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Accurate OASIS coding has always been important, but with PDGM on the horizon, our ability to master the OASIS will be imperative! After all, accurate OASIS coding will directly impact an agency’s ability to achieve optimal outcomes and support reimbursement in today’s and tomorrow’s world.

Implementation of the new case-mix classification model, the Patient Driven Grouping Model (PDGM), on January 1, 2020 will bring BIG changes to the home health profession! HealthPRO Heritage at Home is ready to help you start preparing TODAY for the most dramatic Medicare reimbursement change since PPS.

PDGM implementation is a mere 38 weeks away, bringing significant changes in episode length (60 to 30 days), resultant billing processes, revenue cycle, and ultimately, cash flow. While certification periods will continue to be 60 days in duration, reimbursement will be broken into 30-day payment periods. As such, billing will have to be processed for each 30-day payment period including Requests for Anticipated Payment (RAPs) and final claims. This will likely result in a substantial increase in claims volume in addition to an interruption in cash flow. Specifically, agencies will experience a cash flow “crunch” during the first few months of implementation as the conversion from 60-day to 30-day payments is realized with a leveling off after the initial impact and conversion.

PDGM implementation is a mere 42 weeks away and is anticipated to be the biggest change in home health payment reform in over 20 years. HHAs will need to completely revise care management and billing processes, as well as documentation and coding practices, in order to make the transition successfully. One of the most dramatic areas of change relates to ICD-10 coding, which is a significant determinant of revenue in the new paradigm. Both timing and accuracy of ICD-10 Coding (primary diagnosis and comorbidities) will play a role in how patients are grouped and, ultimately, reimbursed. Given that this is a completely new core competency for HHAs, it is prudent to take action today to assess related risk and begin to identify the changes that will need to occur in order to minimize transition risk.

Imagine a world where reimbursement isn’t based on the volume of therapy visits. Instead, therapists care for patients and drive outcomes based exclusively on clinical need. 

HealthPRO Heritage experts agree: PDGM will breathe new life into how, when, and why therapists deliver care. We are, in fact, excited for a new world where our success will be measured by the evidence-based therapy we provide and the outcomes we achieve.

CMS released the much anticipated Home Health Final Rule October 31. Much of the content from the Proposed Rule and the Final Rule will remain the same, with significant changes highlighted below.

In the recently updated Conditions of Participation, CMS spells out what they expect from a QAPI program. Additionally, the final draft of the interpretive guidelines (IG) for the Home Health Agency Conditions of Participation (CoP) was released last month.

How can agencies use this already mandatory requirement to help prepare them for the expected changes coming in 2020 with the proposed Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM)?

How Will the Recent Home Health Proposed Rule Affect the PAC Industry?

NOW WHAT?
PDGM (Patient-Driven Groupings Model) was recently announced in July as part of the Proposed Rule published by CMS and is anticipated to be THE biggest change in home health reimbursement 20+ years!

If the 2019 proposed rule is finalized, which we anticipate is likely, it will cement the shift in Medicare’s payment system from a prospective payment system to value based purchasing model.  With these mega changes it can feel like a daunting task to provide clinical excellence while maintaining a profit, thus it will be paramount that detailed analysis and strategies be developed to ensure that we keep patient care as our number one priority.

Following a thorough review of the 599-page “Proposed Rule”, HealthPRO Heritage experts offer the following highlights on the PDGM section of the rule:

On Monday, July 2, 2018, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the 2019 Proposed Rule. Our industry has been anxiously awaiting this announcement since the introduction of “Home Health Groupings Model,” or HHGM in July 2017.