Volume 21.13
We are very excited to be sponsoring our Hospice Financial Management Academy live again. The 2021 program will be held at the Paris Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on September 13-14, 2021. The response to this program has been tremendous.
Based on discussions with Caesar’s Properties, owner of the Paris Hotel and Casino, all necessary accommodations for our group have been made and Las Vegas is open for business. This will be an exciting week to be in Las Vegas with the opening of the new football stadium and the first Monday Night Football game of the season.
We believe this will be a great program providing up-to-date information on financial topics of importance and enhancing that education with the networking which is only available through live programming. Attendance at our programs has always been limited to benefit the interaction between attendees, as well as between attendees and presenters. The program will be sold out. Everyone is anxious to get back together.
NAHC Home Care and Hospice Annual Conference and Expo – We are also pleased to be notified that the National Association for Home Care & Hospice has made the decision to keep the Annual Meeting as a live event, scheduled for October in New Orleans. The Health Group, LLC will be exhibiting at this program. Let us know if you are planning on attending. We are looking forward to seeing you there.
MEDICARE ADVANTAGE VBID ENTERS SECOND YEAR
CMS believes that the number of Medicare Advantage Plans will expand the Hospice Benefit Component as the Value-Based Insurance Design Model (“VBID”) enters its second year. As a result, changes are being implemented to identify patients enrolled in the model. Understanding VBID and preparing for participation in Medicare Advantage is on the agenda at the Hospice Financial Management Academy.
HOSPICES NEED TO PREPARE FOR CHANGES IN CMS SURVEYS AND ENFORCEMENT
Hospices are still digesting the changes proposed by CMS to hospice surveys and the enforcement provisions contained in the proposed rule relating to FY 2022 payments to home health agencies. Among the most significant moves CMS is taking is the establishment of a Special Focus Program (SFP) with the authority to penalize hospices that have a history of serious deficiencies during CMS or accreditation surveys. SFPs would be authorized to impose fines, suspend reimbursement, appoint temporary management to bring the hospice into compliance, or revoke a provider’s Medicare certification.
The proposed rule would make accreditation survey reports publicly available. Historically, these have been kept confidential. CMS and the accreditors are faced with the complex task of making those reports available in a format that lay people can understand.