Fines for Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violations have been adjusted for inflation. A pre-publication version of the U.S. Department of Labor’s final rule increasing the civil monetary penalties was posted Jan. 15. About two weeks after OASIS-D took effect, CMS has issued its quarterly Q&A update providing guidance on items new to the assessment, as well as items that were also present on OASIS-C2. The Billers’ Association for Long-Term Care (BALTC) is a membership community created specifically for professionals involved in the long-term care revenue cycle. This national association provides members with a resource of continuously updated tools, reimbursement and regulatory guidance, and education to help prevent revenue loss and documentation and billing errors so providers can withstand audits at any point in time. With its involved expert advisory board members and active talk group, this engaged group of professionals is a great place for sharing and receiving best practices, tips, and tools with your peers! Membership benefits include: A weekly enewsletter that highlights regulatory changes and provides coding and billing guidance A subscription to our monthly newsletter, Billing Alert for Long-Term Care, which offers in-depth coverage of the industry and regulatory changes that impact the important role you play at your facility A quarterly webinar that breaks down recent regulatory changes A quarterly, electronic white paper on top billing and reimbursement issues An active list serv to collaborate and share ideas with fellow members To review all of the benefits of membership, please visit our webpage! Use coupon code BALTC155 to take advantage of this discount!* *Use coupon code BALTC155 at checkout to save 60% on a one-year Billers’ Association for Long-Term Care membership. Discount not applicable to current BALTC members or previous purchases and is not to be combined with any other offers. Coupon code expires 6/30/2019 at 11:59pm PT. The next data submission deadline for HHCAHPS is 11:59 p.m. EST Jan. 17. But note that CMS says that to ensure files can be accepted by the deadline, files must be submitted on or before Jan. 16. The National Association for Healthcare Revenue Integrity (NAHRI) is currently seeking speakers to present at the 2019 Revenue Integrity Symposium (RIS), to be held October 15–16, 2019, at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. RIS attendees will be eligible to earn CHRI CEUs and speakers will be eligible to earn additional CHRI CUEs. Speakers are welcome to present on all aspects of revenue integrity, Medicare compliance, and the revenue cycle in acute and long-term care settings. Click here to learn more. CR 11064 (MLN Matters) provides the Calendar Year 2019 annual update for the Medicare DMEPOS fee schedule. New in the January issue of PPS Alert for Long-Term Care... The survey mindset: Stay prepared and know what to expect The survey is not usually just a desultory examination of the facility. The survey team usually prepares and does its home-work before entering the facility. It will often use a quality indicator (QI) profile that is created through Minimum Data Set (MDS) submissions. It also looks at the facility’s history of compliance and noncompliance. Using the OSCAR 3 and 4 reports (online survey certification and reporting documents) is also important. The OSCAR 3 report provides a four-year his-torical overview of the facility regarding issues of compliance and noncompliance, and the OSCAR 4 report provides an overview of the facility as compared to other facilities, espe-cially on issues of citation and population characteristics. The QI report will demonstrate how facilities rate in areas such as psychotropic drug use, delirium and dementia, or incontinence, just to mention a few, and presents the facility on a percentile level in relation to other facilities. If the facility is in the 70th, 80th, or 90th percentile, this immediately raises concerns that the survey team will usually examine. Not a subscriber? Sign up here. Monthly In-Service: January issue of CNA Training Advisor Documentation standards Click here to receive a new lesson plan every month, including course materials, a 4-page in-service, and a quiz targeted to address the unique needs, interests, and concerns of CNAs. Education and Training Tools Identifying and Preventing UTIs in Long-Term Care PDPM and Therapy Contracts: How to Adjust and Negotiate Withstand Surveys by Mastering Your Understanding of Newly Released Interpretive Guidelines Weather Any Disaster: Tighten Up Your Agency's Emergency Preparedness Home Health Administrator's Summit, May 15-17, 2019 - Las Vegas | | Product Spotlight At HCPro, we help your organization make faster, better decisions by connecting your challenges and questions to an unrivaled network of experts, resources, and solutions. With a shared-cost membership, you can expect world-class thinking and advice without having to worry about the meter running or expensive consulting fees. An all-encompassing offering, PROPELAdvisory Services is available in six domains, with more on the way. Our growing family includes memberships in Medicare, long-term care, clinical documentation improvement, medical staff, coding, and revenue cycle management. Click here to learn more, or contact us at: 615-724-7213 | advisoryservices@hcpro.com |
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