Expansion of the Home Health Value Based Purchasing (HHVBP) model has been on the radar for some time now. Building upon experience from the original HHVBP model, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have finally announced HHVBP Model expansion nationwide and designated the calendar year 2022 as a pre-implementation year. The effective use of the pre-implementation year will not only allow home health providers time to learn about the expectations and requirements of the expanded HHVBP, but will also provide vital opportunity to prepare, make necessary changes, and align appropriate resources now to be competitive and successful in the HHVBP model.

With staffing crisis and its cascading effect on personnel, patients, and the entire organizations, it is important to continuously explore effective strategies to boost your staff retention and job satisfaction. Join ACHCU, Irina Gorovaya, Owner and President of Amity Healthcare Group, and Erin Vallier, Regional Director of Sales of AlayaCare, as we discuss the critical impact of employee training and professional development and use of latest technology tools on staff retention.

As of June 30, 2021 the Office for Civil Rights has collected nearly $131 million in civil monetary penalties and settlements under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). In 2020, OCR received 27,182 complaints alleging HIPAA violations. This webinar will discuss recent enforcement actions and initiatives, and what providers can learn from them to prevent becoming the subject of a HIPAA complaint.

Medicare Certified Home health agencies are facing another change effective January 1, 2022, the NOA (Notice of Admission).

RAPs will be eliminated, and home health agencies will only need to submit a one-time Notice of Admission (NOA) effective for claim on and after January 1, 2022.

This video webinar will breakdown what you really need to know about the NOA and how this transition will affect your billing.

Many patients nearing death experience delirium and agitation. This presentation will define these common symptoms and review how they may be indicative of prognosis. Additionally, reversible causes, nonpharmacologic interventions, and pharmacologic interventions will be discussed. Palliative sedation will also be presented as a treatment option for refractory agitation.

Join us to learn:

• Identify common changes exhibited by dying patients.
• Define agitation and delirium.
• Discuss nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment options.
• Review palliative sedation for refractory symptoms.

It is essential that coders gain a thorough understanding of the FY2022 ICD-10-CM coding updates. Accurate coding and reimbursements are dependent on coders being familiar with the code set updates and key guidance changes. Join us as we take a deep dive into the details of the new and revised codes and highlight the updated guidance to Ensure your coders are prepared for the October 1 effective date!

Having thorough knowledge of the survey process and understanding how to conduct mock surveys is key to survey readiness and compliance! This session will explain the survey process and discuss in detail the steps to perform mock surveys. In addition, you will learn how having an effective QAPI program can help your agency avoid deficiencies. Join us for this informative webinar to ensure your agency is prepared for your next survey. 

Continuing education may be the last thing on your mind right now given all you're faced with. But did you know that HealthTrainU has courses to help you meet requirements for your accreditation, licensure, and compliance? Don't let your education slip through the cracks. Join us to learn more about the system and how you can get started with a FREE trial.

What is an overpayment, and what is my obligation, as a Medicare provider, if I discover that I have received an overpayment? This webinar will help participants understand the overpayment 60-day repayment rule, timeframes for acting on overpayments, what the look-back period is, how to make repayments of identified overpayments, what to do if an overpayment implicates a serious compliance issue, and how to avoid overpayments in the first place. Register now and join ACHCU and the attorneys from Brown & Fortunato for this informative presentation. 

Broad and often ambiguous health care fraud, waste, and abuse laws can cause health care providers significant unease in making business and operational decisions. Providers often wonder how a practice can be non-compliant if everyone is doing it. The federal government’s continuing efforts to investigate and take action against commonplace violations of such laws show that they can and will be acted upon. In 2020, even with the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government secured $1.8 billion in health care fraud settlements and judgements, down from $2.6 billion in 2019. Enforcement is expected to be stepped up in 2021.
This webinar will identify the key laws utilized by the federal government in enforcement actions. The presenters from Brown & Fortunato will clarify the application of these laws by discussing recent governmental reports, enforcement actions, cases, and settlements involving home health agencies and hospices, share the lessons that can be learned from such cases, and reveal future enforcement plans of the OIG.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires Home Health Agencies and their staff to comply with accepted professional standards and principles that apply to professionals furnishing services in a Home Health Agency. One of the methods to achieve compliance with this requirement is an effective and robust home health competency program. The complexity and acuity level of patients in home health necessitates that home health staff participates in ongoing training, skills development, and competency evaluation to ensure they have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to provide individualized patient care in an effective and safe way. A successful competency program has proven to increase clinicians’ confidence and professional advancement, as well as improve patient outcomes. Join ACHCU and Amity Healthcare Group as we review what makes a successful competency program.

An in-depth understanding of the CoPs is key to ensuring compliance! In this session, Senior Manager of Coding & Clinical Consulting at Healthcare Provider Solutions Sharon Litwin will explain the types of deficiencies and discuss examples of top deficiencies commonly seen with the Home Health CoPs. We will identify steps you can take to decrease your agency’s vulnerability and discuss processes your agency can implement to comply with difficult CoPs.

It’s been almost a year now since we began coding COVID-19 and its related conditions. As the virus has evolved, we have seen changes and additions to the ICD-10-CM Classification related to COVID-19, the most recent of which became effective January 1, 2021. Join ACHCU and Healthcare Provider Solutions as we drill down the new codes for conditions resulting from COVID-19, discuss clinical group and comorbidity group assignment for these codes, and review the updated coding guidelines.

Reducing readmissions should be a high priority for every home health agency. This involves keeping the patient in the home and/or community during the home health episode and after discharge. Effective discharge planning is a key component in achieving this goal. Join ACHCU and Sharon Litwin of Healthcare Provider Solutions as we discuss the steps involved in effective discharge planning, how to identify patients at high-risk for readmission and to learn strategies to prevent unplanned hospital care. 

Maintaining your continuing education requirements for compliance, licensure, and accreditation has never been easier. Join us to learn more about our state-of-the-art learning management system: HealthTrainU. We have over 200 courses in more than 20 different content libraries written for and by providers. This webinar will walk you through the platform and explain how you can start a free trial.

It’s hard to believe that more than a year has gone by since CMS implemented the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). And what a year it has been! With the Coronavirus public health emergency still ongoing, to say there have been distractions from PDGM is an understatement!
Do you have new staff, or even seasoned staff, who are in need of a PDGM refresher? Join ACHCU and Healthcare Provider Solutions/5 Star Consultants as we review how PDGM came about and then dive into an overview of the major aspects of PDGM.

CMS released the Final Rule for the Home Health CY 2021 on October 29, 2020. Join ACHCU and Sharon Litwin from Healthcare Provider Solutions as we dig into the details of this final rule including the Home Health Payment Rate Updates, Use of Telecommunications Technology, Home Infusion Therapy, RAPs, and more. 

Join ACHCU and Health Recovery Solutions (HRS) as we discuss the best practices in building a telehealth program and ensuring quality delivery of care. With years of experience in building telehealth programs and advising clinical care teams, HRS Vice President of Clinical Services Patty Upham will share the most important factors to consider when building a sustainable remote patient monitoring program. We will discuss the recent collaboration between ACHC and HRS to develop an accreditation distinction in telehealth.  This distinction is based on nationally recognized standards for optimum patient care, privacy, and safety and will certify a provider’s dedication to delivering consistent, quality care and enhancing business efficiencies.

Join ACHCU and Irina Gorovaya, Owner and President of Amity Healthcare Group, as we discuss current trends and potential around telehealth in home health and hospice. We will review existing and pending regulations directing the use of telehealth in home health and hospice, as well as telehealth reimbursement. We will also discuss recommended guidelines and ACHC accreditation standards for distinction in telehealth and provide guidance related to the successful deployment of telehealth use in home health and hospice, including policies, documentation, staff education, and telehealth solutions. 

Infection Control Practices are front and center due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During this session, Sharon Litwin from Healthcare Provider Solutions will review the CoPs for Infection Prevention and Control as well as examine the CDC guidance for Infection Control and Prevention concerning COVID-19 for Home Health & Hospice providers.

The Emergency Preparedness CoPs include the requirement that agencies need to be able to identify and manage emerging infectious disease (EID) as part of their emergency preparedness plan. COVID-19 has put us all to the test. Has your agency’s Emergency Preparedness plan been effective during the COVID-19 pandemic? In this session, Sharon Litwin from 5 Star Consultants/Healthcare Provider Solutions will take a deep dive into the Emergency Preparedness CoPs for Home Health and Hospice and walk through what your agency needs to be doing to ensure compliance now and in the future. 

Health care fraud, waste, and abuse laws are so broad and ambiguous that providers often cannot feel confident in making business and operational decisions. Even commonplace business practices can be fraught with regulatory risk. The federal government’s continuing efforts to investigate and take action against violations of such laws compound providers’ unease. In Fiscal Year 2019 alone, the federal government secured $2.6 billion in health care fraud settlements and judgements. This presentation will identify the key laws utilized by the federal government in enforcement actions. To help provide some clarity on the application of such laws, the presenters will discuss recent governmental reports, enforcement actions, cases, and settlements involving home health agencies and hospices. Finally, the presenters will discuss lessons that can be learned from such cases.

Join ACHCU, Imark Billing, and Therapy Strong Consulting for this webinar as we discuss how home health agencies can incorporate Outpatient Therapy (OP) to drive more revenue and increase their cash flow. Even before PDGM, agencies were asking questions on how to do outpatient therapy, what was covered, and even whether it was worth doing. It almost seemed like a mystery because so many agencies didn't understand it.
This presentation will help answer those questions and more by providing tested processes to help you uncover the secret of Outpatient Therapy to boost the bottom line for your home health agency.

We will cover:
-What benefits OP Therapy will provide your agency
-And understanding of what is required for billing OP under an HHA
-The difference between Part A HHA therapy vs Part B OP therapy
-How you will be paid for OP therapy
-How to increase your revenue and census with OP therapy
-How to structure your OP charts

The FY 2021 ICD-10-CM code set includes 490 new, 47 revised, and 58 deleted codes. In this session, we will delve into the new, revised, and deleted codes and discuss details of the guideline changes. It is imperative that coders become familiar with the changes prior to October 1st. Join ACHCU and 5 Star Consultants for this informative webinar in order to increase your understanding of the FY 2021 ICD-10-CM code updates. 

Please note, the original presentation said for home health agencies to start using the new codes based on the M0090 date. This information was incorrect, and the new codes will be effective for claims with "From" dates on or after October 1, 2020. This information was clarified in MLN Matters number MM11839. The slides have been updated to the correct date.

CMS released the proposed rule for the Home Health calendar year (CY) 2021 on June 25, 2020. Understanding the potential implications of the proposed rule is very important so you can contact your associations in order to have an impact on the final rule 2021. In this webinar, we will review details of the proposed rule including financial/reimbursement information regarding rate increases, CBSA changes, and review RAP information. We will also discuss telehealth, some portions of the PHE waivers that may become permanent, and POC requirements. Details of the new Home Infusion Therapy benefit will also be examined.

Join us for this informative webinar in order to understand the proposed changes.

As of May 31, 2020, the Office for Civil Rights had received more than 235,000 complaints of violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) since its implementation in April 2003. In addition, it had collected more than $116 million dollars in civil monetary penalties (CMPs) and settlements in 75 cases. While the largest CMPs and settlements have stemmed from HIPAA violations that resulted in breaches, not all enforcement actions involved breaches. This webinar will discuss recent enforcement actions and initiatives, and what providers can learn from them to prevent becoming a target.

Having knowledge of the survey processes and how to conduct mock surveys is key to survey readiness! Join ACHCU and 5 Star Consultants for this webinar to learn the difference between standard and condition level deficiencies. You will gain an understanding of the survey process, and how to effectively conduct mock surveys. In addition, you will discover how having an effective QAPI program will help your agency avoid deficiencies.

Home health and hospice industries have seen an increase in M&A activity in the past few years. A slowdown will likely occur as a result of COVID-19, but it is expected to be temporary. This webinar provides information to help buyers and sellers prepare for the rebound in transaction activity. The webinar will include (i) an overview of the transaction process; (ii) discussion of issues and considerations unique to home health and hospice acquisitions, including unique diligence review and change of ownership processes; and (iii) tips for buyers and sellers preparing for a home health or hospice transaction.

A clear understanding of how to implement the challenging Conditions and Standards has been difficult for many agencies. This has led to numerous standard and condition level deficiencies seen over the past year. We will break down the challenging and /or frequently cited conditions and standards - seen in reports from surveys and mock surveys – and educate you on processes for implementation. Action plans for you to take back to your Agency to ensure compliance will be reviewed and shared. This CoP webinar is key to ensure your agency compliance!

The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented public health emergency and Home Health and Hospice agencies are on the battlefront.  The new 1135 waiver does allow some relief in dealing with the crisis, but it also brings about a lot of questions.  Agencies really need to know all of the new information, but many do not have time to read and figure out what all of the changes mean. Join us as we break down the waivers and relief measures and shed light on what they mean for your agency.  

In 5 Star Case Management, you'll learn how a strong nurse case management program in your agency will:

• Help your agency make a difference in the communities you serve.
• Increase your patient satisfaction while improving re-hospitalization rates.
• Improve your nurse's job satisfaction while increasing staff retention.
• Raise your star ratings.
• Add a strong system for survey readiness.

Empower your nurse case managers to create a win/win/win situation in your agency. Your patients have better outcomes and are more satisfied, your nurses have higher job satisfaction and stay, and your agency improves its bottom line.

Providers of care in the home need to be prepared to care for patients with COVID-19. Keeping home care and hospice staff safe during the COVID-19 outbreak requires both knowledge and proper planning for an in-home visit. Join Mary McGoldrick for this important and informative webinar as she reviews the current CDC guidelines as it relates to care in the home, and provides practical and evidence-based infection control strategies necessary to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

In November 2019, Sentara Hospitals agreed to pay $2.175 million to settle claims that it failed to provide proper notice of breaches of protected health information. In today’s technology driven world, health care providers will inevitably encounter a situation involving a potential breach under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Failure to properly respond to such situations can be costly for a provider. This webinar will discuss best practices for preventing, investigating, and responding to security incidents and breaches in accordance with HIPAA. 

Join ACHCU and Axxess for this webinar to learn how the drive for patient-centered care does not stall with coronavirus (COVID-19) and social isolation.  Prior to the pandemic, patients struggled with chronic health problems and loneliness, which are further aggravated by physical isolation and anxiety.  There are immediate actions in-home organizations can implement to meet patients’ needs.  Participants will learn models for framing patient concerns in an optimistic manner, and leave better equipped to address their overall concerns and exceed their expectations during this crisis and beyond.

Two of the five  PDGM subgroups are directly linked to coding: Clinical Grouping and Comorbidity Adjustment.  During this webinar, we will answer important questions such as: What happens when the only diagnosis you have from the physician is an unaccepted diagnosis?  What if the clinical record doesn’t align with the primary diagnosis?  What about comorbidities? We will also review issues that can arise with ICD-10-CM coding under the PDGM,  primarily through case study analyses.  Finally, we will discuss action plans that home health agencies can implement in order to remain viable under the PDGM.

Understanding the impact of Diagnosis Coding is crucial to your agency's success under PDGM. In this session, we will examine the Clinical Groupings – what is allowed as a Primary Diagnosis, and the importance of accurately capturing comorbidities under PDGM coding. We will define what an unacceptable diagnosis is and discuss the importance of coding specificity. We will review what agencies will have to have for patient referrals, how they can educate their referral sources, physicians and their clinicians.

QAPI in the new CoPs is an area where many home health agencies have challenges. However, QAPI is not only critical for compliance with regulations and standards, but an effective program also will assist your Agency in improving outcomes, lessening risks, and involving all of your staff. This webinar will teach attendees how to develop a Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement (QAPI) program following the CoPs and will then show you how to implement a successful QAPI program.

Samples of audit tools, quality indicators, calendars, outcomes, and action plans will be given and reviewed. We will review Keys to developing a QAPI program for your agency, Regulations you need to know to establish your QAPI program and give you strategies to get your key stakeholders & staff invested in the process.

Objective:
• How to analyze the data & incorporate key elements in your QAPI program

CMS expects that Home Health Agencies (HHA) are conducting Performance Improvement Projects (PIP) by now as part of their QAPI Program. One great source for this is the Home Health online CASPER Reports.

Learn how to obtain them and understand what key performance reports can be used to identify improvement opportunities. Objectives:

• Describe how to obtain a Home Health Agency’s CASPER Reports
• Analyze and prioritize key OASIS Quality Improvement and HHA Provider reports to build an HHA Performance Improvement Project (PIP).

Branch Offices/Multiple Locations and Corporate Entities: Survey Implications for Home Health and Hospices

There has been an increase in survey deficiencies in both home health and hospice related to branch offices/multiple locations and how operations are handled. There are also increased survey deficiencies related to how home health agencies and hospices with corporate entities, whether large or small, are handling daily operations. These deficiencies are often at the condition level and come as a surprise to the provider as many have been operating in much the same way for years without deficiencies. This webinar will review the practices that are causing the deficiencies, why they are now being viewed as a deficient practice, and how to revise practices to minimize the risk of survey deficiencies. Examples from actual surveys will be shared.

After Accreditation: Developing a Plan of Correction

Join Lisa Meadows, Clinical Compliance Educator for Home Health, Hospice, and Private Duty, as she discusses developing a plan of correction after your accreditation survey.

Preparing for a Home Health Medicare Certification or Re-certification Survey

Lisa Meadows, Clinical Compliance Educator for Home Health Hospice and Private Duty, discusses ways to prepare for a Home Health Medicare certification or re-certification survey.

Avoiding the Top Survey Deficiencies During a Home Health Survey

Join Lisa Meadows, Clinical Compliance Educator for Home Health, Hospice, and Private Duty, as she discusses avoiding the top survey deficiencies during a home health survey.

Distinction in Palliative Care 

ACHC's Distinction in Palliative Care allows ACHC accredited home health, hospice, or private duty agencies to earn additional accreditation for their palliative care program. Join us as we review what palliative care is, the ACHC Distinction in Palliative Care Accreditation Standards, and how this new distinction can benefit your agency!

Understanding and Implementing a QAPI Program

Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI) is a new home health requirement effective January 13, 2018. An agency’s QAPI program should be more than just a compliance list with the revised CoP. An integrated data-driven organizational-wide QAPI program can help drive process improvement resulting in improved patient and operation outcomes. In this presentation, we will discuss the framework of a QAPI program that will ensure the agency is meeting the regulatory requirements and tips on integrating the QAPI program throughout the organization.

Preparing for Initial Home Health Medicare Certification Survey

Starting a new home health agency? Join us as we break down the process and requirements for initial Home Health Agency Medicare Certification and initial ACHC Accreditation survey.

Preparing for California Home Health Licensure Survey

ACHC has been approved to perform state licensure surveys on behalf of the California Department of Public Health. Join us as we walk through requirements for California home health licensure and initial Home Health Agency Medicare Certification, and how to prepare for the ACHC licensure and accreditation survey.   

Revisions to the ACHC Standards Based on the
Revised Medicare CoPs

Join us as we review the revisions to the Medicare Home Health CoPs and ACHC Accreditation Standards to understand expectations for compliance. This webinar will include:

• Strategies for achieving a successful survey outcome
• Standard revisions for:
  • Organization and administration
  • Program and service operations
  • Fiscal management
  • Human resource management
  • Provision of care and record management
  • Quality outcomes and performance improvement

  • Risk management: infection and safety control