Time is Running out for Home Health Agencies

Time is running out to register for our latest home health seminar!

Stepping Up For Home Health

February 3^rd to 5^th, 2014

Monte Carlo Hotel & Casino

Las Vegas, NV

The Hotel Will Release Room Block on January 6, 2014

Are you ready for ICD-10?  Do you understand the State of OASIS and Coding Now and in 2014?  Have you developed an approach to Financial Management to improve your operations?  Are you ready to prepare proper documentation to obtain Medicare payments for your patients?  Do you have a plan to respond to audits by RACs or ZPICs?  Has your agency prepared for the Medicare reimbursement changes for 2014?   Do you understand how to work with Accountable Care Organizations?  Are you ready to lead your agency through the various changes?  Have you developed a plan to grow your home health agency?  Do you understand how Developing Your Inner Game can lead you to success?  Have you implemented all the changes required by the HIPPA/HITECH Act?

Merry Christmas

From Our Home to Yours

Merry Christmas Wishing you health and happiness this Holiday Season and prosperity in the New Year. Dixon Healthcare Solutions, Inc. We wish you a Merry Christmas and hope that you will be able to spend time with Family and Friends. Richard and Margaret Dixon wish to thank you for making our year great. Our year has included: Seminars in Vegas January 2013 Preparation of many Cost Reports Seminars on the Big Island of Hawaii Webinar in December on PPS Final Rules for 2014

Link to the Final Rule - CMS Publishes Home Health Final Payment Rate in Federal Register for 2014

CMS Publishes Home Health Final Payment Rate in Federal Register for 2014

CMS has published the Final Rule for Home Health Prospective Payment System update for 2014. It will impact home health payments for the next four years.  The current year impact will reduce home health payments by 1.05 percent or $200 million, but the future impact will be much worse.

Urban Episode Base Rate       $2,869.27

Rural Episode Base Rate         $2,955.15

The above rates include a 34.64% increase in base rate for case mix, but the case mixes are also reduced by percent adjusted in case mix.  Remember the case mix rates are reduced by 34.64%.  The real rates without the impact of adjusting the case mix rates are a reduction of $28.76 or 1.34%.

LUPA Rates     Urban Episodes          Rural Episodes

SN                    $121.10                       $124.73

PT                    $132.40                       $136.37

OT                   $133.30                       $137.30

SP                    $143.88                       $148.20

MSW               $194.12                       $199.94

HHA                   $54.84                         $56.49

Remember all base episode payment rates and LUPA rates must be adjusted for wage index and all rates will be reduced by 2 percent for home health agencies that do not report quality data.

Your episode rates will be reduced by $80.95 for rebasing in 2015, 2016 and 2017.  You will also have a reduction inflation factor adjustment of 1% in 2015, 2016, and 2017.

We will be presenting the “2014 Home Health PPS Final Rule – 2014 in a Webinar” on Wednesday December 4^th from 3:00 to 4:00 PM EST.   It will cover the CMS Rebasing of Home Health Payments, Home Health Episode Payment Rates, LUPA Payment Rates, Medical Supply payment Rates, Changes in Home Health Agency Case Mix, Home Health Wage Index, the 170 Codes Removed from the Home Health PPS Grouper, and Changes in Home Health Quality Reporting.  Richard Dixon will be present the Webinar Live, but you can also review the webinar at a later time because it will be recorded.  The registration fee is only $149 for your entire company.  The fee includes handout you will receive via email.  For more information please go to www.dixonhsi.com and click on the PPS 2014 Webinar.

The link to the final rule is listed below

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-12-02/pdf/2013-28457.pdf