Category: Home Health Documentation & OASIS

OASIS-D: ARE YOU READY FOR 2019?
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: October 30, 2018 5 minutes to readOASIS has indeed changed again and quite dramatically this time. While there are 28 M items that have been deleted from the data set and only 6 new ones added, don’t be fooled into believing that this will be a breeze.


2019 Home Health Proposed Payment Rule – PDGM 2020
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: August 8, 2018 9 minutes to readThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) released the CY2019 Medicare Home Health payment rule July 12, 2018. This proposed rule is voluminous and carries an immense number of proposed changes. HPS will continue analyzing and updating the proposed elements of this rule.


Diagnosis Coding for Home Care – Tips for Success
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: July 2, 2018 9 minutes to readICD-10-CM implementation brought about many changes related to our coding world. However, several things remained the same and it is important to remember the constant factors that have not changed. Coding has always been important in home care, but is increasingly being scrutinized. Stay ahead of the game and ensure that your coding is up to par.


Pre-Claim Review Demonstration Coming Back?
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: June 7, 2018 4 minutes to readCMS released a Comment Request, via the Federal Register, regarding Pre-Claim Review Demonstration being set to return on or after October 2018 in Illinois, Ohio, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas. The revised demonstration would last five years and Illinois will kick off the demonstration again and will be followed by Ohio and North Carolina and later Texas and Florida.


OASIS D – What is on the Horizon?
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: May 15, 2018 8 minutes to readOASIS D data set has been released as proposed and will be in the form of a final rule soon. There has not yet been a release of actual guidance in completing new items added to the OASIS D data set, but the items being removed and added has been proposed. We are providing information about the items removed and the new items added to the OASIS data set for 01/01/2019 implementation.


Targeted Probe and Educate – What We Have Learned So Far
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: March 13, 2018 7 minutes to readTargeted Probe & Educate began on 10/1/17 and is full speed ahead. HPS has discovered nuances with TPE that we did not expect nor have we experienced in past ADR reviews. This review includes targeted medical review and education along with the potential of elevated action toward the agency. This elevated action could take place if the agency is not meeting the standards laid out by the Medicare MAC.


2018 Home Health Final Rule
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: November 14, 2017 8 minutes to readThe Breaking News that has every one full of excitement and hope is that the 2018 Home Health Final Rule does NOT include finalizing HHGM, at this time, which was set for implementation in 2019! The battle has been won, BUT the war has just begun! Some form of payment reform will occur in home health. It is not…


Claim Denials Due to NO OASIS Will Now Return to Provider
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: October 23, 2017 6 minutes to readThe claim edit that has been in place since April 3, 2017 has been denying home health claims, at the point of billing, if the matching OASIS was not in the ASAP database. Some of these denials have been the result of data not matching between the claim and the OASIS, primarily the patient’s HIC number being different or the OASIS…


Targeted Probe and Educate
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 25, 2017 5 minutes to readHPS 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.


2018 OASIS-C2 Guidance Manual Update
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 8, 2017 5 minutes to readCMS 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…


2018 Home Health Proposed Rule – HH QRP
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: August 14, 2017 9 minutes to readThe 2018 Home Health Proposed Rule was released 07/28/17. The 2018 Home Health Proposed Payment Rule – Including Intro to HHGM regarding this rule primarily discussed the proposed reimbursement changes for 2018 as well as the massive changes to the Prospective Payment System in the form of HHGM. The following is a recap of the proposed changes to the Home Health Quality Reporting Program (HH QRP).


2018 Home Health Proposed Payment Rule – Including Intro to HHGM
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: July 31, 2017 13–15 minutes to readThe Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) released the CY2018 Medicare Home Health payment rule last week. This proposed rule is voluminous and carries an immense number of proposed changes. HPS will continue analyzing and updating on the proposed elements of this rule.


Delayed Implementation of Home Health CoPs
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: July 14, 2017 2 minutes to readLast week CMS issued a Final Rule that changed the new Home Health CoPs rule implementation date to January 13, 2018. HPS announced the proposed rule a few months ago. NAHC and the Forum of State Associations spearheaded this effort to postpone the rule because of the extensive changes that are…


Home Health COPs Delayed
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: March 31, 2017 2 minutes to readCMS just issued a proposed rule that will change the new Home Health CoP rule effective date to January 13, 2018. NAHC and the Forum of State Associations spearheaded an effort to postpone the rule because of the extensive changes that are required and the absence of needed interpretive guidance to properly comply.


HIPAA for Home Care | Establishing A Compliant Agency
By Drew Rowley / Posted on: March 3, 2017 5 minutes to readHIPAA has become an acronym synonymous with healthcare. We see it practiced and preached daily throughout the home care and hospice industry. However, too often breach notifications are at the top of our industry headlines. These breaches are costing our agencies time, money, and patient credibility. If we as agency owners, administrators, and employees understand the severity of a breach then why are breaches still occurring?


Are You Thriving?
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: January 20, 2017 4 minutes to readThe constant additions of new programs and new methods, updates and consideration of changes is almost unbearable for some agencies. Home Health has been hit really hard since 2008 and no relief seems to be coming. Value-Based Purchasing, Pre-Claim Review, New CoPs, OASIS-C2, ICD-10 CM and now possibly major changes to the Prospective Payment System in regard to reimbursement.


Late NOE Exceptions Clarified
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: January 4, 2017 6 minutes to readNotices of Election (NOE) that are filed and/or accepted at the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) outside of the required 5 calendar day requirement, penalizes the hospice and the hospice does not receive reimbursement for any services until the NOE is accepted at the MAC. There have been some significant reimbursement issues with hospices due to this requirement, even when the issue was out of the control of the hospice and due to a Medicare system processing issue.

Search Home Health in the NEAR Future!
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: December 21, 2016 5 minutes to read…


NO OASIS Submission Equals NO Payment
By Aaron Carey / Posted on: November 15, 2016 5 minutes to read…

2017 FINAL Home Health Rule
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: November 3, 2016 6 minutes to read…

Reimbursement Impact of OASIS-C2
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: October 7, 2016 3 minutes to read…

BREAKING NEWS – PRE-CLAIM REVIEW DELAYED
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 20, 2016 3 minutes to read…

Pressure Ulcer Unlearning!
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 14, 2016 7 minutes to read…

OASIS-C2: Are you Prepared?
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 7, 2016 5 minutes to read…

2017 Proposed Home Health Rule
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: July 13, 2016 4 minutes to read…

The Battle Over HbA1c Has Been Won!
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: July 1, 2016 3 minutes to read…


A Bit of Relief with HbA1c Update!
By Liz Landreth / Posted on: May 10, 2016 3 minutes to read…


Medicaid and F2F: The Day has Officially Arrived!
By Dedra Briggs / Posted on: February 9, 2016 8 minutes to read…

New G-Codes Not JUST for HOSPICE!
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: October 23, 2015 5 minutes to read…

Initials and Not a Full Signature, Allowed?
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: October 9, 2015 3 minutes to read…

Finally Some Relief or Not!
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 29, 2015 4 minutes to read…

Home Care and Hospice: Still No Relief!
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: September 11, 2015 5 minutes to read…

Cert and Recert Clarification for Home Health
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: July 31, 2015 8 minutes to read…

Are You Overwhelmed by it All?
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: July 22, 2015 6 minutes to read…


Are You Sending Everything Needed for Therapy ADR Review?
By Dedra Briggs / Posted on: April 28, 2015 7 minutes to read…

Are You Convinced Your Agency is ICD-10 Ready?
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: April 1, 2015 3 minutes to read…


Home Care Diabetic Patients Under The Microscope
By Dedra Briggs / Posted on: March 24, 2015 7 minutes to read…

Home Care Medical Necessity Documentation
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: February 18, 2015 6 minutes to read…

Face to Face 2015 – What we know so far!
By Melinda Gaboury / Posted on: January 5, 2015 4 minutes to read…
