Home health agencies participating in Medicare are required by federal law to produce annually a timely and accurate cost report. These reports are used to set future Medicare payments. When properly completed, the reports can also be a valuable financial management tool. Instructors will cover:
Continue reading “New Event – The Medicare Home Health Cost Report”
Pat Kelleher’s testimony regarding the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs Oversight Hearing on the Equal Choice Law is available for download.
The Equal Choice Law was passed with the intention of saving patients, families and MassHealth millions of dollars by limiting the amount of admissions into inpatient facilities. With that theory in mind, it would seem that Equal Choice and home health go hand in hand. A 2007 study conducted by Carnegie Mellon University and Blue Shield of California proved that a patient-centered management program (PCM) where home care was increased by 22 percent and hospice by 62 percent actually reduced hospital admissions by 38 percent, reduced hospital days by 36 percent, and reduced costs by more than $18,000 per patient. The article heralding this study is attached to my written testimony.
Despite the goals of Equal Choice and the proven track record of home health, the industry has seen little that would indicate an intention – or even recognition – of the need to expand capacity in the community care area. In fact, if anything, we have seen the reverse.
Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.
A PDF of Ingelcia Annese’s PowerPoint presentation on the MassHealth NewMMIS is available for download. Ms. Annese is from EDS/MassHealth Customer Service and her presentation was made on April 21.
Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.
The 2009 Compensation Survey is now underway. Information and relevant forms are available for download.
This survey gives participating agencies reliable, comprehensive, local compensation data on a broad range of job titles in home care and provides the local benchmark data you need to ensure that your pay program attracts the right candidates in a tight job market.
Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.
The Alliance distributed the following press release:
Boston, MA (PRWEB) March 30, 2009 — As the elderly population grows increasingly larger, so do the number of families confronting difficult care decisions for their loved ones. To alleviate this issue, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts, a non-profit association of home care providers, has released the “2009 Guide to Private Home Care Services: A Directory of Private Home Care Agencies in Massachusetts.”
The directory offers residents a listing of reputable, professional home care providers by town and county as well as valuable information on how to both choose and pay for home care.
“Frail and chronically ill seniors and their families greatly benefit from the services provided by professional home care agencies. The work of your agencies is critical to Massachusetts’ commitment to community choice by allowing seniors to remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible,” said Eleanor Shea-Delaney, Massachusetts Interim Secretary of Elder Affairs.”
Continue reading “Press Release: New Guide to Private Home Care Services”
Think Home Care Blog 