2023-01
In some ways, 2022 felt like a return to more “normal” times. For PHA and our members, that meant plenty of virtual education, but also a welcome return to in-person…
PHA, Other Advocates Request Meeting with CMS on Paid Family Caregivers for Children with Complex Medical Needs
January 30, 2023PHA continues to advocate for policy changes to allow parents of children with complex medical needs to be paid home health aides after the end of the public health emergency.
CMS Updates Hospice Survey Protocol
January 30, 2023On January 27, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued memo QSO-23-08-HOSPICE: Revisions to Hospice-Appendix M of the State Operations Manual and the Hospice Basic Surveyor Training. CMS has modified…
Members Ask; PHA Answers: HHAeXchange Edition
January 30, 2023“Allow Shift Overlap” Disabled, Re-enabled Earlier this month, PHA members reached out with concerns about the “Allow Shift Overlap” feature being disabled on HHAeXchange for service codes W1793 and T1005,…
PHA Public Policy Committee Recap
January 30, 2023On Friday, PHA’s Public Policy Committee convened its first meeting of the year to review legislative and regulatory issues facing the home-based care industry. Approximately 25 PHA members, representing all…
Last week, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6) reintroduced legislation from last Congress to expand access to…
Last week, PHA partnered with HHAeXchange for a 90-minute Q&A session just for members! During this session, HHA answered member questions on:
PHA Survey on DCW Overnight Check-ins: The Results Are In!
January 30, 2023Thank you to those members who responded to PHA’s survey on overnight check-in policies for caregivers. 40 agencies responded, representing more than 125 locations. Summary results are on these slides and below.
CGS is seeing an increase in claims where hospice providers are not billing with Occurrence Span Code (OSC) 77 and applicable dates when appending the KX modifier on all claims…
CMS Releases OASIS Quarterly Q&As
January 30, 2023The January 2023 Quarterly OASIS Q&As are now available. In this update, CMS addresses the transition from OASIS-D to OASIS-E and provides clarification on several items on the new OASIS-E instrument, including:
Department of Labor Announces Increased Penalties for 2023
January 30, 2023his month, the U.S. Department of Labor announced annual adjustments to OSHA civil penalties for 2023. Effective January 17, the maximum penalty for serious and other-than-serious violations has increased to $15,625 (up…
CMS Publishes Monthly HHVBP Newsletter + January 2023 PIPR Reports Now Available in iQIES
January 30, 2023Home health providers can now access the January 2023 Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Newsletter. This month’s edition focuses on the expanded HHVBP Model performance feedback reports and includes an overview…
NHPCO Releases 2022 Hospice Facts and Figures Report
January 30, 2023The 2022 NHPCO Facts and Figures Report is now available. This annual report highlights key data points related to the delivery of hospice care, including information on patient characteristics, location…
CMS Adds Home Equity Page to Home Health, Hospice Quality Reporting Program Websites
January 30, 2023CMS has added a Health Equity page to both the HQRP and HHQRP websites as a means of further advancing health equity for individuals served by CMS programs. These pages include links to additional…
PHA Announces 2023 Board Election Results
January 23, 2023PHA is pleased to announce that two new members have been elected to the Board of Directors. Marina Dentremont, CareGivers America/CareFinders Total Care, has been elected as the Southeast Regional…
On Tuesday, Attorney General Josh Shapiro was sworn in along with his running mate, Austin Davis, as the Commonwealth’s 48th Governor and Lt. Governor. Shapiro has appointed cabinet secretaries from both…
CMS Proposes Rule to Establish Standards, Simplify Exchange of Electronic Health Data
January 23, 2023On December 21, 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a proposed rule that would establish a set of standards for the electronic exchange of clinical and administrative data…
Act 53 of 2020 established new rules for the professional and occupational licensing boards and commissions within the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) in considering the impact of criminal…
Updated Late Notice of Admission – The Exception Process
January 23, 2023Last week, CGS updated the Late Notice of Admission (NOA) Exception Process to add the following claims errors that would require the NOA to be cancelled and resubmitted:
Guest Column: 2023 Will See Push for Financial Wellness
January 23, 2023Soaring inflationary pressures and mounting recession fears have combined with pandemic and employment concerns to create a heightened level of financial stress among employees. For employers, this represents both a…
CMS Open Door Forum Includes Updates for Home Health & Hospice
January 16, 2023On Wednesday, January 11, CMS held a Home Health, Hospice, and DME Open Door Forum, with updates on the following:
OLTL Updates Monthly Data Dash
January 16, 2023The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has posted its November 2022 Data Dash, providing a snapshot on statewide participation in OLTL waiver programs as of October 2022. The report includes…
Annual OSHA Reminder: Submit Injury Tracking Report by March 2
January 16, 2023As a reminder, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules require most employers to keep a record of serious work-related injuries and illnesses. The records must be maintained at the…
On January 5, 2023, the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) proposed a new rule that would ban the use of noncompete agreements, citing that the use of noncompete agreements significantly reduce workers’ wages…
On January 5, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Change Request (CR) 13040 to detail the requirements of a direct mailing from the Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to…
Last week, Governor-Elect Josh Shapiro announced a number of appointments, including the Secretaries of Human Services, Health, and Aging.
CMS Proposes Policy Changes for MA Plans
January 16, 2023On December 27, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that would revise regulations governing Medicare Advantage (MA or Part C), the Medicare Prescription…
As previously reported, last month the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) voted to approve the final-form regulation allowing providers enrolled in the Medical Assistance (MA) program to co-locate. Last week,…
CMS Reactivates Reason Code 31755
January 16, 2023CMS has reactivated Fiscal Intermediary Shared System (FISS) reason code 31755, which requires the revenue code 0023 line-item date of service to match the date of service of a home…
MedPAC Votes on 2023 Recommendations to Congress
January 16, 2023Last Thursday, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) met to vote on its annual recommendations to Congress regarding payment policy and reporting requirements. The session included votes confirming recommendations discussed…
Hospices should be required to report every example of neglect or abuse, even if the offender is not an employee, according to recommendations in a new report from the Government Accountability Office…
Greetings From Your New PHA President: CJ Weaber
January 9, 2023Happy New Year, fellow PHA Members! My name is CJ Weaber, and I am the Vice President of Development and Strategy for the Honor Health Network/Angels on Call. We provide…
On December 29, 2022, PHA filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) in response to the Department’s plans to implement Agency With Choice (AWC) for personal…
DHS Issues Bulletin Reinstating Provider Enrollment Requirements in February + Remember to Revalidate!
January 9, 2023On December 29, 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) issued a Bulletin reinstating provider enrollment requirements that were temporarily suspended during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
Hospice Quality Reporting Program Quarterly Update Available; Sign Up to Receive Updates Via Email
January 9, 2023The Q4 2022 Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Update has been posted to the HQRP Requirements and Best Practices webpage. As a reminder, this is the last HQRP Quarterly Update that…
On December 31, 2022, the Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) published a Bulletin adding the following procedure code to the Medical Assistance (MA) Program Fee Schedule for a second nurse to…
Home Health Rural Add-on Payment Extended
January 9, 2023Section 4137 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 extends the 1% rural add-on payment for home health periods and visits that end in CY 2023 for counties classified as ‘‘low population density.’’…
Effective January 1, 2023, Home Health Agencies (HHAs) may begin voluntarily reporting the new telecommunications G-codes on HH claims with HH periods of care that start on or after January…
Harrisburg Happenings: General Assembly Sworn In
January 9, 2023Last Tuesday, members of the General Assembly elected in November’s General Election were formally sworn in for the 2023-24 legislative session.
Before the close of the 117th Congress, a major piece of legislation was signed into law. The Omnibus Budget Legislation passed on December 22, 2022, and includes the following provisions affecting…
DHS Adds New EVV Question to Provider Enrollment Application
January 9, 2023Beginning December 16, 2022, home health, homecare and other provider types will see a new question concerning Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) on the Additional Information page when completing a provider enrollment application:…
Give Them a Hand! PHA Announces 2022 Deck the Door Winner
January 9, 2023During the month of December, caregivers across the state worked with their consumers to decorate their front doors for the holidays. In total, PHA received 50 entries—a new record for…
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