Hospital Home Health articles from May 2003

Hospital Home Health archives from May 2003

Proactive compliance plan will protect you from fraud charges: monitoring and reporting are important components.
May 1, 2003... One year after being found guilty of conspiring to defraud through a system of kickbacks for patient referrals and the filing of false claims that resulted in overpayments of more than $1 million from Medicare and Medicaid, six co-defendants...

Innovative programs help caregivers cope; alert systems, community nursing fill gaps.(part 2 of 2)
May 1, 2003... (Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series that looks at family caregiver issues such as education, stress, burnout, and support. Last month, experts talked about the educational needs of family caregivers and how a home health...

System joins community nursing and home health; coordinate intake and resources for success.(Valley Health System, Winchester, Virginia)
May 1, 2003... Although Valley Health System in Winchester, VA, originally set up the community nurse case management program as a separate department that operated independently of home health, people soon realized that the two areas needed to coordinate...

Cut claims and liability risk with careful planning; spot danger ahead; teach good risk management.
May 1, 2003... Forget the lottery as your way to riches. According to Judge Judy, The Practice, and countless other television legal shows, you can easily recoup real and imagined losses by suing someone. Even though popular television shows demonstrate...

Don't gamble with your malpractice insurance.
May 1, 2003... With major insurance carriers moving out of the malpractice area, it is harder to find insurance coverage, and it can be expensive, says Bill Thompson, CIC, senior vice president and partner at Smith, Bell & Thompson, a Burlington, VT,...

When is it safe to share patients' information? (HIPAA Q & A).(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act )
May 1, 2003... [Editor's note: This is a periodic column that will address specific questions related to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) implementation. If you have questions, please send them to Sheryl Jackson, Hospital Home...

Don't get caught: client requests can discriminate. (LegalEase: understanding laws, rules, regulations).
May 1, 2003... An RN recently sued a home health agency in Pittsburgh based upon case management practices. Specifically, the RN received copies of case management forms for a specific patient on two separate occasions. Both case management forms included a...

CMS reminds providers about hospice care.(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services highlighted the benefits of hospice care and reminded physicians and health care professionals at skilled nursing facilities and hospitals that hospice is a viable option for Medicare beneficiaries...

Unannounced JCAHO surveys start in 2006.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations announced its intent to begin conducting all regular accreditation surveys on an unannounced basis beginning in January 2006. The organization plans to introduce a...

CE questions.
May 1, 2003... 5. What regulations do a good compliance plan address, according to Denise Bonn, JD? A. OASIS B. Medicare billing C. HIPAA D. all regulations that apply to home health 6. According to Lisa M. Zerull, RN, MS, program...