Essential Training At Your Finger Tips

IMPACT Act reforms have come to the home health industry and they outline a new care path for the pending value era. The Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) installed for 2020 home health programming, is just the first of the reforms we will confront in the next few years. Medicare changes to the acute episode are affecting providers across the care continuum, from hospitals to home health agencies, and the PDGM is focused on preparing home health to address post-discharge patient needs. By examining the response of Medicare providers outside of home health, we can identify care development and delivery goals that fit the PDGM and subsequent reforms. Through this approach, we can identify where traditional home health care programs may fail to achieve the goals of the value reforms. But, success under the PDGM will require significant changes from how we have operated under the Prospective Payment System (PPS); these changes will challenge many home health industry beliefs we have operated within for years. Philosophical changes may be required, but the PDGM era is designed to morph traditional home health programs into a more value-based model. In addition, many of the PDGM-designed changes to the home health model are required for success under subsequent IMPACT Act reforms, such as pre-claim review and post-acute PPS. This progressive presentation will address how to achieve the PDGM success today as you prepare for future value-based IMPACT Act reforms. Course Author: Arnie Cisneros PT PT credits awarded for course completions are approved for 1 year and expire at the end of the calendar year unless otherwise stated. For a complete list of courses offering PT credits for this year, click here. Read more

So, the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) is effective as of January 1, 2020, and there's no doubt that coding has significantly changed under the new payment methodology. During this session, we will review issues that can arise with ICD-10-CM coding under the PDGM, primarily through case study analyses. We will then discuss action plans that home health agencies can implement in order to be viable under the PDGM. The transition may be bumpy so far, but we will look at where you need to go. Two of the five PDGM subgroups are directly coding-related: Clinical Grouping and Comorbidity. What happens when the only diagnosis you have from the physician is an unaccepted diagnosis? Do you use another diagnosis from the referral source/physician? What if the clinical record doesn’t align with the primary diagnosis? What alternatives are there?! What about comorbidities — how do you ensure that YOU get the high comorbidity adjustment? (Tip: You can’t! It depends on the patient and following the coding guidelines and physician documentation!). But, how do you know where to put the diagnosis, and what interaction conflicts exist? These and other head scratching scenarios will be reviewed in this session. Let's not let coding under the PDGM be rocket science! Course Author: Sharon M. Litwin, RN, BSHS, MHA, HCS-D PT credits awarded for course completions are approved for 1 year and expire at the end of the calendar year unless otherwise stated. For a complete list of courses offering PT credits for this year, click here. Read more

<!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--> In 2018, the median caregiver turnover hit 95% in the state of Florida. The average mid-sized home care agency loses over $100,000 from its bottom line due to caregiver turnover every year. Join HCAF as we welcome Home Care Pulse executives to address this critically important topic and share recruitment and retention strategies from a local perspective. Course Author:  <!--td {border: 1px solid #ccc;}br {mso-data-placement:same-cell;}--> Todd Austin Read more

Our new reality; risks are on the rise. With data breaches in the last nine years affecting over 2,500 healthcare data breaches and more than 500 records. Data breaches and resulting regulatory and legal action have escalated in healthcare with penalties reaching millions in 2019 so far. Learn about the common areas of vulnerability, the impact of data loss, key elements for protecting your organization, and ways to reduce risk. Read more

Safety in the home is critical year-round but becomes of particular concern around the holidays. This month, Erika C. Esnard, aka Miss Geriatrics, will interview Maureen Riser, owner of Home Instead Senior Care, Spring Hill about her experience of being one of the first US private duty home care organizations to implement protocol on how her staff enters and exits a clients’ home utilizing a Phoniro Care locking system.  Listen in to this fun webinar and learn what steps you can take to ensure your clients are safe for the holidays! Course Author: Erika Esnard  Read more

Did you miss your local HCAF Certified District Connection event? Did you attend in-person but want to the share the latest updates with your team? Register now for this online session! Hear from industry experts and learn latest policy updates to stay in-the-know from the comfort of your home or office. Experience a deep-dive analysis of the 2020 Medicare Final Rule from Healthcare Provider Solutions CEO Melinda Gaboury, and learn what your next steps should be for compliance and success. Plus, HCAF staff will provide a timely federal and state policy update. Course Author: Melinda Gaboury, Bobby Lolley and Kye Simon Read more