Tag: Medicare

Channel 5 News Report on Telehealth

WCVB-TV News (Channel 5, Boston) recently reported on a telehealth program run by the VA and a local veterans hospital. The story highlights a 50 percent reduction in hospitalization rates and a 38 percent reduction in bed days for veterans signed up with the remote monitoring technology program, which helps keep patients independent and in their homes.

Recognizing the potential of this technology for cost efficiency and improvement in quality of care, the Home Care Alliance has submitted legislation in collaboration with State Senator Harriette Chandler that would establish telehealth as a reimbursable service through Medicaid.

Many states have already taken this step as the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services allow telehealth to be included as a state service receiving federal matching funds and has the billing and cost infrastructure in place in terms of code definitions and procedures. The VA and other entities in Massachusetts offer telehealth services, but it is not federally reimbursed. For more on this subject, search the term “telehealth legislation” in our blog.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

2010 PPS Rates Finalized: Alliance Calculates Local Rates

CMS posted the final rule on Medicare Home Health PPS rates for 2010 to the web on Friday, October 30, 2009.  Compared to the proposed rates released in July, the final rule lowers the market basket adjustment from 2.2% to 2.0%, which lowers the national standard episode rate to $2,312.94.  The final rule also makes small adjutments to the regional wage index to reflect updated hospital wage data.

The Alliance has prepared a spreadsheet of all HHRG rates for each geographic area in MA.

The final rule also delays for six months the requirement that agencies survey patients using the standard HHCAHPS satisfaction tool.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

November is National Home Care Month: Help Us Raise Awareness

The Home Care Alliance is pleased to join the many agencies, organizations, and advocates across the state and country in celebrating National Home Care Month.

In working to raise awareness of the services provided to patients in their homes, the Alliance is also promoting the cost effectiveness of home health care, which helps people remain independent in their communities, and stepping up advocacy efforts.

You can help us raise awareness by using some of the materials provided below, including a press release and promotional posters provided by the National Association for Home Care & Hospice.

~SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE~

[Agency] Celebrating National Home Care Month
Month-Long Campaign in Motion Across the Country to Raise Awareness of Home Care

(Town), MA – [Agency] is joining home care and home health providers across the state and country this November to mark National Home Care Month and, with an intense focus on state and national health care reform, [Agency] is working to raising awareness of the services they provide as a cost effective solution to help improve care delivery.

“We are very proud of our work that enables patients to remain in the most comfortable and familiar setting: their own homes,” said [agency director]. “[Agency] is honored to help patients remain independent and close to their loved ones.”

Nationally, more than 11 million Americans receive home health care, according to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. In Massachusetts, more than 150 member agencies of the Home Care Alliance provide over 5 million home care visits each year to approximately 175,000 elderly, mentally ill and otherwise infirm Massachusetts residents.

Through technological advances, home-delivered health care has grown far beyond basic professional nursing and home care aide services. Today’s modern home care agency offers a wealth of services from nursing, physical, occupational, respiratory and speech therapies to counseling, dietary, telehealth (remote patient monitoring) and personal care services.

“So many emerging health care reform efforts play to our member agency strengths,” said Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts Executive Director Patricia Kelleher. “Efforts at reducing readmission rates to hospitals and new state programs aimed at managing chronic illnesses can look to us for help and support.”

The cost efficiency of home care was recently proven in a study by the national research firm Avalere Health (May 11, 2009). Their research found that home health use saves Medicare dollars by reducing hospitalizations and nursing home stays. Based on their findings, an estimated $30 billion could be saved nationally over the next ten years by expanding access to home health for chronic disease patients.

To find out more about home care and National Home Care month, visit www.thinkhomecare.org.

Posters:

~In Memory of Sen. Kennedy

~Honoring the Caregiver

~Preserving Independence and Freedom

~No Place Like Home

~Compassionate Care Delivered to Your Doorstep

The National Association for Home Care & Hospice also lists other ideas on how to celebrate National Home Care Month here.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Congressman Markey Holding Town Hall on Health Care

Following up on a recent town hall forum in the eastern part of his district, Congressman Ed Markey is heading further west to hold another meeting in Natick.

WHO: Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-Malden)

WHAT: Health Care Reform Town Hall

WHEN: 7:00PM; Monday, October 19, 2009

WHERE: Wilson Middle School Auditorium
22 Rutledge St., Natick

Congressman Markey has an influential position in the national health care reform debate as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which was one among the trio of Congressional committees that introduced the “Tri-Committee Bill.”

If you are interested in attending this forum and would like information on the potential impact on home health, you can view the NAHC talking points, or contact us for more information.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Worcester Telegram-Gazette: Support Home Care Providers

An Opinion-Editorial titled “Support Home Care Providers” focusing on the role of home health care in the nation’s health care reform efforts, as well as the role it should play, was published in today’s (September 30) Worcester Telegram & Gazette. The Op-Ed is printed in a section of the paper called “As I See It” and was submitted by President and CEO of VNA Care Network & Hospice Karen Green.

Below is an excerpt from the article:

These are historic times in our nation and our state. With the attention of Congress and the president focused on health care reform, we as health care providers are poised between impatience and trepidation. We are impatient for action to help the struggling uninsured families we know only too well, but fear that paying for expanding access to insurance out of Medicare “savings” will be a death knell for the most efficient among us.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Hampshire Daily Gazette: Home Health Care Saves Money, Serves People Well

The Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton, MA) published a letter to the editor written and submitted by Jeanne Ryan who is the Executive Director of the VNA & Hospice of Cooley Dickenson.

The letter, which was published on July 28, urges advocacy on behalf of home health given the proposed cuts to Medicare reimbursement. The Gazette website requires a subscription so a link is not available, but the letter is posted below.

To the Editor:

Home health has become an increasingly important part of our health care system. The kinds of highly skilled and often technically complex services that our nation’s home health agencies provide have enabled millions of our most frail and vulnerable seniors and disabled citizens to avoid hospitals and nursing homes. By preventing such institutional care, home health services save Medicare millions of dollars each year. More importantly, they enable individuals to stay just where they want to be – in the comfort and security of their own homes.

I am writing to urge our local citizens to oppose further cuts in Medicare home health payments. The Administration’s FY 2010 budget includes a proposal to cut Medicare home health payments by $13.16 billion over five years. This would come on top of additional administrative cuts in payment rates of$7.59 billion promulgated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) over the period from 2008 through 2011.If these new cuts are implemented, nearly two-thirds of America’s home health agencies will have negative results and Medicare patients in large sections of the country will be at risk of losing home health services.

The Medicare home health benefit has already taken a larger hit in spending cuts over the past ten years than any other Medicare benefit. In fact, home health as a share of Medicare spending has dropped from 8.7 percent in 1997 to 3.6 percent today, and is projected to decline to 3 percent of Medicare spending by 2016.

Further deep cuts in home health spending will also place the home care delivery system at significant risk. This is particularly true at a time when the cost of providing highly skilled care in the home is increasing. I urge you to join the VNA & Hospice of Cooley Dickinson in opposing any further cuts to homecare Medicare reimbursement by call or writing Senators John Kerry and Edward Kennedy.

Sincerely,
Jeanne M. Ryan, MA, OTR, CHCE, COS-C
Executive Director
VNA & Hospice of Cooley Dickinson

If you’re interested in sending a message to your federal legislators, please click here, fill out your contact info and hit “send,” which will send off a pre-written email. You can view the email by simply scrolling down on the link above.

You can also join our petition drive by clicking here.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Federal Legislators Hold Town Hall Meetings

US Senator John Kerry will host a town hall-style meeting tonight (Sept. 2) from 7:30 to 9:00 pm in the Somerville High School Auditorium. Click here to see Kerry’s announcement from his website, which states that the issues discussed will not be limited to health care.

“With so much interest in the health care debate, we’re sure there will be many questions on that, but you are welcome to ask about any issue you would like,” the announcement explains.

Also this week, Congressman Stephen Lynch will hold his own town hall meeting exclusively on health care. That event will take place on Thursday Sept. 3 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Curry College. Click here for more information on the Congressman’s forum.

If you are planning to attend and would like talking points from the stance of the home health industry, click here. Anyone interested in going to either town hall event are strongly encouraged to show up early as seating for both is first come, first served.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

CMS Releases Case Mix Analysis

CMS recently posted to its website a Final Report prepared by Abt Associates titled “Analysis of 2006 – 2007 Home Health Case-Mix Change.” The report is dated August 20, 2009.

According to the Report, the average case-mix score of Medicare home health patients increased by 15.03 percent between 2000 and 2007, of which 13.56 percent is atributable to “case mix creep,” according to Abt’s analysis.

Providers to Receive Letters for TPL Claims Beginning September 8, 2009

Providers should expect to see letters from “Commonwealth Medicine” representing the MassHealth TPL (Third Party Liability)  Unit on or about September 8, 2009. The letter, which will take the form of an “Initial Overpayment Notice,” will list those claims for dually-eligible beneficiaries that MassHealth has identified as requiring a Medicare determination of coverage. MassHealth is the payer of last resort and as the subrogee for these beneficiaries is requesting that you begin the demand bill process to determine if Medicare should have been billed for these services.    The claims in dispute are for Federal Fiscal Year 2008 or dates of service October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008.

In preparation for this initiative, the Alliance in cooperation with MassHealth held 2 workshops for providers in July and August.  The process and expectations were discusses by representatives of the TPL Unit and the Provider Outreach and Education department of National Government Services reviewed the “demand bill” process.

For a copy of the TPL Powerpoint which includes an excellent timeline,  click here. For a copy of the NGS presentation discussing the demand billing process, click here

Health Care Reform Update: End-of-Life Provision Cut from Senate Proposal

Although a provision allowing Medicare to reimburse doctors who voluntarily counsel patients and their families on end-of-life issues and care was dropped from a Senate version of a health care reform proposal, a separate House version has kept it intact.

The Senate Finance Committee’s ranking Republican member, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, said the provision could be “misinterpreted” and would not be included in the committee’s proposal.

According to the Boston Globe, the end-of life provision, written by Oregon Democratic Congressman Earl Blumenauer, would cover counseling sessions for end-of-life issues like “living wills, making a close relative or friend a health care proxy, hospice care, and information about medications for chronic pain.” The counseling sessions, the Globe reports, “would be covered by insurance every five years, and more frequently for the seriously ill.”

Thanks in part to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the provision was “misinterpreted” by many as Senator Grassley feared and subsequently spun into what has become known as the “death panels” proposal, where, Palin and others allege, the government would decide who is treated.

In the Globe article, Congressman Blumenauer dubbed references to the so-called death panels or euthanasia as “mind numbing” since “the bill would block funds for counseling that presents suicide or assisted suicide as an option.”

Click here to read the Boston Globe article on the end-of-life provision.

A Los Angeles television news station highlighted hospice care as a cost-saving alternative to expensive and extraneous treatment in their report on the end-of-life provision, which can be viewed by clicking here.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.