RSSAll Entries Tagged With: "Important Message"

CMS answers questions about the second Important Message from Medicare

The American Case Management Association (ACMA) received a document from CMS that answers questions that ACMA members posed to the agency about delivering the Important Message from Medicare (IM).

The FAQ document is a result of ACMA’s efforts to clarify the cumbersome second delivery requirement. Medicare regulations state that hospitals must provide Medicare beneficiaries with the document at two points during the hospital stay:

  • Within two days of admission
  • Within  two day prior to discharge, but no later than four hours before the patient leaves the facility

The ACMA conducted a survey about the second delivery requirement and found that case managers generally think “the second IM process adds little value to patient care and adds to patient confusion and frustration.” Attendees of the 2010 NICM/ACMA National Conference echoed those sentiments during a special forum held at the event.

ACMA CEO L. Greg Cunningham took those concerns to a group of CMS administrators who then asked ACMA to create a prioritized list of the most pressing issues and concerns about the second delivery of the IM. The FAQ document addresses many of those pressing concerns.

CMS told the ACMA it is revising sections of the Medicare manual, which will include some of the questions developed by ACMA. CMS will release the revised manual later this year.

View the FAQ document here

March 08, 2011 | | Comments 3
Read More

CMS revises Important Message from Medicare

CMS announced a change to the Important Message from Medicare (IM), but not the changes some case managers were hoping for.

Beginning in April 2011, hospitals must have patients or representatives include the time that they signed the IM. CMS announced the new IM just prior to the November 18 Hospital Quality Open Door Forum. View the new IM form.

Earlier in the year, the American Case Management Association (ACMA) public policy committee and CEO Greg Cunningham spoke with CMS representatives about eliminating the requirement for a second IM. The committee presented results from a survey of nearly 400 case managers, many of whom said the second IM adds little or no value to the patient care experience.

CMS asked the committee to gather the most pressing issues about the second IM and present the findings so that the two sides could work on addressing the problems.

During the NICM/ACMA National Conference case managers shared their concerns with the second IM, which Cunningham brought CMS headquarters in June. Cunningham discussed a prioritized list of recommendations and concerns based on feedback shared during the conference.

In September, the ACMA public policy committee received a response from CMS to the prioritized list of questions and concerns regarding the second notice. The Public Policy Committee is in the process of evaluating CMS’s responses and composing additional questions regarding any issues that are still unclear.  The committee will then submit feedback to CMS for clarification.

November 18, 2010 | | Comments 0
Read More

Visit us at the 2010 NICM/ACMA National Conference

San Antonio is also home to the Alamo

If you are planning to attend the 2010 NICM/ACMA National Conference in San Antonio next week, please stop by the HCPro booth and say hello.

I will be there putting faces to names and covering the sessions for the Case Management Monthly newsletter. We will have several of our case managmement books as well as products from the Association of Clinical Documentation Improvement Specialists at the booth. Be sure to drop your business card into our fishbowl for a chance to win an Amazon Kindle!

For those of you who are not attending, I will keep you up to speed with the goings-on, right here, on Case Management Mentor.

I am looking forward to hearing your Important Message from Medicare concerns at the special forum April 10 from 7:00-7:45 a.m. What sessions are you looking forward to?

April 01, 2010 | | Comments 0
Read More

ACMA takes second Important Message from Medicare concerns to CMS

The American Case Management Association (ACMA) CEO Greg Cunningham recently met with CMS officials to discuss the results of the ACMA Public Policy Committee’s survey about the second Important Message from Medicare (IM).

According the ACMA, CMS was “receptive to the feedback.” The results of the survey include the following:

  • The majority of respondents (84%) report that case management is responsible for issuing the second IM
  • More than half the respondents (59%) report that 10 minutes or less are required to issue each IM
  • More than 77% of respondents report that they track IM compliance
    • Of those who track IM compliance 40% report a compliance rate between 76% and 100%
  • Only 38% of respondents report increased numbers of appeals
  • The majority report that less than 25% of patient appeals are successful
  • Respondents generally feel the second IM process adds little value to patient care and adds to patient confusion and frustration

Read the full CMS Important Message / Appeal Rights Notification Requirement Survey Findings report.

CMS officials asked the association to gather a prioritized list of the most pressing concerns about the delivery of the second IM. The ACMA and CMS will then work together to address the 10 most pressing issues.

If you would like to contribute your thoughts on the second IM you have two options:

March 05, 2010 | | Comments 5
Read More

ACMA conducts an Important Message from Medicare survey

The American Case Management Association (ACMA) Public Policy Committee surveyed nearly 400 case management professionals regarding the second notice of the Important Message (IM) from Medicare .

Based on the data, the key findings were as follows:

  • The majority of respondents (84%) report that case management is responsible for issuing the second IM
  • More than half the respondents (59%) report that 10 minutes or less are required to issue each IM
  • More than 77% of respondents report that they track IM compliance
    • Of those who track IM compliance 40% report a compliance rate between 76% and 100%
  • Only 38% of respondents report increased numbers of appeals
  • The majority report that less than 25% of patient appeals are successful

The ACMA questioned respondents about the need or benefit of the second IM. Respondents said patients and family do not like being asked to redo the same tasks and use phrases such as: annoyed, waste of time and paper, frustrated, and signing more papers, to express their dislike.

Other comments said patients and families sometimes abuse the IM regulation in order to gain enough time in the hospital to qualify for skilled nursing care.

According to the ACMA, the findings will be released to ACMA members and non-members who participated in the survey.

Read more about the survey at the ACMA Web site.

December 22, 2009 | | Comments 4
Read More