September 20, 2012

•  Labyak Institute for Innovation
•  CGS ADR Update
•  Listing Additional ICD-9 Codes on the Hospice Claim Form
•  FY2013 Medicaid Hospice Rates Released
•  CMS New S&C Memo on Impact of Nursing Shortage on Hospice Care
•  OIG Updates LEIE Database
•  August Regulatory Round-Up
•  A Look Inside a Congressional Site Visit
•  Audit Tools Needed
•  Quality on Display
•  Free-Up-to-Date E-OL Courses for NHPCO Members
•  Ethics for Hospice Managers, 4 week Instructor-Led Online Course
•  Want to Learn Best Practices to Care for Veterans at the End of Life?
•  E-hospice Mobile App
•  Comfort.Love.Respect Ad Slicks Available
•  Remittance Addresses for NHPCO, NHF, and FHSSA
•  Auction Items for All Tastes
•  News Links of Interest

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[PDF Version]

RESOURCE
OF THE WEEK

World Hospice & Palliative Care Day – is an international day of awareness on Saturday, October 13, 2012. Outreach tools are available on the World Day site.  

September 2012 NewsLine
Cover article: A Hospice Provider's Guide to Live Discharges

CONFERENCES

13th Clinical Team Conference and Pediatric Intensive
November 5-7, 2012

Advance competencies in assessment of patient, family and community needs at the 13th Clinical Team Conference and Pediatric Intensive.

View all the educational offerings  in the 13^th Clinical Team Conference brochure  and Register today

Conference brochure

Hospice MDP
Offerings at CTC

Two-Day Foundational Course at the 13th CTC: November 3-4, 2012 (Live Seminar)

PC04 - Ethics for Hospice Managers (A Level I Module) November 4, 2012

Educate your whole team with NHPCO Webinars:

Interdisciplinary Topic
Oct. 11, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm ET
Advances in Pain Management
Register by Oct. 8 with no late fees!

Quality and Regulatory Topic
Oct. 23, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm ET
Discharge, Revocation and Transfer: Process, ABN and Appeals
Register by Oct. 18 with no late fees!

MARKETPLACE

Ever wish you could customize NHPCO’s resources to promote your hospice? Be sure to check out Custom-Print Marketplace.

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Swallowed by a Snake: Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing
Item #: 820395
Member: $9.50
Non-Member: $11.50

 
Dying Well: Peace and
Possibilities at the End of Life
Item #: 715112
Member: $10.00
Non-member: $10.88

 
Lessons of Loss: A Guide to Coping
Item #: 820909
Member: $27.95
Non-member: $29.95

INNOVATION

Labyak Institute for Innovation… As part of its mission to lead and mobilize social change for improved care at the end of life, NHPCO has announced the creation of the Mary J. Labyak Institute for Innovation. The Institute, named after the late hospice pioneer, Mary J. Labyak, the Institute will determine gaps in practice, identify resources, and develop and disseminate tools to deliver the best possible care to patients and families.  Learn more at nhpco.org/innovation.   

COMPLIANCE AND REGULATORY

CGS ADR Update... NHPCO reported in August 2012 that CGS has initiated a widespread probe edit for hospice providers in its jurisdiction.  Claims for debility, Alzheimer’s disease and Chronic Airway Obstructions have been selected for medical review, for services provided between October 20, 2011, through March 31, 2012.  We have heard from many provider members who have received ADRs due to this edit and want to assure hospice providers in the CGS jurisdiction that NHPCO is proactively responding to CGS with provider concerns and its impact on hospice operations.  NHPCO has received feedback from CGS about the top reasons for denial – “documentation does not support terminal diagnosis,” and “provider did not submit certification or ADR record requests timely.”  NHPCO encourages CGS providers to check the website for ADRs at least weekly and to respond within the required timeframes.  We also would like to remind members about NHPCO’s “Tips For Dealing With ADRs, Probe Edits, And The Medicare Appeals Process” and CGS’s “Additional Development Request (ADR) Quick Resource Tool”. 

Listing Additional ICD-9 Codes on the Hospice Claim Form… NHPCO’s Regulatory team has received questions from providers about listing additional ICD-9 codes on the hospice claim form.  A reminder was published by CMS in late July 2012, as a part of the FY2013 Hospice Wage Index Notice.  The Notice reiterates and clarifies “existing” policy on reporting diagnoses on the claim form, as required in the Medicare hospice CoPs at §418.102(b) Standard: Initial certification of terminal illness. CMS clarified that providers should code and report coexisting or additional diagnoses to more fully describe the Medicare patients they are treating.  If you have not been adding additional diagnoses related to the terminal illness on your claim forms, plan to start listing them as soon as possible as there is no designated implementation date in the Wage Index Notice for this requirement.  NHPCO’s Regulatory Committee has formed a workgroup to look at this issue and develop resources for our members.  View NHPCO’s 07/25/12 Regulatory Alert about the FY 2013 Wage Index. 

FY2013 Medicaid Hospice Rates Released… CMS has released the FY2013 Medicaid hospice rates, effective October 1, 2012.  Please note that while the rates use the same wage index as Medicare rates, the Medicaid rates are slightly different, since the Medicaid rates do not require co-pays for respite and drugs.  The Medicaid rate calculator  is now available for your use in the Regulatory and Compliance Center of the NHPCO website.  Download NHPCO’s memo with FY2013 Medicaid rates for your reference. The CMS notification of the new Medicaid hospice rates can be found on the CMS website.  

CMS New S&C Memo on Impact of Nursing Shortage on Hospice Care… The period of time has been extended for hospices to qualify for an “extraordinary circumstance” exemption when they believe that the nursing shortage has affected their ability to directly hire sufficient numbers of nurses.  The effective date of this policy has been extended from September 30, 2012 to September 30, 2014.  View the S&C: 12-43-Hospice Memo on the CMS website.  

OIG Updates LEIE Database… The OIG List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) has been updated for August 2012 and, as a reminder, providers may not employ or do business with professionals included in this list. Also, the new file is complete and need NOT be used in conjunction with the monthly exclusion and reinstatement supplements. All the updated files are posted on the OIG website.

August Regulatory Round-Up… The latest Regulatory Round-Up covering regulatory and compliance activity from August 2012 is now available for members online. Download the August issue now. 

ADVOCACY & LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

A Look Inside a Congressional Site Visit... In this installment of The Hospice Advocate (HAN’s blog), we see how Arkansas Hospice took all the steps necessary to host a site visit from Congressman Tim Griffin- with fantastic results! 

QUALITY

Audit Tools Needed… NHPCO is working to create resources for hospice providers to ensure the appropriate use of the General Inpatient (GIP) level of care. We are requesting that hospices share patient clinical record audit tools that have been created to assess documentation of the initial and continuing indications for use of GIP.

In addition to seeing the audit tool, we are also very interested in knowing:

• When the tool is used (i.e., the timing and frequency of use of the audit)

• Which records are included in the audit (e.g., records of all patients at GIP level of care; random sample of records; those that meet specific criteria; etc.)

• Who conducts the audits

• How the results of the audit are used

Please email the tool and a description of your experience with using the tool that includes the above bulleted items to quality@nhpco.org.  The deadline for submitting audit tools is October 1, 2012.

Quality on Display… Be part of the quality poster session at NHPCO’s Clinical Team Conference showcasing how hospices have prepared for the new CMS quality reporting requirements. Hospices are encouraged to share their successful strategies and methods for preparing for quality reporting by submitting a poster. Posters will be judged by members of the Quality and Standards Committee. The top three submissions will receive recognition at the conference and will be acknowledged on the NHPCO web site and in NHPCO publications. For information on how to submit a poster, send an email to quality@nhpco.org. The number of posters we can accept is limited so don’t delay in contacting us.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION

Free-Up-to-Date E-OL Courses for NHPCO Members... Take advantage of this offer made available to you! Did you know that E-OL, NHPCO’s online education portal, offers the following free courses to its members?

• Wounded Warriors: Their Last Battle, with Deborah Grassman (CE/CME Offered: Counselor, Nurse, Physician and Social Worker) - This webcast from one of NHPCO’s Clinical Team Conferences describes the emotional, social, spiritual and moral injuries sustained by Veterans,  how they impact end-of-life care and identifies ways to respond to guilt and shame at the end of life.

• Securing Our Roots, Expanding Our Reach with J. Donald Schumacher and David Casarett - This webcast identifies specific actions that professionals can take to expand end-of-life care provision beyond the current limitations of the Medicare hospice benefit.

• Coping with Death and Injury: Financial Considerations in a Time of Need – This course provides specific information on what to do immediately after the death or injury of a loved one and how to handle the long-term financial implications of death or injury.

Ethics for Hospice Managers, 4 week Instructor-Led Online Course… NHPCO is offering Ethics for Hospice Managers, an instructor-led, online course from September 24 to October 22 2012. This course will be just what you need to develop the knowledge, skill and competence to address ethical challenges you face.  This course is a Level I module of NHPCO's Hospice Manager Development Program. Learn more and register today.

ACCESS AND OUTREACH

Want to Learn Best Practices to Care for Veterans at the End of Life? We Honor Veterans is sponsoring a Partner Networking Call on Wednesday, September 26, 2:00 - 3:30 pm ET. This is a great chance to learn about and share best practices, ideas and resources to engage your staff, organization and community to improve care for Veterans and their families. Register online to take advantage of this FREE national networking opportunity and be inspired!  Also, enroll your organization as a WHV Partner if your organization has not joined.     

NOTES FROM NHPCO

E-hospice Mobile App… NHPCO is working on an exciting collaboration with the UK-based Help the Hospice – an app for mobile devices called “eHospice.” An international version is being released in the U.K. this fall and NHPCO will launch a U.S. version for health care professionals in early 2013. More details will follow in next month’s NewsLine.

Comfort.Love.Respect Ad Slicks Available… Ad slicks reflecting the “Comfort.Love.Respect” theme for National Hospice and Palliative Care Month are available online.  These high-resolution PDF files are created especially for members to help with outreach efforts. Download them via the member outreach page at nhpco.org/outreach.   

For OVERNIGHT Courier Mail (FedEx, UPS, DHL, etc.):

NEWS FROM OUR AFFILIATES

Auction Items for All Tastes… At FHSSA’s It’s About How We Partner Event.  Have a date night and bid on gift certificates to restaurants such as The Cheesecake Factory, Yard House and many more.

NEWS LINKS OF INTEREST

"Letting Children Share in Grief," The New York Times, 09/19/12, featuring quotes from NHPCO members and CEO Don Schumacher. 

"The hospice option: Shore patients must confront the hard facts," Delmarvanow.com, a Gannett Company, 09/15/12.   

NewsBriefs is a weekly publication provided to
members of the National Hospice and Palliative
Care Organization, http://www.nhpco.org/.
© NHPCO, 2012.

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