Home Health, News, Regulations

Review choice demo won’t start on time in Illinois

Source: Home Health Line
CMS has announced that it its review choice demonstration won’t launch as planned in Illinois on Dec. 10.
That’s because the demonstration has not yet received Office of Management and Budget approval, CMS said in a Dec. 10 post.
CMS notes that when approval is received, it will post “final, approved demonstration information, including a start date for home health agencies in Illinois and instructions on the choice selection process. CMS will provide notice …

News, Skilled Nursing Facility

Civil monetary penalties to fund new CMS quality improvement initiative

Source: The Bottom Line
CMS announced a three-year quality improvement initiative in a press release on November 20, 2018. The Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP) aims to improve residents’ quality of life by equipping nursing home staff, administrators, and stakeholders with technical tools and assistance to enhance resident care. The CMPRP is funded by federal civil money penalties, which are fines nursing homes must pay CMS by law when they are noncompliant with certain regulations …

News, Skilled Nursing Facility

KX modifier amounts announced for CY19

Source: The Bottom Line
The annual per-beneficiary incurred expense amounts are now known as the KX modifier thresholds. These amounts were previously associated with the financial limitation amounts that were more commonly referred to as “therapy caps” before the application of the therapy limits/caps was repealed when the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (BBA of 2018) was signed into law. CMS recently posted a MLN Matters article with these amounts for CY2019, which were lowered by …

Home Health, News, Regulations

Home health industry asks CMS to wash away challenging bathing requirement

Source: Home Health Line
Given an opportunity to provide insights about Medicare regulatory requirements that are burdensome, many in the home health industry pointed to tub baths currently being an aide competency requirement under the revised Home Health Conditions of Participation (CoPs).
The vast majority of home health patients don’t take tub baths, making it difficult to ensure aides meet CMS’ testing requirement, the industry recently pointed out in comments about CMS’ proposed rule, “Medicare and Medicaid …