2024-01
PHA Welcomes Elizabeth Piazza to the Board of Directors
January 29, 2024PHA is excited to announce the appointment of Elizabeth Piazza, Advocacy and Policy Leader at TEAM Services Group, to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association’s Board of Directors! In addition to serving on…
PEPPER Distribution Paused
January 29, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced a temporary pause in the distribution of the PEPPER (Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report) and CBRs (Comparative Billing Reports)…
Member Benefit Spotlight: PA Workers’ Compensation Trust
January 29, 2024Discover the Pennsylvania Home Care & Human Services Workers’ Compensation Trust, offering an innovative approach to workers’ compensation for the home health care industry. Group self-insurance empowers related businesses to collectively…
Each year, Home Care Pulse (HCP) performs the largest annual study on the home-based care industry and publishes the results as the HCP Benchmarking Report. This annual report is packed…
What’s Happening in Washington: Partial Shutdown Avoided, NAHC Holds Home Health Briefing
January 29, 2024Last week, President Biden signed a stopgap measure to fund the government through the beginning of March, avoiding a partial shutdown as lawmakers continue working toward a broader spending deal….
Last week, Mia Haney, interim CEO of PHA, sent a letter to Governor Shapiro and legislative leaders highlighting the need to increase funding for Medical Assistance programs and services that…
Shapiro Administration Launches PA Navigate
January 29, 2024Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) announced the launch of PA Navigate, a new website that connects residents to agencies and community groups for access to health care…
Centene Names Richard Fisher as New CEO
January 29, 2024The current President & CEO of Wellcare, Richard Fisher, is taking on a new role in Centene’s operations team to bring more Medicare expertise to Centene. He’ll be working with…
After January 3, 2024, the Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee (MLTSS) transitioned to the Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee (LTSS). Information for the LTSS subcommittee can be found on the LTSS Subcommittee…
MLN Matters: Refillable DMEPOS Documentation Requirements
January 29, 2024Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued an MLN Matters article on Refillable DMEPOS Documentation Requirements. Learn about the requirement to contact the patient (PDF) before you refill DMEPOS products.
Reminder: GUIDE Model Applications Due This Week
January 29, 2024As a reminder, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is currently accepting applications for the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model. The deadline to apply is this Tuesday, January 30. The model aims…
In case you missed the announcement, hospices can now take advantage of the Home Care Grant programs! The latest grant expansions, which went into effect on January 1, include the…
Hospice Updates from January Open Door Forum
January 29, 2024Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) held an Open Door Forum (ODF) for home health, hospice, and durable medical equipment providers. A summary of the…
Avoid unnecessary takebacks by using www.phonevalidator.com. This free resource easily determines whether a number is a landline or cell phone. Take a few minutes today to check the numbers you have…
CMS Home Health Cost Report Now Available
January 29, 2024The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) has released a new Cost Report Public Use File (PUF) for Home Health, which includes data for 2020–2021. This report includes provider information such…
A Message from PHA’s Interim CEO
January 22, 2024Dear PHA Members, As we step into the promise of a new year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the invaluable contributions and collective strength that each…
Member Benefit Spotlight: FREE Use of PHA Office Space
January 22, 2024PHA offers members free access to our professional office suite in Lemoyne, PA, just minutes from the Capitol Building in Harrisburg. Available space includes conference rooms and offices. Consider our…
DOL Trend: Travel Time
January 22, 2024Pennsylvania minimum wage laws require employers to count caregiver travel time as hours worked for purposes of its minimum wage and overtime requirements. A caregiver who travels from home to work…
Reminder: COVID-19 Quarantine Guidance
January 22, 2024A quick reminder to help you stay compliant as we work through the coughs, colds, and COVID of the winter season. PA-HAN 661: Work Restrictions for Health Care Personnel (HCP) with…
AmeriHealth Caritas Names New CEO, Former Aetna Executive
January 22, 2024Kelly A. Munson has been selected to lead AmeriHealth Caritas as President and Chief Executive Officer starting February 1, 2024. Munson will succeed Paul A. Tufano, who stepped down in…
Governor Shapiro Gives Preview of 2024 Budget Priorities
January 22, 2024Governor Shapiro gave a sneak peek at some of his top priorities for his upcoming budget address on February 6 during a call-in appearance on Allentown-based La Mega’s El Relajo…
MedPAC Votes on 2024 Recommendations to Congress
January 22, 2024On January 11, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) unanimously voted to recommend cutting the home health base payment rate by seven percent in CY2025 and freezing the hospice update…
Home Health & Hospices: Medicare Credit Balance Reports Due
January 22, 2024As a reminder, the Medicare Credit Balance Report for the quarter ending December 31 is due by January 30, 2024. CGS will suspend all claim payments at 100% if a completed CMS-838…
Penncares is piloting a new hands-on training program for caregivers. If you are a caregiver or an agency admin member who would be interested in volunteering to come out and…
Quarterly HHCAHPS Survey Results Reported on Care Compare
January 22, 2024Home health agencies (HHAs) are informed that Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey results from July 2022 to June 2023 are now accessible on the HHCAHPS website under the “Survey Preview Report”…
CMS Shares Updates OASIS Q&As
January 22, 2024The January 2024 CMS OASIS Quarterly Q&As are now available on the CMS QTSO webpage. In this addition, CMS addresses changes to OASIS as a result of the CY 2024 Home Health Final Rule.
Now Available: Updated Guide to Home Health Help Desks
January 22, 2024The updated guide to Home Health Help Desks is now available in the “Downloads” section of the Home Health Quality Reporting Program Help Desks webpage.
Hospice Self-Determined Aggregate Cap Reminder
January 22, 2024As a reminder, hospices are required to self-calculate and submit their Aggregate Cap Report no later than February 28, 2024. More information, including forms and instructions on where to submit your…
South Central PA Home Care Grant Extended
January 15, 2024The Pennsylvania Foundation for Home Care and Hospice, supported by the Partnership for Better Health, has extended the South Central PA Home Care Grant program through 2024. The grant supports home-based…
PHA Foundation Expands Grant Eligibility
January 15, 2024The Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Foundation for Home Care and Hospice approved the expansion of the Home Care Grant to allow even more customers to access funds for critical home-based health needs….
On January 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a final rule updating the definition of independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Final Rule, which rescinds the 2021…
Reminder: Don’t Let Your Agency Credentials Expire!
January 15, 2024Don’t let license and credential expirations put a damper on your 2024 business plans! Take a moment this week to add a calendar reminder OR double check an existing calendar…
Last week, PHA led a meeting with the majority and minority chairs of the House Human Services Committee and staff to educate them on Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) and the…
Measles Outbreak Alert in Pennsylvania
January 15, 2024There have been eight confirmed cases of measles diagnosed in Pennsylvania as of January 8, 2024. All were acquired by unvaccinated individuals, and six were reportedly from southeastern Pennsylvania and…
Guest Column: ID Theft and Mitigation of Risk
January 15, 2024With the widespread acceptance of the remote work environment, identity theft has become a greater concern than perhaps ever before. In spite of heightened levels of awareness and implementation of…
PAS Reductions Addressed During January MLTSS Meeting; Participate in Next Meeting on Feb. 1
January 15, 2024At the January 3 Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee (MLTSS) Meeting, the CHC-MCOs presented on PAS service reductions. The presentation included data on PAS trends, face-to-face assessments vs. virtual assessments, PAS…
L&I Announces Availability of $2.8 Million To Improve Job Quality for Direct Care Workers
January 15, 2024The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry (L&I) announced $2.8 million in reemployment funds as part of the Direct Care Worker Job Quality (DCWJQ) Grant. This competitive grant opportunity will be…
Now Available in iQIES – Preview Reports and Star Rating Preview Reports for the April 2024 Refresh
January 15, 2024For this refresh, Home Health (HH) Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) measures have been updated. For additional information, please see the HH Quality Reporting Training webpage and the Home Health Data Submission…
Home Health CAHPS Survey Exemption Request Due March 31
January 15, 2024The deadline for home health agencies to submit a request for an exemption from participating in the Home Health CAHPS (HH CAHPS) Survey for the CY 2025 Annual Payment Update (APU) is…
The Participation Exemption for Size Form for calendar year (CY) 2024 CAHPS Hospice Survey data collection and reporting requirements is now available. Hospices that served fewer than 50 survey-eligible decedents/caregivers in CY 2023 (January…
Best Practice: Managing Staff Bereavement
January 15, 2024An important way in which hospice agencies can consider supporting staff is scheduling a 1:1 session with a bereavement counselor about 6 months into their employment, or more frequently thereafter….
EVV Error Status Codes
January 8, 2024Error Status Codes (ESCs) are actively appearing on all claims that are subject to EVV. Providers should actively review these EVV Error Status Codes (ESCs) to determine if their claims and EVV…
PA Medicaid Managed Care Quality Strategy (MCQS)
January 8, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires states to have a quality strategy for their managed care programs. The PA draft MCQS was published for public comment on…
Home care providers are NOT required to continue serving a participant who has lost Medicaid or Waiver eligibility and/or no longer has an active authorization for care. However, during the…
All claims and encounters for home health care services are subjected to EVV requirements for dates of service on or after January 1, 2024, and must have a corresponding EVV visit, or…
CMS has released the expanded Home Heath Value-Based Purchasing Technical Expert Panel (TEP) Report. This report provides a summary of the TEP’s input on health equity approaches, performance measures, measure weights, and…
CMS Releases Draft OASIS-E1 Instrument
January 8, 2024Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the draft OASIS-E1 All Items instrument, scheduled for an effective date of January 1, 2025. The accompanying OASIS-E1 Manual is…
The latest quarterly Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Update was distributed to hospices via email at the end of December. This quarter’s update includes FY 2025 HQRP reporting reminders, upcoming training opportunities,…
CMS Approves New Audit on Hospice Extended Length of Stay
January 8, 2024Last month, the Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC), Performant, added Hospice Care: Extended Length of Stay: Medical Necessity and Documentation Requirements to its list of CMS-approved audit issues.
The CAHPS Hospice Survey telephone and mail materials from the Quality Assurance Guidelines V10.0 (QAG V10.0) in all approved translations are now available. Survey vendors must use the revised CAHPS Hospice Survey materials beginning…
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