A QAPI program in home health, hospice, and personal attendant services (PAS) agencies is a systematic, data-driven method to identify indicators that reflect outcomes of care and quality of life for patients. It is a requirement for all certified Medicare agencies and for most state licensed agencies. Core elements include data collection, analysis and evaluation of the data, and identification of improvement areas. Staff engagement is key in identifying problems and implementing solutions t...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Home Health CY 2024 Final Rule on 11/1/2023. The rule updated Medicare payment rates and made changes to the Quality Reporting Program, Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model, Intravenous Immune Globulin (IVIG), DME benefit, and Disposable Negative Pressure Wound Therapy. The national standardized 30-day period payment amount will increase from $2010.69 in 2023 to $2038.13 in 2024. While this increase is minimal, it is more than init...

Hospice providers should be aware that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not delay the implementation date for the hospice election statement modifications and addendum requirements from the FY2021 final rule. The start date for this change is October 1, 2020. For current HealthCare ConsultLink (HCL) Online Hospice Manual subscribers, the revised election statement and addendum were made available during the most recent hospice manual update which was publ...