Hello, everyone!
Here are some home health related updates for this week:
AMITY’S NEWS
Amity Healthcare Group Is Hosting a Free Webinar
Join me, Irina Gorovaya, owner and president of Amity Healthcare Group, Erin Vallier, Account Executive at AlayaCare, and Kaila Raimondo, Solution Engineer at AlayaCare (end-to-end software solution for Private Duty, Private Pay, and Medicaid agencies) for a webinar on 5 Key Elements of a Successful Home Health Remote Patient Monitoring Program on January 27, 2021 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm MST as we explore key factors and solutions necessary for successful deployment of patient remote monitoring program in home health.
Professional Development CEUs: 1 CEU
Next available CNA/HHA is Tuesday, January 19, 2021 and Thursday, January 21, 2021 and Skilled Nursing Competency on January 26, 2021.
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
NATIONAL NEWS
Public Health Emergency Extension
On January 8, 2021, US Health and Human Services Secretary has extended the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for another 90 days. This extension starts January 21, 2021, and would end, unless extended again, on April 20, 2021.
Home Infusion Therapy
As you know, provisions of the Cures Act required permanent implementation of the new Home Infusion Therapy benefit to begin on January 1, 2021. As a result, professional services related to the provision of Part B infusion drugs delivered via IV Pump will no longer be covered under the Medicare home health benefit as of January 1, 2021.
If you are a home health agency that wants to provide and bill Medicare Home Infusion Therapy (HIT) professional services, you are required to enroll with the Part B Medicare Administrative Contractor (A/B MAC) in your state. A home infusion therapy supplier must also be accredited by a Medicare approved accrediting organization. Both, ACHC and CHAP, offer accreditation as well as additional resources for HIT.
- Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC) and Imark Billing are offering a Home Infusion Therapy Billing Tip Sheet that includes the latest payment rates and corresponding codes. To download, click here or the link below.
- CHAP is offering a HIT Supplier Quality Standards Video that can be viewed at : https://vimeo.com/user46728590/download/461370498/da6fb441da
For the updated list of drugs that fall under HIT benefit and additional information on HIT, please go to https://www.cms.gov/files/document/r10547cp.pdf
CMS New Training Events
CMS is offering a web-based training course that provides a high-level overview of how data elements within CMS patient assessment instruments are used to construct quality measures (QMs) across post-acute care (PAC) settings. The PAC settings included are those covered under the CMS Quality Reporting Programs (QRPs) for Home Health Agencies (HHAs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs), Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs) and Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs). Information covered in the course includes a review of the QRPs’ cross-setting quality measures (QM), how QMs are calculated and appear on QM reports and how to access and use this data for quality improvement.
In addition, CMS is also offering a new training on Section M: Skin Conditions – Assessment and Coding of Pressure Ulcers/Injuries.
This web-based training course provides an overview of the assessment and coding of pressure ulcers/injuries. This is a 90-minute course that is intended for providers in Home Health Agencies (HHAs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs), Long-Term Care Hospitals (LTCHs), and Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs).
COLORADO NEWS
EVV Compliance Extension
On January 12, 2021, HCPF announced that “for providers who are utilizing an EVV system and actively submitting EVV records, the pre-payment claim review has been delayed and will begin on March 1, 2021. …..The purpose of this additional time is to allow providers to address technical or operational obstacles they may be experiencing in their implementation of EVV.”
Please note that HCPF also defined the term of “non-utilizing providers and stated that “Non-Utilizing Providers are providers who are not utilizing an EVV system, are not submitting EVV records before claim submission, and who have not outreached the Department with an implementation plan are considered non-utilizing providers. EVV-required claims submitted by non-utilizing providers will be suspended beginning on January 16, 2021. Suspended claims will show as “Billing provider under review – suspend all claims” in Remittance Advice. Non-utilizing providers must submit an implementation plan and make actionable steps towards implementing EVV for claims to pay. Additional information has been sent directly to non-utilizing providers. Providers may also outreach the Department for assistance.”
For a complete HCPF memo, please see attached
Rocky Mountain Human Services Provider Meeting
The next Rocky Mountain Human Services (RMHS) Single Entry Point Provider Meeting will be held on Friday, January 29th, 2021 at 1:00 PM MST. During the meeting, RMHS will provide case management and intake updates and have an open forum for questions and feedback.
To join the meeting via your computer or mobile app
Click here to join the meeting
Or call in (audio only)
+1 720-372-0556,103448743# United States, Denver
Phone Conference ID: 103 448 743#
You are welcome to pre-submit questions prior to the meeting by emailing to: SEPquestions@rmhumanservices.org
COVID-19 Vaccines
For continuous updates on COVID-19 vaccine distribution, availability and prioritization, please follow https://covid19.colorado.gov/for-coloradans/vaccine/vaccine-for-coloradans. This site is being updated on a regular basis with the last update completed on January 14, 2021.
Education Opportunity
Shield HealthCare is offering a free webinar on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 from 10-11 am MST:
COVID-19: Navigating the Mental Health Effects on Older Adults.
The webinar will be presented by Kelly Sparks, RN, BSN, CWOCN, CFCN with Capital Nursing Education and will explore how social isolation, depression and related health problems are currently impacting older adults, as well as methods to manage isolation and reduce harmful side-effects.
1 CE Contact Hour Available
To Register, please go to https://pardot.shieldhealthcare.com/COVID-19-Navigating-the-Mental-Health-Effects-on-Older-Adults-Webinar
Amity’s Friday emails (newsletters) will be archived on Amity’s Healthcare Group website at https://amityhealthcaregroup.com/resources/ under Weekly Newsletter section.
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)
