I agree with the comments made before by Lores and Nikki. I would support this fully. We have many patients in rural communities where their primary care provider
is an NP and the NP is making decisions in care. We are then asking physicians to sign orders that they have little to no involvement in.
Rebekah Mattocks, RN, BSN
| Utilization Manager
Knute Nelson Home Care
1910 Aga Drive, Suite 100 | Alexandria, MN 56308
Ph: 320-759-3300 | Fax: 320-759-1275
Have you considered naming the Knute Nelson Foundation in your estate plans?
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From: list-manager@list.mnhomecare.org [mailto:list-manager@list.mnhomecare.org]
On Behalf Of Gruis Diekmann, Nichole L.
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2015 8:03 PM
To: <medicare@list.mnhomecare.org>
Cc: MHCABOD@list.mnhomecare.org
Subject: Re: Signing orders for home care
I also am in agreement for supporting this. Lores makes great points on how NPs are utilized in hospice. This would help greatly in rural communities, particularly because many clinics are staffed only with
NPs but providing oversight of patient care and the physicians they work with are quite a distance away.
Nikki Gruis Diekmann
Sent from my iPhone
On Jan 28, 2015, at 6:48 PM, Lores Vlaminck <lores@charter.net> wrote:
I am totally onboard with supporting it. CMS approved (as you know) the support of a NP signing orders (excluding certifications and recertifications) for hospice some 8 years ago. It provides a more timely order and greater collaboration with the NP who often fulfills the role of an attending MD…The current restriction encourages MD’s who have not seen the client to sign off on orders they are not truly involved in..
Lores
From: list-manager@list.mnhomecare.org [mailto:list-manager@list.mnhomecare.org] On Behalf Of Katherine Messerli
Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2015 5:33 PM
To: 'medicare@list.mnhomecare.org'; MHCABOD@list.mnhomecare.org
Subject: FW: Signing orders for home care
Interesting info that I received through a colleague…this came from a local NP who is involved at the federal level and heard about our challenges with getting MDs to sign orders. If this bill moves forward, what are your thoughts on supporting it? FYI - Jay Jones and I will be meeting with our Congressional Delegation in March.
I am a member of the National NP Round Table. This is a hot topic, as we hope a bill will go through in the 114th Congress (it was introduced in the 112th and 113th) that would change CMS restrictions on NPs certifying patients for home care or hospice. However, as the law stands today, the federal CMS rules prevent NPs from providing this important service for their patients, despite MN's change in the law.
I anticipate the bill being dropped in the House and Senate in Congress during Feb or March. I think it will be entitled the Home Health Care Planning improvement Act of 2015. It's too small a bill to carry on its own but it will be one that could easily be added into one of the bigger CMS or DHHS bills going forward this year.
Warm Regards,
Kathy Messerli
Executive Director
Minnesota HomeCare Association
Office: 651-635-0038 | Cell: 612-590-4180
MHCA Mission: MHCA represents and supports Minnesota home care providers committed to high quality home care services