Coronavirus Preparedness and Screening Questions for HBPC Practices and Providers
The new coronavirus has now been diagnosed in more than 100 locations internationally, including multiple states across the United States. To learn more about what home-based primary care (HBPC) practices and providers should consider in relation to the outbreak, see this video from Dr. Paul Chiang, Senior Medical and Practice Advisor with the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI).

Here are screening questions HBPC practices and providers can ask patients and/or their caregivers when addressing upper respiratory infection symptoms or calling to set up appointments:
 
  • Within the last 14 days, has the patient and/or caregiver or anyone in the household traveled to a country with a level 2 or greater travel notice, including China, Japan, South Korea, Italy, or Iran?
  • Has the patient been exposed to someone who has confirmed COVID-19 and is having symptoms of fever and cough or fever and difficulty breathing?
 
If either of the above screening questions are answered in the positive, the call should be triaged to the local department of health or to infectious disease specialists in the practice’s/provider’s health system to determine the next steps.

HCCI has published a resource on Infection Control. Download it here.
 
Additional important notes:
 
  • House call providers should have personal protective equipment (PPE) available if the clinical situation mandates its use.
  • Practices can consider the use of telephonic/telemedicine as an alternative to house calls, as needed and appropriate.
  • Continue checking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for the most up-to-date information.
  • HCCI has created a COVID-19 Information Hub to keep practices and providers updated about the outbreak.
 
Also, read this important information for HBPC practices and providers about coronavirus on the American Academy of Home Care Medicine website’s newsletter page .

HCCI and NNPEN Conference:
Different Strategies, Shared Vision
How can Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and others effectively start up and/or expand a home-based primary care (HBPC) practice? Just ask the participants who attended the February 7- 8 joint conference hosted by the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI) and the National Nurse Practitioner Entrepreneur Network (NNPEN) in Phoenix.

With NPs being the fastest-growing segment of HBPC providers, the conference provided attendees with critical information on planning and operating a successful and sustainable HBPC practice. Participants brought varying backgrounds and HBPC experience levels to the conference, entitled, “Blueprint for Success: Building and Growing Your Home-Based Primary Care Practice.” The first day concluded with... Read more
Upcoming Events
HCCIntelligence ™ Webinar
Wednesday, March 18, 4 pm-5 pm (Central Time)
Medication Management: The Art of De-prescribing Medications

Presenter
  • Paul Chiang, MD – Senior Medical and Practice Advisor, HCCI, and Medical Director of Northwestern Medicine HomeCare Physicians

 
HCCIntelligence™ is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as medical advice.
HCCI Workshops
October 22-24, 2020 - Orlando, FL
American Academy of Home Care Medicine (AAHCM) Annual Meeting
and Preconference presented by HCCI

November 19-20, 2020 - Schaumburg (Chicago), IL
Advanced Applications of Home-Based Primary Care™

December 3-4, 2020 - Orlando, FL
Essential Elements of Home-Based Primary Care™
Practice Management Tip of the Month:
Keep Your Practice Financially Healthy
Revenue cycle management (RCM) encompasses all the administrative and clinical functions that contribute to the identification, capture and management of patient service revenue. A periodic review of RCM basics may uncover opportunities for process improvement within your organization. Points to consider:
 
  • Do you have in-house support, or will you outsource RCM, billing and coding functions? If outsourced, do you receive consistent reports and feedback on your practice’s billing and coding?
  • Do your providers and support staff receive ongoing education on Evaluation and Management (E/M) and billing considerations specific to house calls?
  • Are your providers responsible for selecting their own billing codes or do you have an internal coding review?
  • Do you monitor certain services (e.g., time-based) for accuracy and completeness prior to claim submission?
  • Are progress notes locked and signed within 72 hours? Who monitors open encounter lags?
  • How quickly are claims being paid and who follows up on outstanding unpaid claims/denials?
 
Also, be sure not to overlook the following:
 
  • Credentialing – Documentation of each payer enrollment process and ensuring all providers are credentialed with each payer.
  • Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Compliance – Section 6401 of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires providers to develop and implement a formal health care compliance program.
  • Denial management process – Examine, resolve and/or appeal claims to recover lost revenues.
 
Finally, remember that, whether managed in-house or outsourced, successful RCM strategies depend on the accuracy and thoroughness of front-end tasks, such as verifying active insurance coverage prior to visits and the effective denial management process mentioned above.
Key Partner Announcements
American Academy of Home Care Medicine – Announced a Call for Speakers for its 2020 Annual Meeting, entitled A World of Opportunities: Leveraging the Power of Home Care Medicine, which will be held in Orlando from October 22-24. More information on the call and submission portal can be found here . The submission deadline is March 18, 2020, at 11:59 pm CT.

The John A. Hartford Foundation – The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) invited health systems to join the next seven-month Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) Action Community , which will begin March 25, 2020. The IHI is partnering on the initiative with The John A. Hartford Foundation, the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Participants will learn to implement and test the 4Ms framework for age-friendly care, share learnings and tips in a virtual community, and receive public recognition for their commitment to improving the care of older adults. The goal of the initiative is to develop an AFHS framework and rapidly spread it to 20 percent of U.S. hospitals and health systems by the end of this year.​​ Learn more at ihi.org/AgeFriendly .

The Home-Based Primary Care Learning Network – Announced a Request for Applications (RFA) to join their next Learning Network of 10 practices focused on advancing quality improvement skills of home-based medical practices. More information about the RFA, including how to apply, can be found here . The submission deadline is April 3, 2020.
HCCI In The News
HCCIntelligence ™ Resource Center
At HCCI, we recognize the numerous challenges that can be encountered by HBPC providers and practice staff and the value of having access to knowledgeable experts and timely guidance. HCCI has developed a number of free resources to help you and your practice through our HCCIntelligence™ Resource Center .
HCCIntelligence™ is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as medical advice.
HCCI education and training initiatives including HCCIntelligence™
are funded in part by a grant from The John A. Hartford Foundation .
Home Centered Care Institute
This email is an advertisement for the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI). HCCI is passionately committed to its vision of
transforming our nation’s healthcare system by creating universal access to best practice house calls programs,
to ensure that chronically ill, medically complex patients have access to high-quality care in their homes.
Connect with HCCI