 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| January 2, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
 This Week at CT Healthcare At Home
News UpdateSource: Hospice News, December 23, 2024
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has made public its first cohort for the hospice Special Focus Program (SFP).
Finalized in the 2024 home health payment rule, the program is designed to identify poor performing hospices, mandate quality improvement and in some cases impose additional penalties. However, stakeholders in the hospice space have contended that the agency’s methodology for selecting hospices for the program is deeply flawed.
For this reason, they have argued that the list of operators should not be made public. Though CMS published the list, it delayed the release of a second that would point to future candidates for the program.
Source: Alliance Daily, December 23, 2024
On Friday, December 20, 2024, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Relief Act 2025, a Continuing Resolution (CR) which would fund the federal government through March 14, 2025, and extend key healthcare programs through March 31, 2025. The Senate voted 85-11 to pass the legislation a few minutes after midnight on Saturday, and President Biden quickly signed it into law.
The law includes a short-term extension of the hospice face-to-face recertification, as well as an extension of the waiver of the geographic and originating site restrictions allowing for the home health face-to-face to be performed via telehealth. The Alliance is relieved to see these provisions extended. This temporary solution means we will continue to push over the next few months for permanent telehealth access for care at home to support providers and the patients they serve.
Stay tuned for future updates on this important issue. Source: Alliance Daily, December 30, 2024
On Friday, December 27, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to amend the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule. This proposed rule would propose significant changes intended to improve cybersecurity standards for the protection of electronic protected health information (ePHI). This is in response to an evolving healthcare landscape, characterized by an alarming increase in cyberattacks and cybersecurity breaches occurring nationwide in the healthcare sector. HHS has published a press release and fact sheet with information on topline proposals accompanying the proposed rule. Comments on the proposed rule are due March 7, 2025.
Source: The Alliance, December 29, 2024
(Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC) – The National Alliance for Care at Home (the Alliance) extends its deepest sympathies to the Carter family and the American people for the loss of Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States and the Founder of the Carter Center. We mourn this profound loss.
President Jimmy Carter devoted his life to service above self. As a young man, he had a distinguished career as a Naval officer before serving as Governor of Georgia and later, as President of the United States. After his time in office, through the Carter Center, President Carter and Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter led incredible efforts to increase peace and improve health around the world.
Membership News Don’t miss out on the chance to be part of the Twenty-Second Annual Northeast Home Health Leadership Summit! Join us for an exciting event filled with inspiration, motivation, and valuable insights from industry experts and visionaries. Reserve your spot today and help shape the future of home care.
The Jimmo v. Sebelius case was a landmark lawsuit that resulted in a significant clarification of Medicare coverage standards. The case challenged the unofficial “improvement standard” used by Medicare, which required beneficiaries to show medical or functional improvement to qualify for coverage of certain types of care, particularly skilled nursing care and physical, occupational, and speech therapy. This case has had profound implications for patients with chronic conditions, disabilities, or those who have plateaued in their treatment.
Key areas to explore:
Education
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| Past Issues | Subscribe | cthealthcareathome.org | Advertise with Us | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Hospice Reimbursement Workshop
