I hope that everyone had a safe holiday week! I’m putting these updates into a digest form so you can see what happened last week regarding COVID information. Updated Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Facemasks (CDC) — This guidance has been updated to include the following: Added considerations for returning to conventional capacity practices Conventional Capacity Strategies Clarified healthcare …
CMS to Retire the Original Compare Tools on December 1st
CMS will retire the original Compare Tools on December 1st. Use Medicare.gov’s Care Compare to find and compare health care providers. In early September, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Care Compare on Medicare.gov, which streamlines our eight original health care compare tools. Since then, you’ve had the opportunity to use and familiarize yourself with Care Compare …
[On-demand webinar] Operationalizing the RAP 2021
The RAP will not provide any payment to agencies beginning January 1, 2021, but agencies may be paying CMS 20% of their payment if they do not submit within 5 days after the SOC. The requirements are not the same, but certain elements leave agency leaders scratching their heads. In this free, on-demand webinar, Lisa presents the new requirements and …
NEW: CMS COVID-19 Nursing Home Resource Center
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched a new online platform – the Nursing Home Resource Center – to serve as a centralized hub bringing together the latest information, guidance and data on nursing homes that is important to facilities, frontline providers, residents and their families, especially as the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) continues. Previously, individuals …
Breaking News: Incentive Payments to Nursing Homes Curbing COVID-19 Deaths and Infections
Just a few minutes ago, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced it will distribute approximately $333 million in first round performance payments to over 10,000 nursing homes. These nursing homes are being recognized for demonstrating significant reductions in COVID-19 related infections and deaths between August and September. “These …
Weekly COVID-19 Data, Version 12 Toolkit and Other COVID-19 Updates
CMS has updated this toolkit – Version 12 is now available and it’s 192 pages in length. This toolkit includes recent information and guidance on vaccinations to prevent infection with influenza virus, pneumococcus, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. CMS has posted COVID-19 Nursing Home data for week ending October 11, 2020. COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Medicare …
How to Avoid Denials and Adverse Audit Results Based on Homebound Status
This article is a repost from Elizabeth Hogue. Elizabeth E. Hogue, Esq. Office: 877-871-4062 Fax: 877-871-9739 E-mail: ElizabethHogue@ElizabethHogue.net Twitter: @HogueHomecare How to Avoid Denials and Adverse Audit Results Based on Homebound Status Medicare-certified home health agencies are justifiably concerned about recent fraud and abuse initiatives that target homebound status. Agency managers perceive that they are extremely vulnerable regarding this issue …
International Infection Prevention Week: October 18 – 24, 2020
Yes, there’s a week for this and it couldn’t be timelier this year and this week (every week actually). COVID-19 has shown the world what we’ve always known—infection preventionists (IPs) are essential to keeping the world safe. In addition to all the usual suspects (healthcare-associated infections, resurgence in measles outbreaks, flu season, etc.), the infection prevention and control community is …
Last chance to save HHQI resources!
The Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign website and the HHQI University learning portal will be discontinued on November 1, 2020. The HHQI website has a treasure of FREE resources to use for your QAPI projects and quality improvement activities – Best Practice Intervention Packages (BPIPs) for reducing acute care hospitalizations, improving dyspnea, oral meds, pain management, and ADLs, as …
Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program
Late afternoon Friday, October 16, 2020, NHSN/CDC sent the following letter to NHSN LTCF Users: Dear NHSN Long-term Care Facility Users, Immunization with a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine is a critical component of our Nation’s strategy to reduce COVID-19 related illness, hospitalizations, and deaths. Early in the COVID-19 vaccination program, there may be a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine …