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Home Consumer Information Find a Home Care Agency CAHC MEMBERS ONLY CAHC Associate Members CAHC Calendar/Workshops Health Observances Calendar Home Care Update Job Listings Legislative Information Regulatory Information Clinical Information Membership Information Links Directions to CAHC Contact CAHC: Contact CAHC:     Connecticut Association for Home Care    110 Barnes Road, PO Box 90     Wallingford, CT  06492-0090     203.265.9931 / 203.949.0031 fax     Email: godbout@chime.org	Last Updated 2/2/05 Our Response to Development and Adoption of a National Health Information Network (full 66-page document) CAHC’s response to request for Information from the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Executive Summary Our 2005 State Legislative & Regulatory Priorities Summary of Key Points Regarding the National Quality Forum’s Proposed National Voluntary Consensus Standards for Home Health Care CAHC Comments on NQF National Voluntary Consensus Standards for Home Health Care Corporate Compliance Guidance that the Office of Inspector General issued, "An Integrated Approach to Corporate Compliance: A Resource for Health Care Boards of Directors." http://www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/docs/complianceguidance/Tab%204E%20Appendx-Final.pdf LONG TERM CARE HOSPITALS IN CONNECTICUT Since concerns arose last year concerning the difficulties that home health agencies had in identifying Long Term Care Hospitals and Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, CAHC has been pressing CMS to publish a list that agencies can reference. CAHC received the list on July 1st. Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, Hospital for Special Care in New Britain, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs in Rocky Hill and Hebrew Home and Hospital in West Hartford are identified by CMS as Long Term Care Hospitals. Ac-cording to CMS instructions on responding to M0175, Long Term Care Hospitals must be coded as “1 Hospital” on OASIS assessments. Click here to download the complete list. win free Xbox HIPAA News PPS News OASIS News JCAHO Updates Standards FAQ Section The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) has updated the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section on its website to reflect recent changes to the JCAHO standards. For more information, go to the JCAHO website at www.jcaho.org Accreditation Info CHAP/JCAHO/ACHC CROSSWALK: Home Medical Equipment & Pharmacy Crosswalk of Home Health Standards CMS/OIG 09/17/04 The latest CME issue brief entitled Medicare Fraud and Abuse can be seen at: http://eloop.goldlasso.com/redir.php?s=2026&u=828686&f=1&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.medicareed.org%2Fcontent%2FCMEPubDocs%2FV5N6.pdf CMS has issued special instructions to Regional Home Health Intermediaries (RHHIs) regarding adjustments to Home Health Prospective Payment System (PPS) claims for errors in reporting prior inpatient discharges. For a limited period, RHHIs will make adjustments to correct both overpayments and underpayments. The instructions are available at: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/R95OTN.pdf. As a reminder, Medicare will be delaying payments effective July 1 for non-HIPAAA compliant transactions. Electronic Medicare claims that do not meet Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards will be treated as paper claims and paid more slowly than HIPAA-compliant electronic claims beginning July 1. Filers needing additional help are encouraged to contact their fiscal intermediaries (FIs) or carriers, the private contractors that process and pay Medicare claims. A Special Edition Medlearn Matters article (SE0420) regarding MMA Section 937 - "Correction of Minor Errors and Omissions Without Appeals" is currently available at: www.cms.hhs.gov/medlearn/matters/mmarticles/2004/SE0420.pdf This article discusses the rules that enable all Medicare physicians, providers, and suppliers to correct minor errors and omissions on Medicare claims without having to go through the appeals process. The article also provides information needed to make such minor corrections to Medicare claims within existing procedures. While this information has been in place for some time, we just want to remind you of its existence and that, as always, we welcome your thoughts or comments with regard to the rules. If you have comments or suggestions, please send them to PBG937@cms.hhs.gov no later than Tuesday, September 10, 2004. June 25, 2004-Special Open Door Forum on MMA Sect 702 Homebound Demonstration CMS has released a Solicitation seeking innovative proposals from qualified organizations to run large-scale chronic care improvement projects. The first phase of this initiative, known as the Voluntary Chronic Care Improvement Program, will reach 150,000 to 300,000 beneficiaries who are enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare and who have multiple chronic conditions, including congestive heart failure, complex diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It was authorized by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA). A copy of the Solicitation is currently available on the CMS website, along with other important information about the Program. For more information on the Program and Solicitation, please access the CMS website at www.cms.hhs.gov/medicarereform/ccip Beginning July 1, Medicare will be rejecting claims that contain data requirements/errors specified in CR 3031: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/manuals/transmittals/comm_date_dsc.asp (4/5/04) Home Health Advance Beneficiary Notice The one-page Home Health Advance Beneficiary Notice is available and was effective January 1, 2004. PDF Version Word Version CMS has included the instructions in the Medicare Claims Processing Manual (section 100.4). Replicable copies of the forms are available online at http://cms.hhs.gov/medicare/bni/CMSR296_JUNE2002.pdf and in Spanish at http://cms.hhs.gov/medicare/bni/CMSR296_SPANISH_JUNE2002.pdf. More information is available at www.cms.hhs.gov/medicare/bni Home Health Publicly Reported Outcomes Resource Binder Qualidigm added a new feature to its website: a resource binder on the 11 publicly reported quality measures. The binder contains sample case behaviors and plans of action. Go to www.qualidigm.org/HomeHealth and click on the link for the resource binder. Wheel Chair Benefit Posted press release announcing new efforts to stop abuse of the power wheelchairbenefit in Medicare. http://oig.hhs.gov/publications/docs/press/2003/090903release.pdf Home Health Information Resource for Medicare HOSPICE Learn how to determine if a patient is eligible for the Medicare hospice benefit and which services are available. http://cms.hhs.gov/manuals/pm_trans/AB03040.pdf Hospice Transportation and Personnel Costs for X-Ray – Update from Open Door Forum held July 2 In response to a question posed at an earlier Open Door meeting, CMS advised hospice providers that separate payment for the cost of equipment and staff transportation to do a portable x-ray of a hospice patient at home or in a skilled nursing facility is not allowable. Meeting is necessary on Mydating - ukrainian brides . Home Health Assessment-Only Visits CMS, in response to a question posed at an earlier meeting, stated that home health visits for the sole purpose of assessments are not covered. In addition, patients must be served an Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) if the patient is not eligible for further service. This information led to numerous questions, including a question about responsibility for payment of assessment visits. CMS will analyze these questions and provide clarifying information about this topic at a subsequent meeting. Explanation of Benefits A representative from the Center for Beneficiary Services provided the rationale for inclusion of "charges" on explanations of benefits (EOB) sent to beneficiaries. He stated that, in order to help beneficiaries understand the information sent by Medicare about billed services, the exact same format is used for all EOBs, regardless of payment methodology. Charge for the service is one of the items. Surety Bonds are ON HOLD indefinitely  CT Department of Public Health Verification of Active CT Licensing Information Center (CLIC)  Regulatory Action Reports Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General Advisory Bulletin:  Contractual Joint Ventures This bulletin cautions health care providers serving Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries against entering into joint venture arrangements that reward the provider for improper patient referrals in violation of the federal anti-kickback statute. http://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/docs/alertsandbulletins/042303SABJointVentures.pdf  Advisory Bulletin Targets Suspect Contractual Joint Ventures  http://oig.hhs.gov/publications/docs/press/2003/042303release.pdf CAHC (including its employees and agents) assumes no responsibility or consequences resulting from the use of the information herein, [or from use of the information obtained at linked Internet addresses], or in any respect for the content of such information, including (but not limited to) errors or omissions, the accuracy or reasonableness of factual assumptions, studies or conclusions, the defamatory nature of statements, ownership of copyright or other intellectual property rights, and the violation of property, privacy, or personal rights of others.  CAHC is not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on such information. No guarantees or warranties, including (but not limited to) any express or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use or purpose, are made by CAHC with respect to such information.