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MHCA Nurse Consultant Update:
Survey Process for Medicare Certified Agencies
It has come to our attention that there may still be some confusion between the Comprehensive Home Care and Medicare Certification
survey processes following the 2014 licensure change.
To help clear up some of the confusion, we have asked MHCA Nurse Consultant, Connie Dreyer to help sort through the differences and
provide our members with some additional resources to help guide us through the process.
How will I know which survey my agency has or will receive?
A Medicare certified agency will be surveyed related to both their state license (Comprehensive Home Care) and their Medicare certification (CMS). For agencies
who are not accredited by The Joint Commission, CHAPS or ACHC, this will be accomplished through:
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A combined survey: The surveyors will review the required regulations for both Medicare certification and Comprehensive Home Care; or
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Two separate surveys: One survey from the Comprehensive Home Care surveyors (Home Care and Assisted Living Program at the Minnesota Department of Health) and one from Medicare surveyors (Licensing
and Certification at the Minnesota Department of Health).
When the surveyors arrive at your agency, ask them if they are surveying for the state license (Comprehensive Home Care), the Medicare
(CMS) certification or both.
According to Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), once an agency has received a satisfactory Comprehensive Home Care survey, they
will generally be on a 3 year cycle for state licensure surveys Other complaints, concerns or quality issues may trigger an earlier survey.
By request of MHCA, MDH has highlighted the areas of the Comprehensive Home Care license (Chapter 144A) for which Medicare certified
providers are deemed equivalent.
Click here to review the MDH highlights. According to MDH these are the only sections of the Home Care Program regulations that Medicare providers do not need to follow. MHCA has also broken down the chapter into a small Medicare exemption table which can
be easily cross-referenced with the highlighted sections provided by MDH.
Click here to download the MHCA Medicare Exemption Table.
Also as a benefit to our members, Minnesota HomeCare Association (MHCA) has submitted multiple questions to both MDH and DHS requesting answers/clarification on changes to regulations
relating to new home care licensure, comprehensive surveys, exemptions for Medicare certified agencies and 245D. The answers/clarification are now available to MHCA members is a special members only resource section on MHCA website.
Click here to review the site.
You can also email specific questions to the MDH helpdesks at:
As of January 1st Your MHCA Membership Has Expired?
Renew Your Membership for 2015 Today
Minnesota HomeCare Association (MHCA) continues to work hard to meet your needs for 2015 and beyond. We are committed to:
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Building stronger relationships with stakeholders.
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Working to influence meaningful change that enables members to deliver quality home care.
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Developing educational opportunities that will be of value to the diverse segments of our membership.
We encourage you to make the most of your MHCA membership! Active membership with MHCA provides you with access to resources on our website, discounts on MHCA sponsored
educational programs, access to our weekly emails relating to state and federal legislative updates affecting home care providers, access to RCTC web-based training ($2,800 value), and a variety of additional discounts provided by MHCA Business Partners.
Renewing your membership is easy, simply go to the MHCA website (www.mnhomecare.org)
and login using your agency's username and password to access your agency's profile. Once you've logged on, you will be automatically routed to your agency's profile where you can review and update information, including the agency's adjusted revenue (Dues
are automatically calculated based on your adjusted revenue)...Then click "Renew Your Membership Now" at the top of the page. A confirmation email will be sent to you once you have completed your renewal.
Your dedication to quality home care and your association is greatly appreciated. With your continued support, we will be able to continue advocating for the home care profession and the clients who rely on your services. We look forward to your active participation
as a member.
If you have any questions regarding your membership or if you are not a member and would like information on becoming a member, please contact Jason Acord, Communications and Member Relations Manager, at (651) 635-0783 or email:
jacord@mnhomecare.org.
Again, thank you for your continued support!
MHCA Announces New Education Manager
MHCA is very pleased to welcome Allison Kindseth as our new Education Manager! Allison will be working with the Education Team to develop
an educational plan that meets the diverse needs of MHCA members, as well as planning various events. She is jumping right in, as we continue planning for the 2015 Annual Meeting, which will be held at the Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria on May 6 - 8, 2015.
Most recently, Allison was the Education Programs Coordinator for the MN Multi Housing Association (a trade association for apartments,
management companies, developers, etc.). Previously, she served as a conference manager for an association management company, where she was assigned to a couple of medical associations. Her educational background and early career experience is in hospitality
so she is very customer centric. We are confident you'll enjoy having Allison as part of the MHCA family!
MHCA Announces Partnership With VNAA
VNAA Offer MHCA Members a Discount on the 19th Edition CPM
MHCA is pleased to announce an affinity agreement with The Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA), offering our members a 15%
discount on the 19th Edition of the VNAA's Clinical Procedure Manual (CPM). This manual is fully downloadable and searchable and incorporates clinician resources and patient engagement tools from the VNAA Blueprint. Purchase the manual and have the latest
best practices for more than 300 standardized procedures at your fingertips.
There are various packages available, depending on the number of downloads you would like. You will note on the order form below, that
the 15% discount applies to all of the packages, including additional paper manuals. The flyer below provides an overview of the CPM and an issue brief that lists the CPM sections. Please feel free to share the flyer and materials with your colleagues, but
note that the discount will only be available to MHCA members, who are not already members of VNAA. If you have colleagues that are not MHCA members, encourage them to give us a call - this may be just the incentive they need to join their association!
MHCA is pleased to partner with VNAA and hope that you find this manual valuable!
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BREAKING NEWS
NAHC, along with Home Care Patients and Caregivers, Wins Huge Victory: Federal Court Rules to Strike Down Controversial New Overtime
Rule
Reported from National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC)
January 14, 2015
The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and its members today celebrated the decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia invalidating a proposed new U. S. Department of Labor (DOL) overtime rule slated to take effect on
January 1, 2015.
"This decision is a huge victory for patients and their families who will be able to continue receiving home care services without interruption. The decision is a huge victory for caregivers who will continue to be protected instead of being forced to work
only part time. The decision is likewise a huge victory for the agencies that serve patients and employ caregivers, and who will see continuity in a rule that has been in effect for 40 plus years and had recently been sustained by the U.S. Supreme Court. Finally,
the decision is a huge victory for the states and the federal Medicaid program." said Denise Schrader, chairman of the NAHC Board.
This is the third victory in this lawsuit for home care interests within the last month. On December 22, the court ruled that patients are entitled to equal rights regardless of whether they or their families paid their home care bills or they were paid by
the joint, federal-state health insurance program, known as Medicaid. On December 31, the court ruled for NAHC by agreeing to issue a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) blocking the DOL from enforcing new rules related to "companionship" and "live-in" care.
On January 9, the court, in considering a motion from NAHC attorneys for an injunction to block enforcement of residual parts of these rules through this date or a trial, stated that so much evidence was in the record there would be no need for a trial. The
judge therefore agreed to give his decision on the case on or by January 14, when the TRO was set to expire. Today, the judge ruled for NAHC and home care interests, saying the proposed new DOL rules violated the law.
The DOL has not announced whether it will appeal this decision to U.S. Court of Appeals. NAHC President Val J. Halamandaris, stated "The home care community is prepared to defend this case before the higher court. We fought this case once before and took it
all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court where we won by a unanimous vote of 8-0. We are prepared to do this again if we need to do so."
"The victory in the case proves the power of unity," said Halamandaris. "United, fighting on behalf of the aged, infirm, disabled, and dying, we cannot lose; divided we cannot win." He also thanked Bill Dombi who helped lead the strategy in this case, the International
Franchise Association and the Home Care Association of America which joined in the litigation and the law firm of Littler Mendelson which had been hired to bring the suit.
To read the decision,
click here
MACPAC and MedPAC Update Data Book on Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid
January 9, the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) release the second edition of their
joint data book, Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid.
Dually eligible beneficiaries receive both Medicare and Medicaid benefits by virtue of age or disability and low income. Medicare pays for primary, acute, and post-acute
care services for dually eligible beneficiaries; Medicaid provides varying levels of assistance with Medicare premiums and cost sharing. Medicaid may also cover services that Medicare does not, such as long-term services and supports.
This joint data book is an effort by MedPAC and MACPAC to create a common understanding of this group, which has high health needs
and accounts for a disproportionate share of both Medicare and Medicaid spending. The demographic, expenditure, and health care utilization information in this new edition has been updated with 2010 data and 2007-2010 trends.
Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid is available on both agencies' websites-on MACPAC's website you can find it at
http://www.macpac.gov/publications.
Hospice Quality Reporting Program - Exception and Exemption Request Process
In addition to the Hospice CAHPS participation for exemption for size form we wanted to share that CMS posted information on the Exception and Exemption Request Process (formally Disaster Waiver Request) for the HQRP program. The Exception and Exemption Request
Process should be followed for those hospices unable to submit quality data due to extraordinary circumstances beyond their control or when a systemic problem with data collection systems directly affected the ability of a hospice to submitdata.
Click
here to the information on the CMS website.
Issue in Focus: Getting Ready for Hospice Self-Reporting of the Aggregate Cap
Reported from National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC)
January 6, 2015
The Fiscal Year 2015 Final Hospice Payment Rule directs that, beginning with cap year 2014 each hospice must self-calculate and report its aggregate cap (along with any applicable overpayment) by not later than 5 months following the close of the cap year (March
31). Further, the self-calculation may not be completed earlier than 90 days following the close of the cap year (Jan. 31). As part of the final rule the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) indicated that it would be providing by way of the Medicare
Administrative Contractors (MACs), a pro-forma spreadsheet for calculation of the cap and instructions on how to calculate the cap. The calculation made by the hospice will be an interim calculation and the MACs are expected to make a final cap liability
calculation at some later date.
Continue
Reading
MedPAC Poised to Recommend Zero Update for Hospice for FY2016
Reported from National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC)
January 8, 2015
The
Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) met in late December to discuss Medicare payment policy recommendations for inclusion in its forthcoming annual March Report (Report) to Congress. In making recommendations, the Commission uses a standard framework
to assess payment adequacy, including provider access to capital, financial margins, access to care - including numbers and growth in providers, as well as growth in utilization - and quality. In addition to preliminary approval that the Report recommend
elimination of the update for hospice payments in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, Commissioners supported reprinting of previous MedPAC recommendations that have not yet been implemented.
Continue
Reading
Hospice providers Should Continue to Collect and Submit Hospice Item Set (HIS) Data in 2015
December 31, 2014 marked the close of the FY 2016 data collection cycle for the HIS. For the FY 2016 data collection cycle, hospices were required to report HIS data (and HIS-Admission and HIS-Discharge record) for each patient admission to their hospice July
1, 2014 - December 31, 2014. HIS data submission for patient admissions occurring between July 1 and December 31, 2014 will be used by CMS to determine compliance Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) requirements for the FY 2016 Annual Payment Update (APU)
determination. Hospice providers should continue to complete and submit HIS records for patient admissions occurring after December 31, 2014. Patient admissions occurring January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015 will impact the FY 2017 APU determination.
National Government Services Will Be Closed In Observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2015
In observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2014, National Government Services offices will be closed on Monday, 1/19/2015. This includes the following departments:
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EDI Help Desk*
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Provider Contact Center
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Provider Enrollment Line, and
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Telephone Reopening Unit
* Electronic claim files transmitted after 4:00 p.m. CT / 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, 1/16/2015 will have a claim receipt date of Tuesday, 1/20/2015. EDI front-end
acknowledgement transactions will be created as expected as EDI claim files are received. The FISS/DDE Provider Online System will be available on Monday, 1/19/2015 during regular hours. While DDE will be available, there will be no support available to respond
to any issues.
Providers will be able to access NGSConnex and use the IVR system. For the IVR phone number applicable to your state, please refer to the Contact Information section on our website, then select the Interactive Voice Response System link.
Our office will reopen on Tuesday, 1/20/2015 for normal business hours.
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OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
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Rural Palliative Care Networking Group
Next Meeting: Thursday, January 15, 2015
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Topic: TRUE Hospice Utilization Project
A Community-Based Approach to Increasing Appropriate Hospice Use
Click
here to download the flyer.
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UPCOMING MHCA EVENTS - SAVE THE DATE!
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The Medicare Home Health Drug Regimen Review: Competency Assessment & Training Program for PTs, OTs and SLPs
Health Partners, Bloomington, MN
Register
Now
ICD-10 Coding (2 Day Program)
Registration Details Coming Soon!
ICD-10 Coding (2 Day Program)
Registration Details Coming Soon!
MHCA 45th Annual Meeting
May 6 - 8, 2015
Arrowwood Resort
ICD-10 Overview Webinar
June 2015
ICD-10 Overview Webinar
July 2015
Blueprint for OASIS Accuracy (2 Day Program)
September 21 & 22, 2015 (COS-C Exam, September 23, 2015)
St. Could, MN
ICD-10 Coding (2 Day Program)
South Metro, MN
MHCA Fall Conference and Expo
November 2015
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Minnesota HomeCare Association
1711 West County Road B, Suite 211S.
St. Paul, Minnesota, 55113
651.635.0607
Mission: MHCA represents and supports Minnesota home care providers committed to high quality home care services
Vision: MHCA will shape the home care landscape to improve and sustain quality home care services
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