CMS allows exception for incorrect NOEs that wind up being late

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced through Change Request (CR) 8877 that hospices that discover a Notice of Election (NOE) has errors might be able to be exempted from the five-day rule.

CMS released overview of the Home Health Groupings Model

This technical report, Medicare Home Health Prospective Payment System Case-Mix Methodology Refinements, describes efforts to date on reassessing the current Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) and developing potentially large-scale payment methodology changes.

Common deficiencies found in MDS 3.0 assessments

In a memo published November 4, CMS highlights common deficiencies and errors found among MDS 3.0 assessments in long-term care facilities. These inaccuracies are reflected in the results of the organization’s FY2015 MDS Focused Surveys. In total, 56 deficiencies (F-tags) were cited.

Quality Payment Program Comments Due December 19

CMS is accepting feedback from patients, caregivers, clinicians, healthcare professionals, Congress and others on how to better achieve the goals of the Quality Payment Program. Commentary acceptance ends at 5 p.m. ET on December 19, 2016. CMS seeks your input on the following topics relating to the program:

Medicare requires a Medicare Part A PPS Discharge Assessment, effective October 1

Under the IMPACT Act, SNFs are required to submit patient assessment data regarding a resident’s admission to and discharge from a Medicare Part A Assessment, effective as of October 1, 2016. Providers who fail to submit this required data (used for quality measures calculation) may face a 2%-point market basket rate reduction effective October 2018.

Data says nearly 30 percent of older adults reported falling in 2014

On September 23, 2016 the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published their findings after analyzing data from the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. The data found that 28.7% of older adults 65 or older reported falling (a percentage that translates to 29 million falls). Of the estimated 29 million, 7 million resulted in injuries.

Upcoming CMS Events

Tuesday, December 13, 1:30 – 3:00pm ET - MIPS Performance Categories: Advancing Care Information & Improvement Activities Webinar

Monday, December 19, 3:00pm ET - MACRA Summary & the QPP Program: Considerations in Electing MIPS vs. APMs Webinar

Product Spotlight

Medicare Boot Camp®—Long-Term Care Version

HCPro's Medicare Boot Camp®—Long-Term Care Version covers the latest Medicare rules and regulations so that you can help your facility provide quality resident care, document successfully, bill appropriately for services, and prevent payment denials. Medicare Boot Camp—Long-Term Care Version follows a Medicare patient from preadmission through discharge, addressing the function of each department, and uncovering the pitfalls along the way.