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COVID-19 Resource Center
HOME HEALTH and HOSPICE: Trump Administration Issues Second Round of Sweeping Changes to Support U.S. Healthcare System During COVID-19 Pandemic, CMS, April 30, 2020 – At President Trump’s direction, and building on its recent historic efforts to help the U.S. healthcare system manage the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, CMS issued another round of sweeping regulatory waivers and rule changes to deliver expanded care to the nation’s seniors and provide flexibility to the healthcare system as America reopens. These changes include making it easier for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to get tested for COVID-19 and continuing CMS’s efforts to further expand beneficiaries’ access to telehealth services.
HOSPICE: CMS Issues New 1135 Waivers for Hospice Training,Won't Pay for Telehealth, Hospice News, May 4, 2020 – The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued new 1135 waivers that temporarily release hospices from having to comply with certain requirements related to training. The agency also indicated that for the time being hospices cannot bill CMS for telehealth visits or include those visits on their cost reports.
PALLIATIVE CARE and HOSPICE: CMS Allows Advance Care Planning Codes to be Used with Audio-only Telehealth, NHPCO NewsBriefs, April 30, 2020 – CMS previously announced that Medicare would pay for certain services conducted by audio-only telephone between beneficiaries and their doctors and other clinicians. On April 30, CMS broadened that list to include many behavioral health and patient education services. CMS is also increasing payments for these telephone visits to match payments for similar office and outpatient visits. This would increase payments for these services from a range of about $14-$41 to about $46-$110. The payments are retroactive to March 1, 2020.
HOME HEALTH: CMS Issues New COVID-19 Waivers, Interim Final Rule for Home Health, NAHC Report, May 1, 2020 – CMS has issued a second round of regulatory waivers in an Interim final rule with comment (IFC), with several notable flexibilities for home health agencies:
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NPPs and Home Health Services
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Home Health Value Based Purchasing Model
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OASIS-E - CMS is delaying implementation
CMS Issues Additional Home Health 1135 Waivers for Duration of COVID-19 Emergency:
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Training and Assessment of Aides
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Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI)
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12-hour Annual In-Service Training Requirement for Home Health Aides.
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Detailed Information Sharing for Discharge Planning for Home Health Agencies.
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Clinical Records
HOME HEALTH: New Codes for Therapist Assistants Providing Maintenance Programs in the Home Health Setting, Palmetto GBA – CR 11721 informs you of the changes to Home Health (HH) billing and processing instructions, including new G-codes that describe therapy assistant services. It also makes a correction to the processing of HH claims that receive episode sequence edits. Make sure that your billing staffs are aware of these changes.
HOME HEALTH and HOSPICE: COVID-19 RECOMMENDED OPERATIONAL PROTOCOLS – The Recommended Operational Protocols are the result of a collaborative effort among several of the leading providers in the home health and home care industries to help providers of all types and sizes respond to the COVID-19 crisis in a responsible way that protects the vulnerable patients and clients they serve and protects the fearless direct care workers who risk their own safety and the safety of their families to provide essential services.
HOME HEALTH and HOSPICE: HHS Begins Release of Additional Funds to Providers, NAHC Report, April 27, 2020 – The Department of Health & Human Services has begun releasing additional funds to health care providers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act legislation provides relief to American families, workers, and the healthcare providers on the frontline of the COVID-19 outbreak. Among its provisions, the Act appropriated $100 billion for distribution to health care providers impacted by the ongoing public health emergency.
>>>RCD/PDGM UPDATES –
PDGM/RCD WEEKLY CALL UPDATES – ON HOLD
AT THIS TIME OCHCH IS NOT SCHEDULING ANY WEEKLY PDGM/RCD CALLS.
If you have PDGM or RCD QUESTIONS PLEASE SEND THEM TO helpdesk@ochch.org
Use PDGM or RCD as the subject title.
If you need OCHCH to contact Palmetto GBA regarding a PCR NON-AFFIRMATION,
Please e-mail a short description and the UTN and your provider number.
DO NOT e-mail any info that could be non-compliant with the HIPAA regulations
Please check out the toolkits for PDGM and also RCD!
>>>RCD UPDATES –
New: RCD Tip: PCR Task Signed Documentation, Palmetto GBA – The Medical Review (MR) team has noticed an increased number of providers in Pre-Claim Review (PCR) who are submitting documentation (plan of care, therapy orders, etc.) that are not signed. As a reminder, for tasks 1 through 4, a signature is required. Documents submitted without a proper physician signature will result in a non-affirmation. Oral orders must be countersigned and dated by the physician before the home health agency submits the final bill.
We Are Going Green with RCD Cycle Results eLetters, Palmetto GBA – Palmetto GBA is going green with RCD Cycle Results eLetters. We will send home health agencies their RCD Cycle Results via eLetter in eServices. Please review and share with your staff.
RCD Tip: Using the Correct Provider Transaction Access Number (PTAN), Palmetto GBA – If you are a part of a Home Health Agency (HHA) with more than one location and multiple PTANs, please make sure you are using the correct PTAN when submitting Pre-claim Review (PCR) requests.
RCD for Ohio’s Home Health Services Has Been PAUSED
Ohio Providers Transition to Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) Cycle Two, Palmetto GBA – Beginning May 1, 2020, you will be able to choose the next round’s review option. Typically, the selection period is open for a two-week period. Due to the current Public Health Emergency (PHE) related to COVID-19, the last day to make a selection has not yet been determined. Palmetto GBA will announce the last day to make a selection as soon as possible on their website and via email update. If you are not signed up for the Palmetto GBA email updates, please visit https://tinyurl.com/GetListserv to sign up.
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