Archives: 2017, September
Corrections to SIA & RHC Made Easy
By Katie Wehri / Posted on: September 29, 2017CMS announced this week that Medicare Administrative Contractors (MAC) will accept a list of claims to be adjusted for incorrect service intensity add-on (SIA) and incorrect routine home care (RHC) payments, where the error is not related to hospice beneficiary transfers. The SIA and high/low RHC payment changes were…
VIEW POSTTargeted Probe and Educate
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 25, 2017HPS reported recently regarding continued Probe & Educate for Home Health agencies. This is to clarify that the CMS expansion on Probe & Educate is for Home Health and Hospice and will be effective 10/1/2017. This is referred to as Targeted Probe & Educate (TPE). This review will include targeted medical review and education along with an option for potential elevated action, up to and including referral to other Medicare contractors including the Zone Program Integrity Contractor (ZPIC), Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC), Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC), etc.
VIEW POSTHospice General Inpatient Care
By Leslie Heagy, RN, COS-C / Posted on: September 18, 2017CMS continues to be concerned about hospice over utilization and hospice underutilization of the general inpatient (GIP) level of care. Are hospices providing access to all four levels of hospice care (routine home care, general inpatient care, respite care and continuous home care)?
VIEW POST2018 OASIS-C2 Guidance Manual Update
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 8, 2017CMS issued a statement and an update to the OASIS-C2 Guidance Manual regarding the One Clinician Convention. CMS states: “As required by the Conditions of Participation, the Comprehensive Assessment will continue to be the responsibility of one clinician. However, effective January 1, 2018, the assessing clinician will be allowed to elicit feedback from other agency staff, in order to complete any or all OASIS items integrated within the Comprehensive Assessment.” One key element that agencies should…
VIEW POSTUpdates to the Hospice Aggregate Cap
By Katie Wehri / Posted on: September 1, 2017The inpatient cap limits the number of days of inpatient care for which a hospice can bill Medicare to no more than 20% of total Medicare days billed, and the aggregate cap limits the total dollar amount of payments from Medicare that can be received. The aggregate cap was originally intended to ensure that hospice payments would not exceed Medicare expenditures in a conventional setting. The aggregate cap amount is…
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