On March 12, 2018, the Federal Register posted a Comment Requestthat included changing the OASIS data set. This is the next step in the process of updating to OASIS-D which CMS has scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2019. What will be different? Quite a bit, it seems. You can find the data elements finalized […]

Beginning April 1, 2018, CMS will be mailing out replacement cards for all Medicare beneficiaries with a Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN). The HICNs are being changed to Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) because the traditional Medicare numbers were based on Social Security Numbers. It is a step CMS is taking to help protect patient information. […]

To text or not to text…that is a good question. And on December 28th, CMS came out with a memorandum addressing this very topic. The short answer is yes and no. CMS does allow texting of patient information among health care team members. “All providers must utilize and maintain systems/platforms that are secure, encrypted, and […]

As agencies finalize their updates to policies, procedures, and processes to comply with the Conditions of Participation (CoP) effective January 13th, it is a good time to remember that you should also review state rules (if your state has separate rules) and accreditation standards (if your agency is accredited). In fact, whenever there is a […]

In the day-to-day flurry of activity that surrounds home health agencies, there are a few forms that are forgotten and fall through the cracks. We are going to discuss a couple of important ones in this article. Each form is customizable and you will see a link to the CMS website to download the official […]

A few weeks ago, CMS released a draft version of Interpretive Guidelines for the new Conditions of Participation. This gives us a bit more insight into some of the regulations but not as much as many in the industry had hoped. The final version has not been released yet so there was a request to […]

CMS has released the Home Health PPS Final Rule for 2018. The good news is that there are not a lot of regulatory changes that home health agencies have to immediately prepare for. With Emergency Preparedness and Conditions of Participation, it appears CMS has given agencies a procedural reprieve with this update. However, there are […]

Are you a home health agency rushing to get compliant with Emergency Preparedness Standards by the November 15th deadline but have no idea how to get a tabletop exercise organized? FEMA has two helpful websites to assist you in getting ready. America’s PrepareAthon America’s PrepareAthon website for great customizable tools for your tabletop experience. Scenarios […]

Beginning November 15, 2017, all provider types must comply with the updated CMS condition of participation for emergency preparedness. You can review the Federal Register or 42 CFR §484.22 for the official rule or the CMS’s Emergency Preparedness website for resources including frequently asked questions, a surveyor tool, and CMS online training for Emergency Preparedness. […]