RN BSN, MBA
Amity Healthcare Group, LLC
Home Health Consulting, Education and Outsourcing Services
720-353-7249 (cell) 303-690-2749 (office) 720-398-6200 (fax)