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Hospice Insider

Quality:
New Hospice Compare Measure Goes Live In November Update
Plus: Watch for your next Compare preview report in early December. A big change to how p... Read more
Demonstration Projects:
Medicare Care Choices Model Flounders
Entry barriers limit demonstration. The recent revelation that one-quarter of hospice age... Read more
Demonstration Projects:
These Stats May Determine Concurrent Care's Fate
Demo enrollees averaged 64 days in MCCM. Medicare officials will be making major decision... Read more
Reimbursement:
Sidestep NOE-Preventing Edit With Wise Use Of NOTRs
Beware revocations that lead to lost reimbursement. To make sure you don't miss out on ho... Read more
Mergers & Acquisitions:
Hospice M&A Market Continues To Hop
Major chains make big acquisitions. Amedisys Inc. will beef up its hospice presence with ... Read more
Regulations:
Be Ready To Benefit From Physician Assistant Change In The New Year
CMS updates Medicare manual. The regulatory language regarding the hospice physician assi... Read more
Hospice News:
How Do You Measure Up To These NCLOS Benchmarks?
Your own stats may put reviewers on your case. If you don't want to land on medical revie... Read more
Hospice News:
Gear Up For Cap Activities
With the 2018 hospice cap reporting year ended as of Sept. 30, now's the time for hospice ... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Defendants Enter Guilty Pleas In Texas, Mississippi
In Dallas: Eleven defendants are on track for a trial next year in the notorious Novus Hea... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospices Get Another Shot At Submitting Electronic Cost Reports Outside MCReF
If you weren't quite ready to submit electronic cost reports to the Medicare Cost Report e... Read more
Regulations:
Medicare Includes Hospice In Its Regulatory Relief Proposals
Proposal aims to eliminate requirements related to aides, medication management, and facil... Read more
Survey & Certification:
Regulatory Relief Proposal For Medication Management Gets Mixed Reviews From Hospice Industry
Change would save hospices $80 million annually, CMS claims. Medicare is looking to take ... Read more
Quality:
Medicare Charts New Course For Hospice Compare Additions
Subregulatory process will work fine, Medicare contends over industry objections. The dec... Read more
Legislation:
Opioid Legislation Empowers Hospices To Help Head Off Drug Diversion
Long-awaited change regarding hospice drug disposal poised to become law. A common sense ... Read more
Hospice News:
CMS Goes Electronic-Only For Appeals Of Quality Data Payment Reduction
Paper appeals no longer accepted. If you think you're going to be docked 2 percent in err... Read more
Hospice News:
Get Your HQRP Info From These New Sources
If you don't know HIS from QIES from QRP, you can check out Medicare's newest Hospice Qual... Read more
Hospice News:
Is This Payment Snafu Causing Your Claims To Reject Incorrectly?
Watch out for a new hospice payment glitch. “Some claims are incorrectly rejecting for r... Read more
Hospice News:
Medicare Funds Palliative Care Quality Measure Work
The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, in partnership with the National ... Read more
Hospice News:
Know What HETS Is Telling You About Hospice Dates
Wondering exactly what you're looking at in the HIPAA Eligibility Transaction System (... Read more
Hospice News:
Notorious Novus Case Yields Another Guilty Plea
A fourth defendant has pleaded guilty in the case against Novus Health, in which the feds ... Read more
Billing:
Choose Your Drug Reporting Method And Stick With It, CMS Urges
Look to 2019 rule for clarifications on new options taking effect next month. Drug report... Read more
Regulations:
Don't Fall In A Compliance Trap With New PA Change
Remember: PAs still can't certify patients' terminal illness, among other things. Get rea... Read more
Referrals:
Watch Out: New Hospital Policy May Limit Your Referrals
Hospitals will get financially dinged for short stays in 280 DRGs. If you haven't paid mu... Read more
Fraud & Abuse:
OIG Calls Out Hospices For Fraud Related To GIP, Nursing Home Patients
Don't be surprised to see intermediate sanctions, tougher medical review, and other crackd... Read more
Finance:
New Cost Report Requirement For Chains Takes Effect In October
Don't ignore it just because it's in the hospital rule. Stay alert to a new cost reportin... Read more
Billing:
Keep Up With New Medicare Card Changes
More and more Medicare beneficiaries are receiving their new Medicare cards — do you kno... Read more
Hospice News:
Medicare Strike Force Cities Increase To 10
Another East Coast city makes the list. The feds' Medicare Strike Force model has proven ... Read more
Hospice News:
Find Out About HEART Delay In Upcoming Forum
Medicare is moving forward with its hospice patient assessment tool, even if that progress... Read more
Hospice News:
Medicare Presses Pause On Its New Revocation Date Change Procedure
Don't try to take advantage of Medicare's new method for removing a hospice revocation dat... Read more
Hospice News:
Cap Overpayment Bill May Come Due This Month
Keep an eye out for a cap repayment notice. Some hospices may have already received a liab... Read more
Hospice News:
NOE Billing Problems Plague Hospices
Beware multiple hospice Notice of Election-related claims system glitches. Glitch #1: “... Read more
Hospice News:
Equity Firm Buys Arizona Hospice With Eye Toward Growth
H.I.G. Growth Partners has acquired Sage Hospice in Phoenix, the private equity firm says ... Read more
Reimbursement:
Get Ready For A 1.8% Rate Increase Starting Oct. 1
Medicare expects rural New England hospices to see a 3.4 percent positive impact. If you ... Read more
Regulations:
Hospices' Wage Index Arguments Fall On Deaf Ears
Medicare holds fast to its volatile wage index system. One significant component affectin... Read more
Finance:
Medicare Pledges To 'Better Align Hospice Payments With Costs' In Final Rule
Shore up your cost reporting procedures ASAP. It remains unclear for now whether Medicare... Read more
Quality:
Get To Know These 6 Hospice Compare Revisions Medicare Just Finalized
Hospices are enjoying a well deserved break from dramatic payment or policy changes in the... Read more
Assessment:
CMS Steps Back On HEART Testing
Medicare will regroup to address pilot testing concerns before next phase. It seems as th... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Reveals HIPAA Breaches
Phishing got a Tennessee hospice in hot water. Tighten up your employee training on HIPAA... Read more
Hospice News:
Get HQRP Info From The Source
You can catch a new “Introduction to the Hospice Quality Reporting Program” webinar fr... Read more
Hospice News:
Monster Hospice Merger Fuels Hot M&A Market
The home health and hospice M&A market has shown no sign of declining. “For two quar... Read more
Billing:
Make Sure You Take Advantage Of Newest Billing Procedures
Don't lose money due to corrected NOEs. It's essential to stay up to date on Medicare bil... Read more
Know Your Facts:
Length Of Stay Ticked Up Slightly In Latest Year
Live discharge rate fell once again. The hospice final rule for 2019 payment is expected ... Read more
Reimbursement:
Don't Be Surprised To See Expansion Of Prior Authorization To More Drugs
You should be paying for so-called ‘maintenance drugs,' CMS maintains. Data revealed in... Read more
Regulations:
SIA Payments Fail To Increase End-Of-Life Visits Significantly — At Least So Far
In 2017, 42% of the time the patient did not receive a skilled visit during the last 7 day... Read more
Fraud & Abuse:
Second Defendant Pleads Guilty In Notorious Novus Case
Plus: Are you ready for your execs' salaries to be published in a newspaper exposé? Two ... Read more
Compliance:
Federal Watchdog Agency Touts $1.5 Billion In Fraud-Fighting Savings
Don't expect compliance efforts to lighten up any time soon. If you'd like to see the HHS... Read more
Hospice News:
Study Highlights Hospice Access Problems For Kidney Dialysis Patients
Medicare policy requiring beneficiaries to forego dialysis hampers usage. Medicare patien... Read more
Hospice News:
New York Times Throws Shade On Humana's Hospice Acquisitions
Attention from the New York Times is rarely good for Medicare providers. Now the Times has... Read more
Hospice News:
Last Year's Law May Mean One Less Tax Break For Your Staff
If you don't pay the full Internal Revenue Service mileage rate to your employees for trav... Read more
Hospice News:
Nonprofit Hospice Affiliation Grows Again
Ohio nonprofit Loving Care Hospice, based in London and Marysville, plans to join Ohio's H... Read more
Hospice News:
Senior Fraud Patrol Reports Banner Year
The Senior Medicare Patrol program continues to go strong, with the HHS Office of Inspecto... Read more
Hospice News:
Next Wave Starts For New Medicare Cards
If you're in a “Wave 3 state” for the new Medicare cards, your patients should be star... Read more
Quality:
Quality Takes Center Stage In Proposed Hospice Rule
Check out new time frames for Hospice Item Set data review. You'd better pay close attent... Read more
Regulations:
Rule Raises Idea Of IT Conditions of Participation
Electronic health information exchange in the works, reg signals. Before you find yoursel... Read more
Reimbursement:
CMS Clears Up Drug, DME Reporting Confusion
You aren't required to switch to new reporting methodology — although you'll probably wa... Read more
Fraud & Abuse:
Hospices Pay Out Millions In Fraud Cases
Hospice coughs up $3 million for integrity agreement settlement. A whistleblower lawsuit ... Read more
Hospice News:
MAC Offers Helping Hand With Documentation Tool
Does your documentation process involve the items on this checklist? In light of increasi... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospices Must Wait A While Longer For TPE Results
Home health agencies are getting some vital Targeted Probe & Educate info from HHH Med... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospices Should Serve For End-Stage Renal Disease Patients, Study Suggests
Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease aren't receiving as much hospice care as they should... Read more
Hospice News:
Check Out Your Latest Hospice Compare Data
If you haven't looked at Medicare's Hospice Compare website since May 16, now's the time t... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Director Of Operations Turns Star Witness In Salacious Texas Case
Mainstream news stories outlining Medicare hospice fraud and abuse are enough to undermine... Read more
Hospice News:
New MedPAC Commissioners Fail To Include Hospice Rep ® Again
The newest crop of MedPAC commissioners is heavy on physicians and light — extremely —... Read more
Hospice News:
Give Your Staff A Helpful Heads Up About New Mileage Deduction Limitations
If you don't pay the full Internal Revenue Service mileage rate to your employees for trav... Read more
Hospice News:
Cut Through MBI Confusion With Latest Medicare Instructions
Don't worry about getting your patients' new Medicare numbers before they do using the new... Read more
Hospice News:
Double-Check Your Quality Data Before It's Too Late
Don't miss your chance to review your Hospice Compare data for the next refresh. “Hospi... Read more
Reimbursement:
Hospices To See 1.8% Pay Bump Starting In October
Don't write down next year's budget in pen yet. Depending on whether you see the glass ha... Read more
Finance:
Majority Of Cost Reports Would Fail New Edits, CMS Analysis Finds
Keep long-term impact of expanded Level 1 edits in mind, experts urge. Chances are you ne... Read more
Quality:
Hospice Compare Will Look Very Different If Proposed Rule Finalized
Note: 7 measures will go low-profile, not away entirely. The implementation of a new comp... Read more
Regulations:
Know What PAs Can — And Can't — Do Under Regulatory Change
Give up your hopes for easier certs and face-to-face encounters. The Physician Assistant ... Read more
Reimbursement:
CMS Heeds Industry's Pleas For Relief On Drug Reporting
Your claims reporting should get easier, but it comes at a price. The Trump administratio... Read more
Hospice News:
ID Your Patients' RHC Days More Easily Starting This Fall
Chalk up the change to regulatory relief. Medicare plans to give hospices a helping hand ... Read more
Hospice News:
Humana, Equity Firms Plan Big Buy
The same group of purchasers making the massive Kindred at Home acquisition are planning a... Read more
Hospice News:
Download Your Newly Updated PEPPER Reports
If you aren't sure how to best use your newly updated hospice PEPPER report and missed Med... Read more
Hospice News:
Bone Up On E-Filing Cost Reports
Get more details about the new Medicare Cost Report E-Filing (MCReF) system, which will ac... Read more
Hospice News:
Rural Providers Get Some Recognition
Rural providers that feel like Medicare isn't doing enough to help cope with difficulties ... Read more
Payment:
MedPAC Thinks You Don't Need A Rate Increase
LOS is on the rise again. Chances of you getting a decent payment rate increase next year... Read more
Quality:
How Does Your Live Discharge Rate Stack Up To Your Peers?
New quality measure aims to ID discharges followed by hospitalization or death. Concerns ... Read more
Fraud & Abuse:
Fraud Report Tallies Hospice Enforcement Activities
High-profile cases paint industry with fraud brush. The hospice industry continues to dra... Read more
Medical Review:
Boosting Your Billing Accuracy With TPE Education Could Help Avoid More Punishing Review
Don't wait until the round is over to implement improvements. Seeing the error of your bi... Read more
Legislation:
Civil, Criminal Penalties Will Cost You More Thanks To Recent Law
Do you know the increases? The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 changed more than just reimb... Read more
Billing:
Make Sure You're Ready For New Medicare Cards
Heed this advice on how to handle the MBI. If you use a common trick to get your patients... Read more
Hospice News:
Heed Notice Of Election Requirements When Filing For Exceptions
Watch out: Another hospice's lack of discharge won't seal the deal. Be ready to back up y... Read more
Hospice News:
Updated Medicare Benchmarking Reports Are Out
Newly revised free benchmarks that Medicare provides you through the PEPPER program are no... Read more
Hospice News:
Tap New Medicare Training On HIS Coding, HQRP
Help for hospices is now available from Medicare in a number of new educational offerings.... Read more
Hospice News:
You Have Extra Time To Use Low Volume Appeals Option
If you missed the Low Volume Appeals filing deadline, you can still take advantage of the ... Read more
Hospice News:
Give CMS Your 2 Cents On Regulatory Relief
Medicare is asking you to share a piece of your mind on how to reduce regulatory burden. ... Read more
Hospice News:
HART Beats On With New Version
The Hospice Abstraction Reporting Tool v1.4.0 is now available for download at www.cms.gov... Read more
Hospice News:
LTC Hospice Chain Dodges Bullet In Whistleblower Cases
The feds have declined to intervene in four newly unsealed whistleblower lawsuits against ... Read more
Hospice News:
Electronic Cost Report Becoming An Option
As of March, "you will have the option to submit Medicare cost reports through a new natio... Read more
Hospice News:
Learn About 2020 HQRP Details
You can tap new Hospice Quality Reporting Program resources at www.cms.gov/Medicare/Qualit... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Sales Close Nationwide
Hospices announced recent mergers and acquisitions. In Nevada: Nathan Adelson Hospice, th... Read more
Hospice News:
CMS Leader With Home Care Background Appointed
Providers will see a CMS executive with home-based business experience, for once. Adam Boe... Read more
Regulations:
Notice Of Election Submission Finally Running Smoothly
Plus: Patients, referral sources now can look up your patient satisfaction marks on Hospic... Read more
Medical Review:
Don't Be Surprised If RAC Review Is Around The Corner
Monthly billing make hospice claims a tempting RAC target. Recovery Audit Contractor ... Read more
Audits:
Use These 8 Pointers To Prepare For Medical Review
Target your education efforts by using your self-audit findings. Don't wait until it's to... Read more
Legislation:
New Budget Law Axes 'Super-MedPAC' Board
Option to pass the buck to appointed board now gone. While the Independent Payment Adviso... Read more
Budget:
Look To Trump Administration Proposal For Budget Threats
Survey fees among resource-draining proposals. While most observers agree the Trump admin... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospices Recently Fail To Meet Regulatory Requirements, OIG Blasts
New report cites problem of hospice enrollment without patients' consent. The hospice ind... Read more
Hospice News:
Statistical Sampling Added To OIG's Work Plan
A Medicare contractor audit that uses statistical sampling can strike fear into providers'... Read more
Hospice News:
Your Patients Will Start Receiving New Medicare Cards Next Month
Medicare has been talking about switching beneficiaries to the new Social Security Nu... Read more
Reader Question:
What Are Your HIPAA Duties After The Patient's Death?
The decedent's rights may surprise you. Question:  How long do I need to maintain a ... Read more
Budget:
Physician Assistant Change Should Ease Hospice Access
Plus: Trump administration budget proposal highlights hospice fraud. The two-year budget ... Read more
Regulations:
Payment Reform Billing Errors May Still Be Plaguing Hospices
Plus: The Medicare Care Choices Model finally is gaining some momentum. If you thought yo... Read more
Quality:
Make Sure Your Hospice Compare Info Is Accurate By Submitting Corrections With These New Instructions
CMS is working on the geographic search problem. If your contact information on Medicare'... Read more
Compliance:
Check Your Texting P&Ps Against Medicare's New Clarifications
Follow this expert advice on texting to avoid exposure to fines and lawsuits. Unsecured t... Read more
Fraud & Abuse:
Hospice Fraud Cases Catch Mainstream Attention In Florida, Texas
Former employee whistleblower in one case to receive $900,000. If you have any doubts tha... Read more
Hospice News:
Use One MAC's Advice To Correct Your NOE, NOTR Date Problems
Get the occurrence, condition codes down pat. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Ser... Read more
Hospice News:
Turn Audit Losses Into Cap Gains
If you're a hospice provider that's been hit with an overpayment request from a Recovery A... Read more
Hospice News:
Follow New Cap Reporting Procedure If You Plan To Exit Medicare
Hospices exiting the Medicare market have a new procedure to follow for self-reporting the... Read more
Hospice News:
Get Up To Speed On Quality Reporting Requirements
Check out new Hospice Quality Reporting Program resources at www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospices Burdened With More Med Duties, If State Bill Passes
Hospice providers in Kentucky may have a new duty added to their already full plates. Hos... Read more
Medical Review:
Get Up To Speed On TPE Before It's Too Late
Are you going to be one of the 'targets' in Targeted Probe & Educate medical review? ... Read more
Audits:
Will You Land On TPE's Radar With These Audit Topics?
It's no surprise that length of stay is a major red flag under the medical review problem.... Read more
Reimbursement:
Tackle Targeted Probe & Educate Challenges With These 5 Tips
Avoid this common contact pitfall. Don't let Targeted Probe & Educate reviews bring d... Read more
Budget:
MedPAC Calls For Rate Freeze Once Again
Will Congress listen to the influential advisory body this time? The weather won't be the... Read more
Notices of Election:
NOE Solution Still Needs Some Work, Medicare Admits
One MAC is using a workaround to let NOEs process via EDI - but the others aren't. Hospic... Read more
Hospice News:
Your Work For Payment Reform-Related RHC Corrections May Not Be Over
Line item dates of service may be the culprit for problem adjustments. Thought you were d... Read more
Hospice News:
Get Your Hospice Cap Data Pronto If You Think You're Over
One HHH Medicare Administrative Contractor is still sending hospices their PS&R data f... Read more
Hospice News:
Take A Look At Your Latest Hospice Compare Data
Hospices waiting for the first refresh of their quality data posted on Medicare's Hospice ... Read more
Hospice News:
OIG Puts Spotlight On Hospice-Nursing Home Fraud
The HHS Office of Inspector General takes hospices to task for low overpayment collection ... Read more
Hospice News:
Tap New Medicare Quality Tools
With quality data becoming more important than ever for hospices, brushing up on your qual... Read more
Hospice News:
New Year Brought A New Mileage Rate
Don't forget to adjust your travel reimbursement amount, if you tie it to the Internal Rev... Read more
Hospice News:
Providers Pay More For Enrollment, Revalidation Applications In 2018
The fee for submitting your Medicare enrollment application, including for revalidations, ... Read more
Finance:
Tick These 2 Items Off Your List Before New Year's
Don't forget: Hospice cap reporting has moved up by a month. If you want to keep your ini... Read more
Reimbursement:
Corrections For Payment Reform-Sparked Billing Errors Still Available
You'll need to proceed on a claim-by-claim basis. It's not too late to secure payment adj... Read more
Medical Review:
ADR Responses To Become Crucial In Targeted Probe & Educate Era
Here's how to check for an ADR. Nonresponses to ADRs as a systemic problem is nothing new... Read more
Strategy:
Fight Off Nonresponse Denials With These 9 Pointers
Who's on your hospice's ADR team? You can head off Targeted Probe & Educate's severe ... Read more
Outcomes:
Hospices Must Live With Hospice Compare Glitch For Now
Your delayed data is now up on Compare. A problem with how Medicare's Hospice Compare web... Read more
Hospice News:
Kick Off The New Year With Electronic NOE Submission
Get your trading partner agreement set before 2018 arrives. The start date for submitting... Read more
Hospice News:
Goodbye Secretary Price, Hello Pharma Exec
Following Tom Price's resignation as Department of Health & Human Services Secretary, ... Read more
Hospice News:
Latest Quality FAQs May Help You Improve Your Quality Measure Standing
Check out the newest frequently asked questions received by the Hospice Quality Help Desk ... Read more
Hospice News:
Hospice Administrator's Murder Conviction May Make Life Harder For Other Hospices
It's not unusual these days to see home health agency and hospice executives in the fraud ... Read more
Hospice News:
Accept Some HIPAA Help With New Form
Need some assistance making sure you're complying with HIPAA when patients request their P... Read more
Hospice News:
Regional Chain Acquires Oklahoma Provider
The Ensign Group's home health and hospice subsidiary, Cornerstone Healthcare Inc., has ac... Read more
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