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Hospice Insider

Compliance:
Time's Up: Face-To-Face Encounters Should Be On Your Schedule
Good news: At least you can sometimes bill for the visits. Effective Jan. 1, 2011, hospice... Read more
Reimbursement:
Know When To Bill For FFE Visits -- And When Not To
Ambulance transport is hospices' responsibility, CMS clarifies. You can defray at least so... Read more
Add These Resources To Your FFE Aresenal
If you're like most, you can use all the help you can get with the new face-to-face encoun... Read more
Regulations:
Use These 9 Pointers To Smooth Your FFE Transition
Your January deadline isn’t going anywhere, experts stress. The face-to-face enc... Read more
Clip & Save:
Refresh Your Recertification Skills With This Primer
Your reimbursement hinges on these crucial details. Incomplete or untimely recertificatio... Read more
Documentation:
Say Goodbye To Date Stamp For Physician Signatures
New stricter guidelines will require physicians to date signatures themselves starting Ja... Read more
Edits:
Intermediary Targets Nursing Home Hospice Claims
Don't miss a vital hospice certification step for long-stay beneficiaries. Authorities ar... Read more
Audits:
Dot Your 'I's and Cross Your 'T's -- Or Face Payment Hits
Insufficient or incomplete documentation is a significant weakness among medicare provide... Read more
10 Protections A RAC Must Give You
You're following the rules -- and the RACs should, too. Your organization isn't the ... Read more
Industry Notes:
Focus Your Educational Efforts On EDs, Study Suggests
You can prevent terminally ill patients from feeling 'abandoned' and 'ignored.' Hospices ... Read more
Audits:
3 Tips Help You Withstand Audit Scrutiny
A thorough ADR response may require adding information from before or after the dates of r... Read more
Regulations:
Prepare For Face-To-Face Encounter Burden
If your patients fail to see the doc in the mandated timeframe, it means no money for you.... Read more
Write a Winning Cover Letter
When responding to an audit or denial, your cover letter should act as a table of contents... Read more
Fraud & Abuse:
OIG Targets These Hospice Hot Spots For Scrutiny In 2011
Nursing home relationships, duplicate drug payments, and medical necessity will be some of... Read more
Infection Control:
Clear Out Infection With This Prevention and Control Plan
Proper hand washing may sound small, but the infection prevention pay-off is big. Your pa... Read more
Industry Notes
If your referring physicians seem ignorant of the fraud and abuse rules governing your in... Read more
Clip and Save:
Use This Form to Track Hand Washing Competency
Help your employees measure their hand washing skills. The most basic thing a hospice empl... Read more
Compliance:
OIG Takes Aim at Overlapping Hospice, Physician Payments
Federal watchdog has its eye on you if physicians are billing for your patients. A factor... Read more
Studies:
Take a Closer Look at Early Palliative Care Study to Uncover More Questions
The current reimbursement system throws a wrench in replicating beneficial findings. Recei... Read more
Claims Edits:
Beef up Documentation to Guard Against Lymphoma, Myeloma Edit
Will your documentation support patients' six-month prognosis? Get ready to beef up your ... Read more
Tools:
Q5003, Q5004 and Q5010: Keep Your Site of Service Codes in Place
Hint: Q5003 can't be billed with general inpatient care revenue code 0656. Confused about ... Read more
Human Resources:
Help Staff Boost Their Own Health With This Know-How
To stay on top of your game at work, avoid this No. 1 dietary mistake. For your staff to p... Read more
Industry Studies:
Over 40 Percent of 2009 Deaths Occurred Under Hospice Care
Average length of service holds steady at 69 days. Hospice use is on the rise in the Unite... Read more
Industry News:
Industry News:
CMS has given state Medicaid programs their marching orders about furnishing hospice to c... Read more
QAPI:
Build a Better Process Improvement Project with a Winning Aim Statement
Know three types of measures to keep your changes on-track. Process improvement keeps you... Read more
Nursing Home Partnerships:
Share this Test: Are these Statements about Hospice on or Off the Mark?
Must you synch care plans for nursing home residents on the Medicare hospice benefit? The ... Read more
Nursing Home Partnerships:
MDS 3.0 Changes Rules for Sig Change Assessments, Boosts Assessment in These 2 Key Areas
The rules have changed in a way that allows easier tracking of hospice recipients. As of ... Read more
Compliance:
You're Not Alone: Tap Compliance Plan Resources
Don't stop with the OIG guidance. Crafting or updating your hospice's compliance plan can ... Read more
Industry News
Receiving early palliative care may not only improve the quality of care but also longevi... Read more
Regulations:
Prep for More Miles with New Face-to-Face Encounter Rule
Providers may keep costs in check with help from nurse practitioners. Hospice physicians ... Read more
Eligibility:
Make Note of Signs, Symptoms, and Measures of Disease Progression
Prepare for medical review of long stay patients. Now's the time to tune up your document... Read more
Illustrate Your Face-to-Face Rule Comments with Case Examples
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' proposed face-to-face encounter rule st... Read more
Human Resources:
Use These 4 Steps To Reach Increased Productivity
Ask the right questions and teach your employees to self-correct efficiency problems. You... Read more
Popular Press:
New Yorker Article Fosters End-of-Life Discussions
Aetna sees success with concurrent care experiment. As a hospice employee, you know how i... Read more
Industry news
• Starting Oct. 1, your Medicare payments will get a little better -- but just a l... Read more
Elder Abuse:
Thwart 3 Reporting Myths to Help Prevent Elder Abuse
You don't need proof beyond a reasonable doubt to make an abuse report. Hospice staff are... Read more
Risk Management:
Steer Your Hospice Clear of Online Social Media Forum Pitfalls
Prohibit your staff from making this No. 1 privacy mistake. Online social forums provide ... Read more
Common Types of Elder Abuse
It's a sad truth that elder abuse comes in many forms. And the signs of elder mistreatmen... Read more
HIPAA:
Real-World Cases Highlight Dangers of Privacy Violations
Nurses take heat for online privacy violations. Looking for cautionary scenarios to keep ... Read more
Don't Get Lost in the Data -- Try an Organizational Approach to QAPI
Make the most of this Medicare-mandated program by fostering staff involvement. Gathering... Read more
Conflict Management:
5 Tips Help Ease End-of-Life Conflict
The issues that seem to cause the conflict are rarely the real issues. End-of-life decisi... Read more
Industry News
• Hospital patients at end of life need to have better communication with their physici... Read more
Revocations:
Don't Get Left Holding the Bag for Unplanned Hospitalizations
Your patients are trained to call 911 in an emergency -- it's your challenge to... Read more
Concurrent Care:
Concurrent Care Demo Could Boost Hospice Use
PPACA isn't all bad news for hospice providers. Many terminally ill patients refuse to el... Read more
Mergers and Acquisitions:
Gentiva To Buy Odyssey For Nearly $1 Billion
Don't expect your hospice's valuation to go up as a result, one expert cautions. It's tim... Read more
Audits:
RAC s Can No Longer Keep Fees After Losing Appeals
Plus: You'll soon be able to review the most common errors that the RACs find. As the pot... Read more
Audits:
Know These RAC Fast Facts
Recovery Audit Contractors are just another tool in the government's arsenal to collect i... Read more
Occupational Safety:
Tool Helps You With Options for Managing Needlestick Injuries
You should consider HIV prophylaxis for an employee in this scenario. Picture this: You'r... Read more
Human Resources:
5 Tips Help You Steer Clear of Sharps Injuries
Don't stick with this No. 1 bad habit known to cause injuries. Prevention is the best rem... Read more
Industry News:
Industry News:
• Expect more scrutiny of your claims, thanks to President Obama directing HHS to cut Me... Read more
Reimbursement:
Know these New Claim Requirements to Keep Reimbursement Flowing
Watch for new claims edits in July This year has already been a busy one for new claim re... Read more
Claims:
Use This New Guidance To Report Social Worker Calls
Site of service codes, ambulance charges also addressed in forum. Don't expect any hard a... Read more
Use These Strategies to Cope With Changes
None of the changes are easy and some are not logical, says Samira Beckwith, president and... Read more
Notice of Election:
Don't Let Tardy Elections Trip Up Your Billing
Verbal consent doesn't cut it. Confusion over how election dates work could cost you thou... Read more
Notice of Election:
Nail Election Requirements With These 5 Steps
Don't forget to recheck your patients for Medicare eligibility. If you fail to get a prop... Read more
Notice of Election:
Know Your Patient's Rights: Does Your NOE Pass Muster?
Don't let these four common errors trip up your claims. Are you sure your notice of elect... Read more
Education:
Sidestep Compliance Landmines With This Training
Check out Eli audioconferences joint ventures and QAPI. Get vital information on these... Read more
Compliance:
Face-To-Face Encounters Affect Both HHAs And Hospices
And HHAs may be on the hook retroactively. Home health agencies had a short-lived breath ... Read more
Hospice Visits:
Here's the Latest on How to Count Your Inpatient Hospice Visits
CMS' new guidance gives you the low-down on what counts as a visit in hospice facilities.... Read more
RAC Denials:
Arm Yourself with 6 Rules for Battling Unfair RAC Denials
When things look darkest, a new viewpoint can make all the difference in your appeal. Rec... Read more
Appeals:
Don't Let RACs Shoot Down Your Whole Claim For A Small Error
Wheelchair appeal targets unfair recoupment amount. Some providers aren't taking what the... Read more
Clip And Save:
Keep this Chart Handy to Master New Claim Requirements
Welcome this ambulance transport responsibility clarification. If you're feeling confused... Read more
Protect Your Employees:
Protect Your Employees with These 5 Tips
These checklists help you keep workers safe and improve retention. If you're looking for ... Read more
Education:
Get the Compliance Answers You Need on Discharges and Transfers, Gift-Giving Guidelines
These educational offerings clear up confusion in a matter of minutes. Get vital infor... Read more
Legislation:
Hospice Face-To-Face Requirement Tucked into Home Health PPS
Hospices are in for more medical review under health care reform package. The new health ... Read more
Industry News
• Don't forget about two new hospice billing requirements that take effect this month. ... Read more
MARKETING:
Census Numbers Slipping? Three Proactive Things You Can Do Now
It's time to work on relationships with your referral sources. Hospices around the countr... Read more
COMPLIANCE:
Take 5 Tips for Top-Notch Internal Compliance Investigations
Don't undermine your compliance efforts by failing to document findings. Without a strong... Read more
See What Whistleblowers are Alleging
Your best course of dealing with whistle blower actions is to stop them before they start.... Read more
RACS:
Get Ready for the RACs -- Hospice's Latest Wolf at the Door
RAC target areas will likely match those of FIs. So far, the Recovery Audit Contractors h... Read more
QUIZ:
Do You Know Your RAC Facts?
See if you know the score for how RACs operate. To find out if your RAC know-how is on th... Read more
QUIZ ANSWERS:
Do You Know Your RAC Facts?
Check your quiz answers here. 1. Answer: B Medicare Part A and Part B fee-for-service cla... Read more
INDUSTRY NOTES
• Creating an implantable cardioverter defibrillator policy can save your patients from ... Read more
In other news...
• Say goodbye to consult codes.CMS has eliminated this series of CPT codes for docs, and... Read more
READER QUESTION:
Identify Compliance Hotspots in Exit Interviews
Don't forget to document action taken on fraud allegations. Question: During exit intervi... Read more
COMPLIANCE:
Protect Your Hospice with a Solid Background Check Policy
Paid employees aren't the only ones who need to undergo background checks. Criminal backg... Read more
DOCUMENTATION:
Prepare for Belt Tightening As MedPAC's Cost Cutting Hits Home
Longer LOS, more for-profits wear out hospice industry's goodwill. First, the good news: ... Read more
QAPI:
Develop a QAPI Plan that will Demonstrate Hospice Value
If you're not accurately capturing the data, you can't be sure you're effectively treatin... Read more
HIPAA:
Expect a HIPAA Compliance Crackdown -- Are You Ready?
Tip: You're not off the hook if the breach is your vendor's fault. If you've jumped on bo... Read more
INDUSTRY NOTES
Prepare to Provide Even More Claim Data This spring, you'll need to provide yet another p... Read more
In other news...
• You'll need to get used to a new look when you're searching for hospice benefit period... Read more
COMPLIANCE:
4 Compliance Hotspots You Must Watch
Take special care in hospice/nursing home arrangements. The OIG has hospice agencies in i... Read more
DOCUMENTATION:
Avoid Medical Review with Physician Narrative
Don't put your Medicare payments at risk. It may be some time before medical reviewers di... Read more
Compliance:
Protect Your Agency with this 7-Step Plan
An effective compliance plan helps ensure that your hospice conforms to federal and state ... Read more
Reimbursement:
Prevent These 6 Common Certification Pitfalls
The attestation statement for the physician narrative is the latest threat to your certifi... Read more
MARKETING:
Tell Your Hospice Stories to Showcase Your Quality of Care
Culture shift can pave the way to referral boon. Studies show, time and again,that the ge... Read more
NURSING HOMES:
Take Our Experts' Tips to Make Your SNF Relationships More Productive
Good communication, continuity prove essential. Partnering with skilled nursing facilitie... Read more
Industry Notes:
Industry Notes:
Physicians Who Provide Spiritual Care Give Hospice a Boost When medical teams pray with t... Read more
Nail HIPAA Regs, Avoid 10 Compliance Problems with These Educational Offerings
Get vital information on these topics from the comfort of your own office: • HIPA... Read more
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