OASIS C: Focus on Patient’s Ability When Responding to 1810/1820

Posted on 02. Jun, 2010 by jan.mater.

Hint: Modified clothing choices could level the playing field.

After struggling for months to dress herself, your patient decides to modify her clothing choices so that she is no longer dependent on an aide for help.

Do you know how…

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Get the Skinny on ICD-9 Symptom Coding

Posted on 12. May, 2010 by jan.mater.

Read sequencing instructions to catch exceptions to the symptom coding rule.

You’ve heard it said before: Don’t code the symptom when you have a definitive diagnosis. But even when you keep this general guideline in mind, symptoms can still trip…

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OASIS C Education: Clearly Indicate Your Patients’ Pain

Posted on 05. May, 2010 by jan.mater.

Follow this expert advice to ensure you correctly assess pain.

Just because an item in OASIS C asks about pain doesn’t mean your response should note how much pain your patient experiences. Sometimes, the point is simply whether you’ve asked…

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Home Health Reimbursement: A Picture Gets You Paid for Wound Care Management

Posted on 11. Mar, 2010 by .

Show skin breakdown and verify your staff’s work in one step. But do this first.

A picture is worth a thousand words, so just imagine how clear and helpful it could be when you’re dealing with wound care —…

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OASIS Toolkit: Use These 4 Steps To Minimize Adverse Drug Reactions

Posted on 26. Jan, 2010 by .

Following these steps will make M2010 and M2015 easier to answer.

Here’s the most important question to ask yourself about each of the patient’s medications: “Is there a good reason for not stopping this medicine?”

Two new OASIS C process…

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2010 PPS: More Cuts for Case Mix Creep Hit Home Health

Posted on 18. Nov, 2009 by .

Just how much the feds will dock your HHA for perceived upcoding may depend on the health reform battle.

Your home health agency will getting 2.75 percent less in Medicare reimbursement next year thanks to so-called “case mix creep,” and that…

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Test Your OASIS Savvy: M1040 & M1045

Posted on 18. Nov, 2009 by .

Looking for a staff training tool for M1040 & M1045? Here it is.

Scenario: You are discharging a patient on Jan. 2, 2010, at the end of his second episode of care. You had already administered the seasonal flu vaccine to…

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Final 2010 Home Health Service Rates Available

Posted on 11. Nov, 2009 by .

Watch Out: Congressional action could cut rates in near future.

As we mentioned last week, CMS issued the final home health prospective payment system update on Oct. 30. This…

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News from NAHC: Protect Your HHA Against A Wave Of Denials

Posted on 21. Oct, 2009 by .

Photo: Thomas Pintaric

We’ve got the latest on MACs, RACs & possible new CoPs for HHAs.

Couldn’t make it out to Los Angeles for the National Association…

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OASIS: Check Out This Resource To Improve Your Rehospitalization Score

Posted on 26. Aug, 2009 by .

Here’s how to find out which local hospitals have the highest readmission rates

Home health agencies often find that their struggle to reduce hospital readmissions collides with the hospital’s or physician’s practice patterns or needs. A new piece of public…

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