Skilled Nursing Facility

As the federal vaccination program wraps up, SNFs must procure their own vaccines

When COVID-19 vaccines first became available, the federal government set up a Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program, which provided three on-site clinics at facilities nationwide in an attempt to vaccinate as many residents and staff members as possible. As the third vaccination clinics wrap up in most states, SNFs will need to acquire vaccines …

Home Health

OIG releases message on telehealth reviews

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi A. Grimm recently released a message regarding telehealth. “Where telehealth and other remote access technologies were once a matter of convenience, the public health emergency made them a matter of safety for many beneficiaries,” says Grimm. A year later, there is strong …

Featured Podcast

Protect your SNF Against Lawsuits

Join attorneys Sean Fahey and Todd Selby as they discuss methods to protect your SNF against lawsuits. Join us on March 15th on an upcoming webinar for a deeper dive on the topic. Register Here

Private Duty

OSHA Guidance Touches on More Than Masks, Distancing

Recently, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued guidance titled “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace.” The new guidance, which is advisory, addresses not only some of the more commonplace safety practices but also other employment policies and practices not as readily associated with workplace safety.As …

Home Health

Carefully log admission source as CMS focuses on hospital errors

CMS recently released an MLN article targeting hospitals and billing for patient care that involves a home health admission. When patients are transferred, a hospital is typically paid at per diem rate. An OIG report last year found improper payments tied to hospital claims that should have been subject to the transfer policy because the …

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care

Acing your next audit

Additional Development Requests (ADR) are often referred to as additional documentation requests, because that’s really what they are, explains Maureen McCarthy, RN, BS, RAC-MT, QCP-MT, DNS-MT, RAC-MTA, president of Celtic Consulting, LLC. These requests begin at the claim submission level for Medicare fee-for-service requests.