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When the decision was made to close the private duty home care division of Riverside Home Health in Kankankee, IL, the good news for employees was the opportunity to accept other positions in the Medicare-certified home health agency.
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It's a tough time to be a hospice manager. For years, you've implemented new processes designed to strengthen your agency, but it's hard to fight an economic environment that is forcing all industries to re-evaluate how they conduct business.
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Not many hospice nurses have had patients offer them access to their online personal health records (PHR). However, but now is the time to prepare for that offer, suggests Karen Golden Russell, MBA, senior marketing manager for Philips Home Healthcare Solutions in Andover.
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Hospice nurses are accustomed to point-of-care technology for completing charts and assessments. But, is your agency prepared for access to, or uploads to, your patient's personal health record (PHR)?
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The newest requirement for compliance with Goal 7 of the 2009 National Patient Safety Goals from The Joint Commission is "implement best practices or evidence-based guidelines to prevent central line-associated bloodstream infections." The requirement applies to short- and long-term central venous catheters and peripherally inserted central catheter lines.
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The importance of reducing deadly drug- resistant, health care-acquired infections is the basis for the requirement in The Joint Commission's (TJC's) 2009 National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) to reduce the risk of infection associated with central lines.
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The idea of an agency-leased fleet of cars for use by employees might seem overwhelming to some home care managers, but careful planning, thorough evaluation, and choosing the right vendor are essential for a successful program, says Denise McNitt, RN, MS, division executive for Alegent Health at Home in Omaha, NE.
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Hospices serving Medicare beneficiaries will see a 2.5% increase in their payments for 2009, according to a final regulation published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The increase in the hospice wage index is the net result of a 3.6% increase in the "market basket" indicator of cost, offset by a 1.1% decrease in payments to hospices as CMS phases out a transitional payment to these providers.
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A creative approach to getting travel costs under control will mean an annual savings of least $50,000 for Alegent Health at Home in Omaha, NE. Moving to a fleet of agency-owned hybrid vehicles, the hospice and home health agency expects to save money previously reimbursed for employees' business travel costs.
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According to the recently released report on the Medicare Recovery Audit Contractor (RAC) three-year demonstration program, RACs recouped $992.7 million in overpayments to providers, while $37.8 million in underpayments were repaid to providers.
