Volume 3 Issue 3 | March 2019
HCCInsights
New Signs of Growth in Home-Based Primary Care
Spring is just around the corner and in home-based primary care, years of hard work are beginning to blossom:  

  • Third-year results of the Independence at Home (IAH) Demonstration were recently released – showing another $16.8 million in savings, all while providing high quality care to the sickest of the sick in our patient population. IAH continues to be the most successful Medicare demonstration ever implemented.
  • The American Academy of Home Care Medicine and other partners are making significant progress toward payment reform. An advanced payment model is on the horizon. This is expected to include monthly PMPM payments, improved E/M codes, rights of nurse practitioners to sign home health certifications, a simpler durable medical equipment process, and successful completion of years 6 and 7 of the IAH Demonstration. 
  • HCCI has signed a contract with Shandong University in Jinan, China, to create the first home-based training center in China. 
  • For the first time ever, our foundational two-day workshop, HCCI Essential Elements of Home Based Primary Care™ was offered in Dallas (March 21-22) and will be offered next in Tampa (April 4-5). 

Thank you for helping to bring this wonderful care to patients and caregivers and helping to transform our health system!
Independence at Home Year 3 Results

In the third performance year of the Demonstration, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) found that the 15 participating practices saved a total of approximately 4.7 percent, equating to $16.3 million, an average of $1,431 per applicable beneficiary. CMS will provide incentive payments to seven practices for an aggregate amount of $7.2 million. For the third performance year, 14 of the 15 IAH practices improved on at least one quality measure from performance year 2. Five of the practices met the performance thresholds for all six quality measures.


Your Input is Needed!
HCCI is conducting an education needs assessment, and your input is needed! Please complete this brief survey  by Friday, March 29. It should take no more than 5-7 minutes of your time. Thank you!

More from the HCCI Web Video Series:
I "Heart" House Calls
Back by popular demand, we're thrilled to share more stories about what this transformative model of care has meant to people who provide it and to the patients and families who benefit from it.

Have house calls had an impact on your life? Whether you're a provider, a family member, caretaker or patient, if house calls have made an impact on your life, we'd love to hear from you and share your story. Contact HCCI at 630-283-9200 or info@hccinstitute.org.
Jeff and Pam Nielsen
Jeff and Pam Nielsen share their very personal story - making the decision to keep Jeff's dad out of the nursing home and care for him in their home during the last years of his life. They share some of the initial challenges as well as the profound effect home-based primary care had on them and their family.

Barbara Sutton, RN, APN
Barbara Sutton is a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner and house call provider. Learn what she loves most about making house calls and how she builds teams of community-based care providers to aid in the care of her patients.

Upcoming 2019 HCCI Workshops
April 4-5
Tampa, FL

June 13-14
Schaumburg, IL