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LIST-SERV EMAIL IS CHANGING APRIL 23!
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Many of you take advantage of the AAHCP member's only list-serv. Due to a severe price hike, we have to change list-serv providers. This means that as of April 23rd we will officially switch to a new email address for the list-serv. To send messages to our new list-serv email, homecaremed@npogroups.org.To view our list-serv rules please click here. We will do our best to transfer all of our members as seamlessly as possible. If you believe that your email was dropped in the transfer or to change how you receive list-serv messages please contact us at membership@aahcp.org.
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CMS Innovation Center Announces Primary Care Initiative of Interest to Academy Members in 7 Markets. Initiative is Another Reason for Academy Members to Develop Practice Capacity and to Attend Learning Collaborative in May in Seattle.
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The CMS Innovation Center has selected seven geographic markets to carry out the Comprehensive Primary Care initiative, a new multi-payer approach that aims to strengthen the primary care system while achieving better health care and lower costs through improvement. This is an additional fee for service demonstration for which Academy members in the selected markets can apply. The markets are:
Arkansas: Statewide
Colorado: Statewide
New Jersey: Statewide
New York: Capital District-Hudson Valley Region
Ohio: Cincinnati-Dayton Region
Oklahoma: Greater Tulsa Region
Oregon: Statewide
You will want to review information about the initiative here.
There are similarities and important differences between this initiative and IAH. These include
- Housecalls included in definition of primary care under this demonstration.
- No shared savings until year 2 forward.
- Cannot be in another shared savings, no Pioneer ACO, no IAH etc.
- Requires EHR - no EHR no participation.
- Per member per month risk stratified additional payment for care coordination of $8 to $40
- Savings calculated on market basis versus individual practice. There is no minimum beneficiary requirement in this demonstration and CMS envisions that small practices will join with approved payors. As a result CMS will evaluate savings on an entire market basis due to the difficulty of calculation for individual small practice. Thus, shared savings in future years depends on performance of one's entire market.
- Up to 75 practices in each market will be accepted to participate in each market. This will occur once payors enter into memo of understanding with CMS.
We will keep you informed as this occurs. Until then, the announcement of the market areas and additional information about this demonstration can be found here.
Please contact Gary Swartz, JD, MPA with any questions.
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Annual Meeting Attendees: Make Your Plans Now!
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This year will feature several optional sessions and events. To help you think ahead:
1. If you have applied for the Independence at Home Demonstration, be sure to sign up for the Learning Collaborative May 2 from 1-5 PM (separate registration required). Click here to learn more and click here to register.
2. Thursday May 3, 7:00 AM, Willow Room: Education Interest Group. Join this group for breakfast outside the meeting room for the Practice Management Day. There you will give final input to the competencies list you think home care medicine providers should have, and talk about next steps in weaving these competencies into future educational programming and publications of the AAHCP. The session will be led by Past President Dr. Edward Ratner.
3. Thursday May 3, Lunch from 12:30-1:30, Willow Room: Join Board members Brent Feorene, Dr. Steve Phillips, Members Dr. Teresa Soriano and Dr. Raul Khorane in a discussion of what we know about the role of home care medicine programs inreducing hosptial readmissions. Especially for those of you working with or making proposals to hospitals. (A preliminary handout will be available; a Frontiers article will come out of this session)
4. Thursday, May 3, 5:00 PM: Join us for a Networking Reception, co-sponsored by Cleveland Clinic, Harden Healthcare, Invacare, and NAHC where you will have a chance to meet and interact with other members and unwind with snacks and drinks.
5. Friday, May 4, Lunch 12:30-1:30, Willow Room: Join Past Presidents Dr. Tom Edes and Gresham Bayne, and Dr. George Margelis in discussing the current usage of telemedicine with home-limited patients. (A handout will be be available; a Frontiers article will come out of this session).
We hope you can participate in these additional sessions and we will see you in Seattle!
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Academy Submits Recommendations to CMS as Part of Initiative to Reduce Audits/Medical Record Burden Upon Field and Your Practice
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The Academy has submitted recommendations to CMS regarding the definition of housecall practices and utilization expectations in response to a CMS Medical Director request and to reduce audits and medical record requests burden upon the field and your practice.
The letter serves as the start of dialogue with CMS medical directors to define the field, the settings in which you practice, the variety of models/types of practice (acute, episodic, longitudinal primary care) and the range of utilization that your models and types of service might produce. This is part of the important initiative of the Academy to reduce/seek exemption to audit requests and the burden of medical record review and resultant cash flow/practice viability issues.
The comment process was headed up by Dr. George Taler as Chair of the Public Policy Committee with assistance by members of the Public Policy and Practice Management Committees. The response to CMS is an excellent example of why the Academy needs to have practice metrics from its members in order to effectively advocate for the field and protect your practices from ill-advised policy and utilization review. Please help protect your practices by submitting data to the Practice Survey.
For a copy of the letter click here.
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CMS Announces the First ACO's Under the Medicare Shared Savings Program
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April 10, CMS announced the selection of the first 27 Accountable Care Organizations to participate in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Of the 27, 5 are participating in the Advance Payment ACO model. 32 Pioneer Model ACO's were announced last December.
For those of you who did not apply for IAH, you may wish to consider approaching these ACO's, for the cost savings and care improvement that your home-based primary care program could contribute greatly to their success.
The newly-approved ACO's, click here. For the Pioneer ACO's approved in December, click here.
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Comments Submitted on Proposed Overpayment 60 Day/10 Year Lookback Rule
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The Academy has submitted comments on the CMS proposed rule. The rule would provide the regulatory details of the PPACA requirement to return overpayments 60 days after you have "identified" an overpayment. The proposed rule also included provision that this requirement would last for 10 years (10 year "lookback" provision).
The Academy submitted comments and concerns relating to identifying an overpayment, to when the 60 day clock to return overpayment begins, to the interaction of the rule with other audit and medical record review programs, and to make the point that the 10 year look back provision was too long and inconsistent with other review programs (e.g., 3 years) and medical record retention policies (6 years). We will provide additional information as the rule is finalized and the Academy comments can be found here.
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Medical Management of the Home Care Patient - Updated and Available for Your Use!
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The Academy is pleased to announce an updated and expanded Medical Management of the Home Care Patient (MMHCP) is Now Available. This important publication for care of your patients and operating a home care medicine practice is updated with the most current and relevant material. This book is applicable to the practice and patients of all Academy members including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Leaders of your Academy in conjunction with the AMA authored the MMHCP. Order you copy here.
This 4th edition, like the field of home care medicine, has grown across many aspects of care, organization and regulation and covers the changing landscape from care of special populations, relationships with community based long term care supportive services through skilled nursing and therapy services to the latest in acute hospital in the home programs.
Specific topics include:
- The basis for care of the home care medicine patient.
- Care transitions and the importance of care transitions in reducing hospital readmissions.
- Legal, compliance and ethical issues that arise or are present in practice of home care medicine.
- The Veterans Administration's Home Based Primary Care Program.
- Special home care medicine populations from neonatal through hospice and end of life care.
- A caregiver self-assessment tool.
- A comprehensive glossary.
- Listing of national, state and local resources.
- Case studies, tables, figures and easy-to-read text.
- A continuing medical education component for physicians interested in obtaining AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™
The MMHCP is a care delivery complement to the expanded Field Guide to Home Care Medicine and both beginning and growing practices will want to have both references.
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Please contact Gary Swartz, JD, MPA at 410-679-5857 or Gary.Swartz@aahcp.org to discuss these or any other practice management issues or questions. |
Since 1988, the American Academy of Home Care Physicians has served the needs of thousands of physicians and related professionals, agencies and organizations interested in improving care of patients in the home.
Academy Board member volunteers and members work to reduce barriers to providing home care medicine and to enhance practice education. Notable successes include: fostering increased reimbursement, sponsoring multiple educational and scientific seminars, and providing the practice community with a variety of helpful publications.
Academy members include home care physicians - physicians who make house calls, care for homebound patients, act as home health agency medical directors, or who refer patients to home care agencies. They also include nurse practitioners, physician assistants, home health agencies, hospital systems and consultants interested in the field.
Members come from all across the United States. We also have some international members. The Academy welcomes student affiliates and corporate sponsor-members.
Constance F. Row, LFACHE
Executive Director |
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Are you taking advantage of all your member benefits? | | |
Being a member of the AAHCP comes with a number of members only benefits. We hope that you have taken advantage of all your membership has to offer. If not, click here to see what you are missing and how to make the most of your membership with us! |
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Practice Management and Technical Assistance Services | |
Access your Academy's "Practice Management and Technical Assistance Services" to obtain answers to your practice management questions. Listen to recent feedback:
"Thank you for talking to me today -- I learned a lot"
--Mary Ann Crumlish, PA-C
Comfort Care Medical Group
Jacksonville, FL
" The Academy has great resources."
"The fact that you called shows you care"
--Lyn O'Brien, PhD, ANP/GNP-BC
The Geriatric Center for Home Health Care
Franklin, MA
"Thanks again to the AAHCP for channeling our concerns and offering guidance and advocacy."
--Andrew Lyons, MD
Medical House Calls
New York, NY
The Academy's Practice Management and Technical Assistance Services are led by Gary Swartz, JD, MPA Associate Executive Director of the AAHCP who brings his extensive practice management service to your immediate aide.
Click here for more information. |
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Start Benchmarking Your Practice/Program Against Home Care Medicine Guidelines | |
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Unsure about whether your program meets "best practice" standards as a clinical practice? Find out now by buying Recommended Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Home Care Medicine.
This important document representing the collective wisdom of Academy experts with over 100 years of experience in the field will give you the guidance you need so you'll see where you are and where you need to go.
Guidelines can be bought as part of the Home Care Medicine Field Guide, click here to subscribe.
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