Session # 1
2011 Home Health Changes: A New Care Model

Tuesday, February 1, 2011
1:00 to 2:30 pm

Session # 2

Home Health Therapy Re-Wired for Efficiency

Tuesday, February 15, 2011
1:00 to 2:30 pm

Session # 3
Home Health Providers Confront Nursing and Back Office Changes

Tuesday, March 1, 2011
1:00 to 2:30 pm

Session # 1 2011 Home Health Changes: A New Care Model

Description  Home Health providers and therapists will find themselves working in a new and constantly evolving Medicare homecare model in 2011. CMS changes as identified by the 2011 PPS Rule will combine with audit scrutiny from multiple contractors to create the perfect storm in our industry, and agencies will be challenged to re-define their care philosophies. Decreased funding, proposed to continue over the next few years, qualification requirements that focus specifically on therapy care, and reporting and billing changes that are anything but business as usual lay ahead for Home Health agencies and their clinicians. In addition, MedPac proposals for 2012 and beyond introduce co-payments and eliminate therapy volumes from the reimbursement formula. Whether you run or own an agency or provide clinical nursing or therapy services; don’t be left behind. Identify areas of concern in your agency or therapy practice and address them before they threaten your stability as a homecare provider.

Objectives  (1) Identify 2011 PPS Rule changes and Home Health concerns, (2) Outline MedPac Home Health proposals and issues projected for 2012, (3) Illustrate areas of concern for Home Health therapy staff, (4) Describe a progressive homecare model for the future.

Session # 2  Home Health Therapy Re-Wired for Efficiency

Description  The 2011 PPS Rule outlines significant therapy changes that address skilled qualification requirements, care plan production and documentation changes required for coverage. In addition, new topics such as transient decline non-coverage, re-evaluation requirements, and face-to-face regulations will directly or indirectly affect therapy program content and volumes. This presentation will help illustrate CMS philosophies and program goals for therapy, identify areas of concern for providers, and introduce successful protocols for maximizing outcomes while limiting denial exposure. Many providers describe difficulties staffing and managing therapy rosters; these changes will only increase their concerns. Learn progressive methods of managing therapy care so your agency, patients, and therapists can remain on the road to success.

Objectives  (1) Review therapy proposals from the 2011 PPS Rule, (2) Identify areas of audit or programming exposure for therapy care in Home Health, (3) Propose protocols for therapy control and qualification, (4) Describe various methods employed by other provider types that manage therapy concerns.

Session # 3  Home Health Providers Confront Nursing and Back Office Changes
Description What areas of concern exist in Home Health agencies that must be addressed in response to Medicare reform changes described in the 2011 PPS Rule?  Much more than therapy changes will be experienced by Home Health agencies; what MedPac proposals offer insight into further modifications required as we move into the next decade; How can providers address areas in nursing care delivery to minimize the effects of these reforms? And what office procedures have outlived their usefulness in this era of homecare change? These and other questions will be answered in this third webinar addressing contemporary changes that Home Health providers must consider as their industry evolves. Progressive methods of responding to care concerns, decreased reimbursement and patient populations, and nursing and back office costs will be addressed for the provider and clinician. Learn how to stay on the care pathway with procedures that are built around contemporary and future Home Health concerns.

Objectives  (1) Outline fiscal changes produced by 2011 PPS Rule changes, (2) Identify areas of care delivery or office procedures challenged by these fiscal changes, (3) Describe protocols that address areas of concerning nursing and office management.