Federal Register Alert Hospice Election and Addendum: Changes effective October 1, 2020. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 42 CFR Part 418 Medicare Program; FY 2021 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update—This final rule updates the hospice wage index, payment rates, and cap amount for fiscal year (FY) […]
NAHC CALLS ON NATIONAL NURSING HOME COMMISSION TO ADDRESS CONCERNS ABOUT PROVISION OF HOSPICE As the COVID-19 public health emergency continues, The National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) is calling on leaders to assure that residents of nursing homes maintain access to hospice care. CMS, NAHC says, named in June an independent […]
Federal News and Information Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) HART (Hospice Abstraction Reporting Tool) v1.6.0 is now available HART (Hospice Abstraction Reporting Tool) v1.6.0 is now available in the Related Links section at the bottom of the HIS Technical web page. HART is a Java based software application that provides an option for Hospice […]
Texas Register Important information for your social workers; please share with them! PART 34. TEXAS STATE BOARD OF SOCIAL WORKER EXAMINERS CHAPTER 781. SOCIAL WORKER LICENSURE—The Texas Register has published repealed social work licensure rules and prosed new rules as the result of House Bill 1501 (86th Legislative Session). The Texas Board of Social Work Examiners was […]
QUESTIONING THE VALUE OF ADVANCE CARE PLANNING In a note from the editor of the Journal of Palliative Medicine (JPM), R. Sean Morrison, MD, shares his questions about the value of advance care planning. His writing stems from his reaction to the article “Impact of Advance Directives on Outcomes and Charges in Elderly Trauma […]
Texas Register Highlights TITLE 22. EXAMINING BOARDS PART 9. TEXAS MEDICAL BOARD CHAPTER 174. TELEMEDICINE SUBCHAPTER A. TELEMEDICINE 22 TAC §174.5–The Texas Medical Board (Board) adopts, on an emergency basis, amendments to 22 TAC §174.5, effective July 5, 2020, at 12:00 a.m. On March 13, the Governor of Texas certified COVID-19 as posing an imminent threat of […]
PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF ADVANCE CARE PLANNING, PALLIATIVE CARE, AND HOSPICE CARE EXAMINED IN RESEARCH REVIEW Access to palliative care, hospice care, and advance care planning (ACP) has expanded and is wider than it used to be. However, public perception of these services is still often found to be inaccurate, possibly accounting for lower enrollment […]
Federal News and Information HQRP COVID-19 PHE Tip Sheet is Available The HQRP COVID-19 PHE Tip Sheet is now available. This tip sheet provides practical guidance to address hospice quality data submissions starting on July 1, 2020 now that the temporary exemptions from the COVID-19 PHE ended. Hospices are expected to resume timely quality data […]
EXPERTS OFFER ADVICE ON DISCUSSING A COVID-19 DEATH WITH BEREAVED CHILDREN Communicating with children about the gravity of the coronavirus crisis can be difficult. For adults, the enormity of the pandemic can be hard to grasp. For children it’s even harder. Parents may be tempted to shelter their children from the truth of the […]
Federal News and Information Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) July 2020 JM Home Health and Hospice Medicare Advisory was released. To access, go to: https://www.palmettogba.com/Palmetto/Providers.Nsf/files/July_2020_HHH_Medicare_Advisory_Final.pdf/$File/July_2020_HHH_Medicare_Advisory_Final.pdf. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Nursing Home Visitation This NF FAQ answers questions regarding when to reopen facilities to visitation, “compassionate care” situations, and factors to consider […]