Category Archives: Home Health Care

Health Care Reform Bill Summary


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After what seems like forever, Congress has finally passed a health care reform bill. President Obama’s major goal for the early part of his term seems within reach. The question is, though, what is in this bill? What real changes will people experience as a result of all this wrangling? Will we really be better off? Or are these all political games with little real impact? Read on for a summary of the actual changes to health care from the new health reform bill.

The most important thing to realize about the reform is that it’s phased in – most of the changes don’t come into play when President Obama signs the bill into law (which is expected to be Tuesday, March 23, 2009). The changes activate over the next decade. Here are the major changes and their impacts.

Before 2011:
*Small businesses get a tax credit to contribute to new health insurance for employees.  Read more...

4 Points About What’s In The Health Care Bill


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Congress has just passed the health care bill. Although no one knows exactly what’s in the health care bill, it seems that we’re stuck with it – even though most people agree that they do not want this health care bill to pass. The only people whom are going to benefit from whats in the health care bill will be the United States government. Where are we going to get the money for whats in the health care bill? No one knows. Here’s ten things about whats in the health care bill that will affect you.

1. There is no public option in the health care bill.  Read more...

Money Makes the Health Care Industry Go ‘Round


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“According to data from the Concierge Medicine Research Collective, $13 trillion could buy 10 years of round-the-clock on-call medical care for more than 928 people – or for the entire population of the U.S. for 30 years.” – SmartMoney.com

 

Right now in the U.S., the total national public debt outstanding is $13.057 trillion, or just over $42,000 per citizen. If you can wrap your mind around that, consider the fact that with each hour that passes that amount goes up. SmartMoney.com ran an interesting report last week examining all of the things that $13 million can do for this country, and concierge medicine was one of the topics.

 

Among other things that we could do with $13 tillion, each American could buy 9 iPhones, 68 million students could attend Yale University, 65 million families could get a new home, and clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico could happen 326 times. It’s amazing what our U.S. debt could do for our country, if only we had the money.  Read more...

Identify and fix your home health coding problems


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If you were thinking that your home health agency would not have to worry about face to face encounters post CMS’s announcement in the last Open Door Forum that they did not apply to agencies, well you better think again.

The health care reform legislation signed into law in March actually needs face to face encounters for both HHAs and hospices as well as durable medical equipment (DME). According to law, the encounter must occur in the six months prior to certification for HHA services, however leaves it up to the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a reasonalbe timeframe.

What’s more, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) makes the requirement retroactive to January 1 for HHAs. People are writing to CMS about having the date delayed until rule, comments, final rule and guidance are issued.  Read more...