Hospital Home Health articles from March 2005

Hospital Home Health archives from March 2005

Technology and planning are basis for successful chronic care programs: agencies use special training for clinicians, enhanced patient education.
March 1, 2005... (Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part article addressing care of chronically ill patients. Last month, the programs implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to address high-cost and chronically ill patients...

HIPAA: Q & A.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act )(Column)
March 1, 2005... [Editor's note: This column addresses specific questions related to implementation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). If you have questions, please send them to Sheryl Jackson, Hospital Home Health, P.O. Box...

Enforcement of HIPAA privacy requirements.(LegalEase: understanding laws, rules, regulations)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act )
March 1, 2005... The deadline for compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act HIPAA) privacy rule, April 14, 2003, came and went with little fanfare. What has happened since that date in terms of enforcement? There has been one...

Nurses say their smoking affects patient care: some less likely to intervene with smoking patients.(LegalEase: understanding laws, rules, regulations)
March 1, 2005... Nurses who smoke experience feelings of guilt and embarrassment, and also might be less likely to intercede with patients to encourage them to quit smoking because they feel to do so would be hypocritical. "Nurses who smoke feel terrible...

Give staff skills to teach low-literacy patients: methods will increase learning for all patient types.(LegalEase: understanding laws, rules, regulations)
March 1, 2005... During training sessions on how to more effectively teach patients with low-literacy skills, staff members at health care facilities mention several barriers, explains Sue Stableford, MPH, MSB, director of AHEC Health Literacy Center at the...

Medicare program reduces amputations and spending: face-to-face sessions cornerstone of success.(LegalEase: understanding laws, rules, regulations)(XLHealth, Baltimore-based disease management firm )
March 1, 2005... An intensive face-to-face care management program for severely ill Medicare patients with advanced congestive heart failure and/or complex diabetes has paid off for XLHealth, a Baltimore-based disease management firm. The company reduced...

Fixed performance areas for random surveys.(performance surveys of home care organizations)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The fixed performance areas for random, unannounced surveys of home care organizations by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in 2005 are: assessment and care/service, patient safety, information management,...

CMS codes, coverage for wheelchairs and scooters.(United States Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services )
March 1, 2005... In its continuing effort to improve Medicare coverage and payment for power wheelchairs and scooters, while protecting the Medicare program and taxpayers from abuse, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released draft...

CE questions.(continuing education)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... This concludes the CE semester. ACE evaluation form has been included with this issue. Please fill out and return in the envelope provided. 21. When performing a risk analysis to meet requirements for the HIPAA security rule, how does...