The Norton Pressure Ulcer Risk-Assessment Scale is a tool designed to help clinicians evaluate patients’ risk of developing pressure injuries. Nurse Doreen Norton developed the scale in 1962 and it has been widely used since its creation. Today, it is one of the three most-used tools and is comparable in... Keep Reading
At the 2023 Home Care 100 conference, Axxess Founder and CEO John Olajide sat on a panel as an industry expert for the general session titled, “The State of Medicare Reimbursement: Policy, Payment, and Provider Advocacy.” Other panelists included leaders of enterprise healthcare providers, a lobbyist and a representative of... Keep Reading
It’s important for all members of a care at home team to understand their part in the organization’s quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) program. Home health aides (HHAs) and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) have a critical role in improving the quality of life and care delivery that a patient... Keep Reading
In today's digital healthcare landscape, it can be difficult to track when and where claim payments are being processed and delivered. Providers having better insight into historical processing can give trends that inform when the organization will receive payments, as well as the payment amounts. This enables organizations to plan... Keep Reading
Serenity Home Health operates in Skokie, Illinois, near Chicago. With 300 visits completed each week and an active census of more than 150 patients, its lean crew of back-office staff was looking for a way to grow their business and scale their operations. Serenity’s Lorenzo Torre, the director of nursing,... Keep Reading
Although payments from home health value-based purchasing (HHVBP) won’t be remitted until 2025, the outcomes that will determine those payments are already happening. 2023 is the first performance year with data used to determine the first HHVBP payment organizations will receive.
HHVBP will have a significant impact on an organization’s finances... Keep Reading
Home health and hospice organizations must follow federal regulations in how they provide care, but that necessity can mean some patients won’t get the care they need. Those with a serious illness or complex care needs may not progress in home health, but they also may not be ready for... Keep Reading
For both initial hospice certification and recertification, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires an attestation by the hospice medical director that the patient has a medical prognosis of six months or less if the disease follows its normal course. Most of the burden for certification and recertification... Keep Reading
Although payments from home health value-based purchasing (HHVBP) won’t be remitted until 2025, the outcomes that will determine those payments are already happening. 2023 is the first performance year with data used to determine the first HHVBP payment organizations will receive.
HHVBP will have a significant impact on an organization’s finances... Keep Reading
Many care at home organizations operate with clinical teams providing patient care and teams focused on organizational growth. The collaboration between those teams may not come naturally if individuals tend to stay within their own scope of work. However, cross-team collaboration is key to serving more patients with the best... Keep Reading
The Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) was created to evaluate a hospice provider’s response to the patient’s, family’s and caregivers’ needs and to ensure hospices have a solid foundation for providing quality care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) determines the measures that will be used in the... Keep Reading
As care at home organizations are containing costs, they may miss the mark by cutting back on the things that truly keep teams going. Often, opportunities to attend conferences are the first to be cut. Organization leaders may only look at the cost and how it affects the budget, rather... Keep Reading
