CMS to discuss proposed PPS rule during upcoming home health forum

CMS has scheduled a home health, hospice and durable medical equipment open door forum for 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST July 11.

Review your performance data before July 1!

CMS has updated SNF Provider Preview Reports and they are available for review. Providers have until Sunday, July 1 to review data prior to public reporting on Nursing Home Compare. Corrections to the underlying data will not be permitted during this time. However, providers can request a CMS review during the preview period if they believe their data scores displayed are inaccurate.

From Hospital to Home: Elder Care Investments by 2020

Under pressure to curb healthcare spending, providers plan to move away from traditional models like Skilled Nursing and inpatient rehab facilities and towards those that promote care outside the hospital or institutional setting, BDO’s Candid Conversations on Elder Care reveals.

The study (with NEJM Catalyst) asks U.S. executives, clinical leaders and clinicians at nearly 500 healthcare organizations which areas they’ll invest in most by 2020—and how they’ll look to tech—to prepare for the growth of the aging U.S. population.

Do you have enough infection prevention staff?

A new press release from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) states that results from two new studies conclude that healthcare systems, including long-term care and home health facilities, should have 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) infection prevention staff per 69 beds, indicating a greater IP need than the previously accepted standard of 0.5-1.0 FTE per 100 beds.

CHAP seeks continued approval of hospice accreditation program

MS recently received an application from Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) for continued approval of its hospice accreditation program.

Long-Term Care: Achieve better compliance through service contract review

Readers, I just finished our tech run for our next webinar on contract reviews and it’s going to be a great program! This webinar will help skilled nursing facilities take a look at their current vendor contracts and better negotiate future contract for better negotiation, compliance, and lower risk! And who better to help you with than an attorney who focuses on regulatory and compliance issues in the post-acute arena, Todd J. Selby.

As it turns out, your service contracts could create liability and compliance issues if you’re not paying attention. Ensure you know the federal Requirements of Participation – including specific regulations that should be addressed in your contracts. Here’s the full agenda.