Hospice, News, Skilled Nursing Facility

PEPPERs Available for Hospices, SNFs, IRFs, IPFs, CAHs, LTCHs

Fourth quarter FY 2017 Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Reports (PEPPERs) are available for hospices, Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs), Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities (IPFs), Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and Long-term Acute Care Hospitals (LTCHs). These reports summarize provider-specific data statistics for Medicare services that may be at risk for improper payments. Use your data to support internal auditing and monitoring activities.

Hospices, LTCHs, and free-standing SNFs and IRFs: For instructions on obtaining …

Home Health, News, Quality of care

Survey: Some physicians spend less than a minute reviewing home health plans of care

Brought to you by Home Health Line.
by Kirsten Dize
Physicians spend very little time reviewing skilled home health plans of care, according to the results of a survey published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
In fact, 47% of the 1,005 responding physicians said they spent less than a minute reviewing the CMS Form 485 prior to certification, the survey results state.
About 80% of physicians “rarely or never changed an order on the CMS-485, and 78.3% rarely …

Assisted Living, Home Health, Hospice, News, Regulations, Skilled Nursing Facility

CAN-SPAM Act violations are costly, so agencies must meet FTC’s expectations

The following is a post from Home Health Line.
by Marla Durben Hirsch
Providers that use email to market services and products to current and potential patients should expect more scrutiny. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced last year that it’s examining its rules that prohibit certain unsolicited email messaging, and the stakes are high.
Under the existing requirement, violators can incur civil fines of up to $40,650 per email, as well as criminal penalties. Equivalent state laws …

Assisted Living, Home Health, News, Skilled Nursing Facility, Uncategorized

LeadingAge answers gun policy questions for senior living

LeadingAge has released Weapons Policies in Aging Services Organizations, new guidance for senior living communities regarding firearms and other weapons. In the wake of the numerous mass shootings, the organization says it has received many questions regarding how senior living communities can implement weapons policies.
The guidance notes that the 2nd Amendment does not prevent a senior living community from banning weapons on its campus. Any private business, including a HUD-assisted housing programs and Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing …