Hospice wage index for 2009 proposed
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed changes to the Medi-are hospice wage index for FY 2009.
The proposed rule would phase out over three years a payment adjustment that was added in 1997 to minimize disruption in beneficiary access to hospice services. Proposed changes will phase out this adjustment by 25% in FY 2009, 50% in FY 2010, and 25% in FY 2011. This will reduce projected hospice payments by $2.29 billion over five years. Combined with an estimated hospice market basket increase of 3%, the changes in the rule would result in an average net update of 1.9% in FY 2009.
CMS will accept comments on the proposed rule through June 27. A final rule is expected by August. To see the proposed rule, go to www.cms.hhs.gov, select "regulations and guidance" from the home page, scroll down to "browse by provider type" and choose "hospice center." The link to download the rule "CMS-1548-P" is located under "spotlights."
NY registry for aides proposed
New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has proposed legislation and the legislature approved in June that creates a statewide registry of home health and personal care aides. The proposal is an attempt to fight fraud in the home health industry that was uncovered in an ongoing investigation by Cuomo's office.
The registry will reassure patients and families that the caregivers have received the training, certification, and criminal background checks required by the state. A New York registry already exists for nurse aides that work in nursing homes.
The registry will be updated at least every 30 days and home care agencies would need to check the registry prior to hiring an aide. The registry will also include a comprehensive list of all state-approved education or training programs for home care services workers.
The following information would be included in the registry:
The aide's name, address, gender and date of birth.
The name of the state-approved education or training program successfully completed.
The employment history in home care services.
Findings of prior instances of physical abuse, mistreatment, neglect, or misappropriation of a patient's property.
Any prior determination by the Department of Health that the person was approved or disapproved for employment in connection with a check of criminal history information.
The legislation is also supported by the Healthcare Association of New York State, the New York Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, the Home Care Association of New York State and the Empire State Association of Assisted Living.
HIPAA data available on-line
New information from the The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) about HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) enforcement of the privacy rule has been posted on the OCR website.
The Web site features a new section, entitled "Data," on its Compliance and Enforcement web page. The section contains the following information:
- Enforcement results by year
- State-by-state reports
- The number of complaints received each year
- The top five issues investigated each year
To view the new section of the OCR web site, go to: http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/enforcement/data.html
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released proposed changes to the Medi-are hospice wage index for FY 2009.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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