Accurate and timely patient assessments are crucial to the development of an effective Plan of Care (POC). These assessments address the physical, psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual needs associated with the patient’s terminal illness to promote well-being, comfort, and dignity throughout the dying process.An initial assessment must be completed by the registered nurse (RN) within 48 hours after the election of hospice care has been completed, unless the physician, patient, or representat...
Last Chance. Act Now!CMS is modernizing the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) program by transitioning to electronic CLIA fee coupons and certificates. This transition is not optional. Laboratories must sign up for CMS email notifications to receive electronic CLIA fee coupons and certificates. March 1, 2026 is the final deadline. After this date, CMS will no longer mail paper CLIA fee coupons or certificates. All CLIA certification and survey fees must be paid ...
Home health agencies have been on a rollercoaster ride of confusion regarding the Face-to-Face (F2F) encounter requirements, with the past year being especially frustrating. Since implementation of the F2F encounter requirement in 2011, the regulation has been interpreted, updated, and/or changed several times. Within the past year, interpretations by the Medicare Administrator Contractors (MACs), pandemic waiver extensions for telehealth, and two government shutdowns have caused agencies to ...
Medication management is a vital part of a patient’s end-of-life care. It involves an in-depth assessment and understanding of the patient’s current medical condition, psychosocial history, past medication usage, and the patient’s current needs and goals for care. The provision of the palliation of pain and other distressing symptoms, along with patient safety should be the primary objective of the Hospice Interdisciplinary Team/Group (IDT/IDG).Per the Medicare Conditions of Participati...