Home Health Leaders Call for Bill Abolishing Medicare Payment Cut 

McKnights Home Care | By Diane Eastabrook

Home health leaders descended on Capitol Hill Tuesday to protest the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ proposed 7.69% Medicare payment cut to home health firms. The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice called on Congress to enact legislation that would prevent the cuts.

“We urge Congress to step in and advance legislation to prevent these severe cuts from being implemented in 2023,” Joanne Cunningham, CEO of the Partnership, said in a statement. “Home health is widely preferred by patients and their families. At a time when home-based care is needed for the health and safety of seniors, we will work with our champions in Congress to ensure that the delivery of quality patient care and the stability of our community are protected.”

CMS last month announced the proposed rule, which would cost providers up to $1.33 billion in 2023 and up to $2 billion in 2024 in clawback payments for home health services delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic to seniors and people with disabilities. 

Home health advocates say the proposed cut could financially decimate providers at a time when inflation is driving up the cost for everything from worker wages to energy. Just days after CMS announced the cut, NAHC President and CEO William Dombi threatened possible legal action if the cuts went into effect. 

The public has until mid-August to file formal comments on the proposal to CMS. The agency is expected to make a decision on the rule in the fall.

Resources

• Impact Infographic
• One Pager - Talking Points
• Historical Medicare HH Cuts Chart

CY 2023 HH PPS Proposed Rule - Public Comment Period Now Open

The CY 2023 HH PPS proposed rule is now available for viewing and download on the Federal Register. The public comment period is open until Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET. Instructions on how to submit comments are available on the Federal Register

Protect Hospice Payments and Access to End-of-Life Care!

From NHPCO

As you may have seen, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a draft rule in April which proposes updates to the hospice wage index, payment rates, and aggregate cap amount for the coming fiscal year. For the hospice payment update percentage for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), CMS is only proposing an increase of 2.7%.
 
We know that hospices around the country have been facing unprecedented challenges and heightened costs over the last few years, with no real respite in sight. New data released today showed a historically high inflation rate of 9.1% in June. Energy prices, including gas, are up 41.6% for the year, the largest 12-month increase since April 1980. We know this hits hospices particularly hard, as staff drive to patients to meet their needs at home. 

This 2.7% proposal by CMS fails to acknowledge the reality that many hospices are experiencing. Additionally, hospices are now facing a 2% Medicare payment reduction due to the sequestration cut that went into effect on July 1. All of this means that hospices are effectively facing a payment cut and being asked to do less with more.

[NHPCO] and HAN sent a letter joined by several other organizations to Congressional leadership, urging them to call on CMS to provide a more appropriate hospice payment rate increase in their FY23 final rule. 

This proposal by CMS could have detrimental consequences. It may force some hospices to close and jeopardize access to necessary, high quality end-of-life care for individuals who need it. As a hospice and palliative care advocate, we need your help to raise the alarm about this. 

[Please] take a minute to complete our action alert: https://www.hospiceactionnetwork.org/take-action/#/66

Employee Retention Credit (ERC) Webinar

This Wednesday, July 20th at 2:00 p.m. the Home Care and Hospice Association of Colorado is partnering with RoundPeg to provide a 30 minute informational webinar discussing the Employee Retention Credit (ERC).

Google Meet joining info.

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/yie-qmja-yxa

Or dial: ‪(US) +1 435-893-6102 PIN: ‪840 649 482#

Paradigm Senior Services

Did you know:

• VA reimbursements rates for Homemaker/HHA and Respite are $29.76 in Utah
• VA invoices are now paid by TriWest in less than 3 weeks
• The VA usually authorizes between 6 and 16 hours of care per week, but they could go up to 168 hours per week. 
• The standard VA referral is valid for 1 year and can be renewed indefinitely. 
• The VA Community Care Network, while once overlooked, has become a vital part of providing care to veterans throughout our communities

There has been a lot of talk about one of HHAC's newest Allied Partners, Paradigm, in the home care industry. Thousands of providers already using Paradigm have seen terrific results in streamlining and growing their businesses. 

But who and what is Paradigm?

Paradigm provides an all-encompassing support platform for providers who work with the VA, Medicaid, and other 3rd party payers. By streamlining your operations, automating your billing, diversifying your payer lines, and collecting your outstanding AR, Paradigm helps you grow your business.

• · Are you struggling to submit error-free billing?
• · Are you spending too much time on denied claims and resubmissions?
• · Are you struggling to stay on top of regulatory changes?
• · Are you getting nowhere trying to get into the VA’s Community Care Network?
• · Are you struggling to recover any outstanding VA accounts receivables?
• · Are you confused about shifting EVV requirements?

Paradigm can help! 

If you’d like to learn more, click here to set up a time with one of Paradigm’s experts or contact Matt Hecht, Director of Provider Network, directly at email ([email protected]) or phone (786) 579-1900.