NAHC

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (December 15, 2020)—The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit for medical centers, clinics and clinicians. 

Materials include:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 11, 2020)—As part of the year-end legislative push, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification Act of 2019 (BENES Act) to address negative findings by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) regarding survey performance by Medicare-certified hospice providers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 8, 2020)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has joined with other likeminded organizations to urgently ask Congress to consider the overlooked needs of the disabled and elderly when considering any upcoming COVID relief.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 8, 2020)—The Board of Directors for the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) met to welcome two new members, welcome back some returning members, elect officers, and bid a fond and grateful farewell to some outgoing members.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 3, 2020)—Vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) voted 13-1 on Tuesday, Dec. 1, to recommend health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities receive prioritization for coronavirus vaccines that receive emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (November 24, 2020)—The percentage of patients discharged from short-term acute care hospitals (STACH) to home health has risen from 11% in May 2019 to 19% one calendar year later, according to a new report from ATI Advisory.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 23, 2020)—On December 1 and December 2, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the Home Care and Hospice Financial Managers Association (HHFMA) will present two new webinars that are must-attend for all financial managers in the industry.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 23, 2020)—Beginning on Jan. 1, 2021, through the VBID Model, participating Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) can voluntarily participate in the Hospice Benefit Component of the Model, according to a November 13 transmittal (10458/CR 12045) from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 18, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the Medicare Fee- For-Service (FFS) improper payment rate has continued to decline, the fourth year Medicare FFS improper payment rate has been below 10%, the threshold for compliance established in the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 6, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued another revision to change request 11855—Penalty for Delayed Request for Anticipated Payment (RAP) Submission—Implementation. The Change Request (CR) revision added remittance advice message information related to the No Pay RAP penalty.

Home health agencies (HHAs) should note that Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) will: 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 5, 2020)—The 2021 release of the Hospice Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER), anticipated spring 2021, will include at least one new target area—Average Number of Part D Claims per Hospice Episode.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 22, 2020)—November is National Home Care Month, a special time to recognize and celebrate the practice of homecare and all of the individuals who make it possible. The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is excited to partner with CellTrak to award deserving homecare aides with the opportunity to pursue their educational goals and advance their careers.

DALLAS, (October 23, 2020)—John Olajide, founder and CEO of Axxess, a technology innovator for health care a home, has been elected to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) Board of Directors. His election to a three-year term beginning Jan. 1, 2021, was announced during the 2020 Home Care and Hospice Conference and Expo.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (October 19, 2020)—The COVID-19 pandemic changed the world for homecare—but also elevated the profession in the eyes of the public and lawmakers, William A. Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, said Monday as he opened the group’s annual conference.

“What has emerged is energy and enthusiasm about our future,” Dombi said.

WASHINTON, D.C. (October 13, 2020)—Since implementation of the Hospice Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) survey in 2015, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and other hospice stakeholders have submitted recommendations for improvements to the survey, including suggestions that the survey be shortened and that certain questions be modified to eliminate the potential for confusion.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 12, 2020)—The nation's private duty homecare nursing and personal care services community fulfills a unique and essential purpose in modern life. Private duty homecare provides critical, quality, home-based care and living support services for individuals young and old, helping them live full, independent, and connected lives in the comfort of wherever they call home. 

ATLANTA (October 8, 2020)—The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) has announced their partnership with WellEntry—a simple smartphone- and tablet-based solution that helps prevent and mitigate the spread of infectious diseases—as their preferred health-screening solution to keep patients, families and employees safe.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 1, 2020)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an interim file rule with comment period (IFC) which includes pertinent regulatory revisions for long term care (LTC) facilities in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.

NAHC to CMS: Roll Back 2020 Rate Adjustment Based on Faulty Prediction of HHA Behavior