Welcome to the HealthPRO Heritage Blog

Senior Living Leaders: Hospital & SNF Partnerships Amidst COVID-19 Crisis

Posted on: March 31, 2020

Senior Living communities must recognize that partnerships with local hospitals & SNFs have never been more important. HealthPRO Heritage offers strategy & tangible resources to support Senior Living Leaders' efforts to collaborate with hospital and SNF partners during the COVID-19 crisis.

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Tags: senior living, Senior Living Community, COVID-19, Coronavirus, hospital

Your COVID-19 Response: Leveraging Part-B In-Home Therapy + Updates RE: Virtual Visits for Rehab

Posted on: March 30, 2020

Did you miss NetHealth’s webinar last weeK? The topic resonated with the industry; 2000+ providers registered to attend + ~75 questions logged during the FAQ. 

Discussion focused on the advantages of / and considerations for multiple Medicare Part B service models:  in-clinic; at home; virtual visits.

Here are the highlights!

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Tags: COVID-19

CMS Authorizes COVID-19 Accelerated and Advanced Medicare Payments to Qualifying Providers

Posted on: March 30, 2020

CMS provided notice of the expansion of its Accelerated and Advanced Payment Program for qualifying Medicare participating providers to ensure liquidity throughout the COVID-19 crisis. The Program enables qualifying Medicare providers to receive an advance worth 3 months of average billings.

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Tags: COVID-19, Coronavirus

From the Home Health Frontlines: Tips & Trends Amidst COVID-19 Crisis

Posted on: March 30, 2020

Fifteen-year home health therapist and Vice President of Clinical Strategies for HealthPRO Heritage at Home, Jason L. Sasser, shares best practices and perspective on what the COVID-19 crisis means for home health providers during his interview for The Strategy Academy podcast series. Highlights from that discussion are summarized here:

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Tags: COVID-19, #homehealth, Coronavirus

Early National PDGM Data and Metrics

Posted on: March 24, 2020

The National Association of Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) has released preliminary data specific to the early PDGM claims and trends. This is our first opportunity to be able to begin benchmarking performance compared to the trends that are occurring across the industry. Below you will find various different metrics that can be used to compare your agency performance under PDGM to the national averages of claims data submitted thus far. 

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Tags: PDGM, Patient-Driven Grouping Model, #homehealth

COVID-19 Terms: Difference Between Federal, State & Common Sense Measures

Posted on: March 23, 2020

Our nation’s leaders are taking steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by issuing local, state, and federal measures. It’s important for the healthcare industry to understand what’s being recommended to protect and serve residents and patients. To that end, HealthPRO Heritage summarizes the differences between quarantine, isolation, shelter in place, and stay at home orders + what these measures mean for staff and patients.

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Tags: COVID-19, Coronavirus, Essential

Therapists are Essential!

Posted on: March 23, 2020

Therapists are exempted from sheltering at home & are permitted to continue working.*

Even as states move to shelter-in-place directives, healthcare workers – including therapists – are deemed essential and play a critical role in the battle against COVID-19. 

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Tags: COVID-19, Coronavirus, Essential

COVID-19 Communication ToolKit Available for Healthcare Leaders

Posted on: March 20, 2020

In the unfortunate circumstance that your community experiences a COVID-19 event, do you have a communication strategy in place? 

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Tags: COVID-19, Coronavirus, Essential

COVID-19 Considerations for the IDT

Posted on: March 19, 2020

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, several important updates from CMS and the Department of Health & Human Services were posted over the last weekend. HealthPRO Heritage’s COVID-19 Task Force immediately released a summary about these updates (i.e.: waivers of the 3-day stay & the 60-day break). 

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Tags: COVID-19

Critical COVID-19 Resources for Our Staff

Posted on: March 19, 2020

Given the volume of information related to COVID-19, we wanted to take this opportunity to provide a resource for our therapists in the field who have many questions, concerns, anxieties, and curiosities about this situation and how HealthPRO Heritage is handling it. 

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Tags: COVID-19

HealthPRO Heritage's CEO Offers Encouragement & Guidance for Our Staff

Posted on: March 18, 2020

March 18, 2020

MEMO TO:  All HealthPRO Heritage Professionals
FROM:         John Heller, Chief Executive Officer
RE:                Encouragement & Guidance for Our Staff 

As we all look to understand and respond to the growing complications related to COVID-19, it can become a challenge to balance our daily lives, concerns for family and friends and the responsibilities of our jobs. 

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Tags: COVID-19

A True Home Health Partner through the COVID-19 Crisis

Posted on: March 18, 2020

Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, HealthPRO Heritage has organized a multi-faceted approach to preparedness and promotion of safe treatments to our patients, and implementation of strict precautions to prevent the risk of the virus spreading. Our Physical, Occupational, and Speech Therapists remain available and ready to serve the immediate patient care needs of our agency partners, many of whom are reporting staffing challenges.

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Tags: Home Health Agency, COVID-19

Two Important COVID-19 Updates as of March 16, 2020 • 11am EST

Posted on: March 16, 2020

HealthPRO Heritage has summarized important updates from a memo released by the Department of Health & Human Services found here and a memo released by CMS found here.

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Tags: COVID-19

Healthcare Leaders: Your Communication Strategy Amidst COVID-19 Crisis

Posted on: March 15, 2020

Amidst the COVID-19 crisis, HealthPRO Heritage shares an important resource. 

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Tags: COVID-19

Two Important COVID-19 Updates: As of March 12, 2020

Posted on: March 14, 2020

This is information is updated as of 03/12/20

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Tags: COVID-19

ICD-10 Coding for COVID-19 Cases

Posted on: March 12, 2020

This is information is updated as of 03/12/20 at 1:00pm EST

In the unfortunate event that a resident or patient in your care is a confirmed COVID-19 case, please note special ICD-10 coding will be necessary. The CDC released official diagnosis coding guidance for encounters and deaths related to the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), effective February 20, 2020.

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Tags: ICD-10 Coding, COVID-19

The Dangers of Therapy Underutilization Part 2: The Effect of Patient Outcomes on Star Ratings

Posted on: March 6, 2020

The Patient Driven Grouping Model (PDGM) was implemented January 1, 2020 and changed reimbursement models of Medicare home health services from therapy utilization driven to patient characteristics. While this has allowed for a focus from quantity to quality, some home health agencies are restricting therapy visits and placing their quality measures, Star Rating, and most importantly patient outcomes at risk. CMS calculates Star Ratings through several areas therapy may influence including, ambulation, bed transfers, bathing, discharge location, and rehospitalizations.

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Tags: Home Health, Senior Living Community, PDGM, Patient-Driven Grouping Model, Home Health Agency

Take it to the Next Level Under PDPM - Five Smart Reimbursement Practices

Posted on: March 6, 2020

When it comes to clinical reimbursement opportunities, HealthPRO Heritage asks: “Is your clinical team leaving no stone unturned?” As national healthcare consultants with a progressive approach to PDPM, HealthPRO Heritage offers five simple (but not easy*) strategies to compliantly optimize clinical-based reimbursement.

"If it were easy….then everyone would do it!"

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Tags: LTC, Patient-Driven Payment Model, PDPM, CMS Update 2020