Category: Home Health

Home Health, News

CMS to require states self-report progress toward electronic visit verification

By Home Health Line.
CMS is seeking public comment on a proposal to implement a survey requiring states report progress toward implementing electronic visit verification (EVV) as required by the 21st Century Cures Act.
The survey will be a live form, which means states will be able to update their status as they progress. Comments must be submitted by Dec. 4.
The EVV requirement primarily impacts Medicaid for now, but will be coming later for Medicare and likely …

Home Health, News

NY DOL’s order on ‘13-hour standard’ for live-in caregivers ruled invalid

By Home Health Line
A recent New York Supreme Court ruling has further muddied the waters around the practice of paying live-in caregivers in the state for 13 hours a day.
On Sept. 26, the court ruled invalid a New York Department of Labor (DOL) emergency order that was designed to clarify the DOL’s stance on previous DOL guidance. The emergency regulation noted the DOL wage order already in existence shouldn’t be interpreted as requiring home care …

Home Health, News, Payment/economy

Appeals backlog slowly reduced, percentage of unfavorable rulings concerning

By Home Health Line.
While the backlog of home health appeals at the Administrative Law Judge level is steadily being chipped away, data show a low reversal rate for appeals.
In 2018, 54,875 home health appeals have been dismissed. That is compared to 958 dismissals in 2017 and 731 in 2016, according to an analysis from the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC).
The dramatic jump in dismissed appeals in 2018 is primarily because of large …

Assisted Living, Healthcare reform, Home Health, News, Skilled Nursing Facility

Yale studies approach to patient-centered care that involved a critical conversation with patients

Researchers at Yale, New York University School of Medicine, and Baylor College of Medicine recently studied an approach to patient-centered care that involves tailoring healthcare of seniors to senior’s desires.
The approach, which was studied and published in the Journal of American Geriatric Society, included a structured, 30-minute conversation with patients in primary care practices. The information focused on patient’s values, helath goals, what they consider helpful versus burdensome care, and one problem they consider most …