Month: June 2010

Comment to CMS on PECOS, and Lobby Congress

For those looking to comment on the PECOS (Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System) issue, visit this link on regulations.gov and click on “submit comment.”

HCA strongly suggests that members also send a message to Congress (scroll all the way down to the last message on the list) and call the office of Senator John Kerry and US Representative to follow up on the Alliance’s letter and alerting their offices to the timeliness and urgency of the matter.

If you’re unsure who represents you in the US House of Representatives, click here.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

HCA Welcomes New Member: Visiting Angels of Chelmsford

The Alliance is pleased to welcome its newest member, Visiting Angels of Chelmsford, a private duty agency located in Chelmsford, Massachusetts.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

HCA Welcomes New Member: Bring Care Home

The Alliance is pleased to welcome its newest member, Bring Care Home, a private duty agency located in Topsfield, Massachusetts.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Announcing Agency Accreditation Program

In the absence of meaningful licensure requirements for home care providers in Massachusetts, the Home Care Alliance has established a series of Accreditation Standards as a means to promote quality services, ethical business standards, and superior employment practices.  The goal of these standards is to ensure that the clients served by agencies accredited by the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts receive safe, competent, quality, and respectful home care services.

Benefits of Accreditation:

The Home Care Agency Accreditation Program of the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts allows agencies that provide in-home client services to demonstrate that they meet high standards of quality.  Accreditation:

  • Shows clients and families that your caregivers are direct employees and that you carry workers’ compensation, liability insurance, and an employee dishonesty bond.
  • Demonstrates that your caregivers receive background checks, screening, and proper training for their job.
  • Proves your commitment to following ethical and legal guidelines in your business operations.
  • Provides a competitive edge in the marketplace and can contribute to securing new business.
  • Enhances staff recruitment and development by showing your commitment to fair labor standards.

Accredited agencies receive recognition in several ways:

  • Use of the Alliance’s Accreditation Logo to show your commitment to quality on your website, brochures, and stationery.
  • Listing on the Alliance’s website as an Accredited Agency.
  • For Alliance member agencies, designation as an Accredited Agency in the Alliance’s print directories and in the Find an Agency function on the Alliance’s website, which enhances your visibility and credibility.

To learn more, visit the program’s website and download an application today.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Medicare Ruling Puts Home Health Patients at Risk

A provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act published recently by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) states that, as of July 6th, home health agencies will be prohibited from submitting claims for reimbursement from physicians who have not enrolled in a new online system.

Failure to register in the Medicare Provider Enrollment, Chain and Ownership System, or PECOS, would also block these physicians, who can still see Medicare patients, from referring new patients for Medicare-covered home health services.

At issue is that CMS has not adequately educated physicians about this new requirement.  The result is that as many as 50% of physicians in Massachusetts (NAHC estimates 20-40 percent nationally) have not registered on PECOS.  Moreover, the registration and approval process can take several weeks, so even if physicians were to register immediately, their status would not be approved by the July 6 deadline.

HCA, along with the VNA of Boston and other agencies and organizations are urging the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Congress to delay implementation of the rule until such time as physicians have ample time to enroll and also to hold harmless the home health providers that will suffer from the abrupt transition.

What to do:

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

MA Senate Passes Nurse Delegation, Bill Moves to House

The Home Care Alliance is applauding the state Senate’s passage of the Nurse Delegation bill (S.860) and is urging the House of Representatives to follow suit.

S. 860 would refine the Commonwealth’s Nurse Practice Act (NPA) to allow appropriate nurse delegation practices to include delegation of medication administered by home health aides in the home setting.

Thanks to the advocacy of HCA members and the work of supporting organizations, the bill moves one step closer to the Governor’s desk and lobbying efforts are now directed at the House.

An NEW email message aimed at State Representatives is available in the Legislative Action Center. Just click on the message regarding Nurse Delegation. If you choose to call your local State Representative, a fact sheet is also available as a guide.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Joint Letter Supporting Nurse Delegation Sent to Senate President

Organization leaders supportive of the Home Care Alliance’s Nurse Delegation bill (S.860) signed onto a letter aimed at Senate President Therese Murray and urging her to bring the proposal before the full Senate for debate.

The joint letter initiated by the Home Care Alliance is also copied to Senator Frederick E. Berry, who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules, which is where the bill currently sits. The next step for the legislation would be a formal session where state senators would debate the matter, but with time running down the Alliance and the bill’s supporters are working to advance the issue to that vital step.

Go to the HCA Legislative Action Center and click “Please Advance S.860 for Better Home Health” to send a letter to the Senate Committee on Ethics and Rules, or call Senator Berry’s office at 617-722-1410.

Some organizations, including the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses and the Massachusetts Association of Nurse Executives, are in support of S.860, but were not able to sign onto the letter.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Free Readmission webinar offered as part of HHQI

Steve Landers, MD, MPH, Director, Center for Home Care and Community Rehab. at Cleveland Clinic will present a free webinar on Hospital Readmissions and the Role of Home Care on June 30th, Noon – 1 PM.  On the agenda is  a sharing of  best practices for the use of home health care in patients who have chronic care needs or high-risk patients.  Space is limited, but interested persons can register now at the HHQI website.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

HCA Board Sends FMAP Letter to Scott Brown

The Home Care Alliance Board of Directors has sent a letter to US Senator Scott Brown, joining advocates and health providers from across Massachusetts who are urging Congressional support for an extension of Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) funds.

Massachusetts is one of 30 states relying on the federal matching funds for MassHealth and has already budgeted for the money as part of the state budgeting process. Many US Senators, including Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, are against the extension with a belief that it would add to the federal deficit.

Unlike the federal government, Massachusetts must present a balanced budget at the end of the fiscal year. Governor Deval Patrick announced that the budget would have to be reduced another 3.6% if the matching funds are not approved and state legislative leaders are preparing for a scenario where the federal matching funds would not be available.

The Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAPs) are used in determining the amount of Federal matching funds for State expenditures for assistance payments for certain social services, and State medical and medical insurance expenditures. This year, such funds are worth at least $608 million to Massachusetts.

A message is available on the HCA’s Legislative Action Network that can be sent to federal elected officials. Just scroll down until you see the FMAP message under the “Medicaid” heading.

Contact Senator Brown’s office to urge that he support the FMAP extension.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Follow the Conference on Twitter

Whether you’re with us in Sturbridge – or anywhere – you can follow the entire conference by following the #CSIMass hashtag on Twitter.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.