HCCIntel: Practice Management

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently passed a significant policy that helps remove barriers for homebound patients to receive COVID-19 vaccines. Recognizing the challenge of providing vaccines to medically-complex patients in their homes, CMS increased its payments for this service. Medicare will...

Did you know Medicare reimburses for a comprehensive Cognitive Assessment and Care Plan visit for patients who would benefit? A recently published CMS webpage offers additional guidance about the requirements. The Medicare Physician Fee Schedule increased the national payment amount for this service to $282 in...

In a recent Impact and Needs Assessment Survey, the Home Centered Care Institute (HCCI) asked past learners to share actions they have taken—and how those actions have affected their practices—as a result of participating in HCCI program and service offerings. Below are snapshots of the responses from the...

In a home-based primary care practice (HBPC), many factors determine optimal productivity and panel size standards (i.e., the number of individual patients under the care of a specific provider). These include payment structure, practice model, outcome goals, geography/travel times, and more. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, the...

With many changes coming out recently from CMS, providers and practices can find it difficult to keep track. So, HCCI is providing the following clarifications about one set of changes that has been creating significant confusion among house call providers. The new CMS 2021 documentation guidelines for the...

As the Public Health Emergency (PHE) continues, providers and practices are now challenged to receive, prepare, and administer vaccines to home-limited patients. Here is a list of reliable resources that practices can reference to stay informed on the most current guidelines: Clinical References CDC Vaccinating Homebound Persons...

On December 1,  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the long-awaited CY 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Final Rule. The MPFS Final Rule includes payment and policy changes that will significantly impact home-based care providers. Decreased Reimbursement for Home and Domiciliary Visits...

Coordinating acute or urgent visit requests in an HBPC practice is essential to helping medically complex patients avoid hospitalizations and unnecessary emergency department (ED) visits. Consider these strategies for taking unexpected schedule changes in stride: Develop a clear system for triaging patients to ensure the appropriate clinical staff...

Flu season is always challenging and, with the current Public Health Emergency (PHE), advance planning will be even more important. Here are some tips to help you prepare: Order the appropriate quantity of flu shots. Review usage trends from past years, including how many were ordered versus how...

Efficiency is key to the well-being of your HBPC practice. Here are some strategies for boosting efficiency: Understand and document current workflows and processes to avoid task duplication Create an effective intake process that collects necessary information and forms, and introduces services, so providers can focus on patient care...