Texas Association for Home Care will hold a conference on January 25-26, 2006, at the Doubletree Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Providers will have an opportunity to discuss recent trends in home health care and network with other providers. Some session titles: The Future of Medicare & Medicaid Reform - What it Means to Texas, the Nation and Home Care Tax Reform in Texas - Effects on Your Business How to Impact the Politics Affecting Home Care; and Remote Electronic Monitoring: … [Read more...] about Texas Association for Home Care Winter Conference
Building and Electrical Codes
The Texas legislature recently amended sections of the Local Government Code, which will affect certain long term care providers. The amendments were added to define "International Building Code" and "Commercial." The letter can be accessed through PDF file by clicking here. All municipalities must adopt the International Building Code as the standard for commercial buildings for which construction begins on or after January 1, 2006. You can read the text of the bill here. … [Read more...] about Building and Electrical Codes
New Texas Provider Letter on Medicare RX–Jan. 1, 2006 Deadline
Texas DADS has published a new provider letter regarding Medicare Rx. as impacts Nursing Homes and ICF-MRs . The letter addresses dual beneficiaries of Medicaid/Medicare: Effective January 1, 2006, all full-dual Medicare beneficiaries (Medicare beneficiaries who currently receive prescription drug coverage through Medicaid) will be transitioned from Medicaid prescription drug coverage to the new Medicare Rx Prescription Drug coverage (Medicare Rx). We are providing you with … [Read more...] about New Texas Provider Letter on Medicare RX–Jan. 1, 2006 Deadline
Decisions for 41 Million
Medicare's new prescription drug program goes into effect in less that two weeks, and pharmacies and nursing homes are making preparations. About 41 million eligible Medicare beneficiaries will get to select plans that will cover part of the prescription drug costs. As I've written before, long term care providers are concerned that elderly patients, many of whom have cognitive problems, may not have the ability to make informed choices about coverage. "None of the residents in my facility … [Read more...] about Decisions for 41 Million
The HCSSA Survey Process
The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services has issued a letter informing Home and Community Support Services Agencies about what they can expect when their agency is surveyed. The letter outlines each stage of the process, including how to begin the informal review of deficiencies, and agency rights and responsibilities. Download a PDF copy of the five-page letter. … [Read more...] about The HCSSA Survey Process
2006 Budget Negotiations Continue
Budget negotiations are getting a lot of press, and for good reason. At issue this week is a 1 percent increase in Medicare reimbursement for doctors, and lawmakers are still trying to reach an agreement on Medicare cuts. Meanwhile, doctors and beneficiaries have expressed confusion over Medicare's new prescription drug program, and patients' rights groups have threatened to sue the federal government. President George Bush, however, says the program is a "good deal." From USA … [Read more...] about 2006 Budget Negotiations Continue
Case Managers: Exempt or Non-Exempt?
The cheap answer is: Case Managers' exemption under the Fair Labor Standards Act's (FLSA) overtime requirements must be determined on a case-by-case basis. The tougher analysis is that the Department of Labor (DOL) has apparently continued its earlier position that case managers are typically non-exempt and, thus, entitled to overtime. With all the celebration surrounding the DOL's regulations issued in 2004, providers remained frustrated with the DOL's complete failure to address the exempt … [Read more...] about Case Managers: Exempt or Non-Exempt?
New CPR Guidelines From AHA
KidneyNotes.com posts about the new CPR guidelines. As the post notes, the highlights are: *The ratio of compressions-to-ventilations has been changed to 30:2 *Rescuers now deliver 1 shock (360J monophasic) followed by CPR, not 3 shocks *Lay rescuers no longer check for circulation *Many other algorithms have been simplified These are published in the Nov 29, 2005 issue of Circulation. KidneyNotes has formatted some easy links to the above for you to read. Click here to see … [Read more...] about New CPR Guidelines From AHA
MedPAC Opts For No Inflation Adjustment
Just as Medicare funds are being cut in the 2006 budget, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has recommended that Medicare receive no inflation adjustment in 2007. The American Health Care Association and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care have both criticized MedPAC's recommendation: "As many public policymakers recognize, the most prudent way to maintain sustained improvements in nursing home care quality is to ensure long term care funding stability," said … [Read more...] about MedPAC Opts For No Inflation Adjustment
Legislating Ethics: So…Where’s Your Compliance Plan?
You may have heard of them at seminars, seen them referenced in handbooks and vaguely associated them with the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). But what are Compliance Plans and, more importantly, why don't you have one yet? Do You Want a Compliance Plan? You Bet…And You'd Better! The Office of the Inspector General of the United States Department of Health and Human Services dictates that almost all providers have Compliance Plans. Specifically, the … [Read more...] about Legislating Ethics: So…Where’s Your Compliance Plan?