News briefs
Hospice a factor in best hospital list’
If a hospital wants to be considered one of the best in the country, it had better have access to hospice care. U.S. News and World Report released its list of "America’s Best Hospitals" in its Aug. 4 issue. The availability of hospice and palliative care services was a significant criterion in its deliberations, which included evaluations of 6,003 hospitals across the country.
The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO) in Alexandria, VA, applauded the magazine for its understanding of the importance of hospice services for patients and families coping with serious and life-limiting illness, according an NHPCO press release.
Of the 6,003 hospitals that qualified for review, 203 different medical centers were recognized for outstanding work in 17 specialty areas. Among the best medical centers in the country dealing with cancer, geriatrics, and respiratory disorders, 96% have hospice and/or palliative care services available. One hundred percent of the highest-rated heart and heart surgery centers offer hospice and/or palliative care. Palliative care is found in 74% of rheumatology programs.
The presence of hospice and palliative care as criteria for excellence reflects a growing understanding of the need for quality end-of-life care. These services represent an investment in the patients, families, and communities these organizations serve.
"Increasing access to hospice and palliative care will enhance the quality of health care all consumers should come to expect from hospitals in this country," said J. Donald Schumacher, president of the NHPCO. "Here at NHPCO we are working to increase access to hospice and promote quality end-of-life care across America. This valuable report will certainly help increase awareness and understanding."
Providers gear up for new HIPAA regulations
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) won’t seek out and penalize health care organizations that don’t comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) transactions and code sets rule after the rule’s Oct. 16 implementation deadline. Instead, CMS will focus on helping covered entities meet the new requirements. The agency does not have the resources to search for noncompliant entities and will deal with noncompliance on a case-by-case basis, according to Leslie Norwalk, CMS deputy administrator.
Providers who still need help meeting the requirements — which are intended to eliminate the hassle and costs of paper claims forms by requiring payers, clearinghouses, and providers to follow a standardized form for transmitting claims information — can visit a web site designed by the Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange in Reston, VA, and the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare in Washington, DC.
The web site contains schedules for testing and implementing electronic transactions standards, links to different organizations’ best practices HIPAA companion guides, and links to other useful web sites related to transaction and code sets requirements. The web site address is: www.wedi.org/snip/caqhimptools.
JCAHO revises areas for random surveys in 2004
The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has revised the fixed and variable performance areas that will be evaluated during random unannounced surveys next year. Beginning in 2004, performance will be reviewed in selected critical focus areas — processes, systems, or structures in a health care organization that significantly affect the quality and safety of care.
The 2004 fixed performance areas are:
- staffing;
- infection control;
- medication management;
- national patient safety goals that are relevant to an organization’s care and services.
A sample of 5% of organizations accredited under the ambulatory care, behavioral health care, home care, hospital, and long-term care programs are randomly selected for unannounced surveys each year. Random unannounced surveys will end in January 2006, when JCAHO will begin conducting all regular accreditation surveys on an unannounced basis.
CMS: 3.3% rise in home health payment rates
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a 3.3% increase in Medicare payment rates to home health agencies (HHAs) for fiscal year 2004. The increase will provide an extra $340 million in payments to HHAs next year. Home health payment rates are updated annually by the percentage change in the home health market basket index. CMS establishes the home health market basket index, which measures inflation in the prices of a selected mix of goods and services included in home health services. The updated payment rates are published in the July 2 issue of the Federal Register.
In addition, on June 16, CMS launched "Home Health Information Resource for Medicare," a new on-line tool for HHAs. The resource center on the CMS web site provides a comprehensive database that includes information on enrollment and participation, initiatives, policies and regulations, coding and billing, Outcome Assessment and Information Set, research, education, preventive services, program integrity, and Medicare secondary payers.
The web site also gives HHAs information for staying on top of the latest developments in the home care industry, with sections on the latest news and where to find it, home care contacts, and home health highlights. The web site says CMS created the page to "incorporate all home health-specific information in one place" and will update it regularly. You can find the site at: www.cms.hhs.gov/providers/hha.
No quick end to nursing shortage, new report says
Although health care organizations are using innovative strategies to recruit and retain nurses, and federal, state, and local government agencies are providing financial support to help alleviate shortages, the national nursing shortage will continue to be one of the greatest challenges to the health care industry for many years, according to a report issued by Fitch Ratings, an international credit rating agency in New York City.
Because health care providers will continue to experience salary inflation and increasing benefit expenses, these costs will offset any savings from increased operational efficiency in other areas.
The "Nursing Shortage Update" report can be found at www.fda.gov. Click "U.S. Public Finance," then "Special Reports."
Hospice a factor in best hospital list; providers gear up for new HIPAA regulations; JCAHO revises areas for random surveys in 2004; CMS: 3.3% rise in home health payment rates; no quick end to nursing shortage, new report says
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