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Tuesday, August 29th - Preconference
12:45pm – 2:45pm
PC1. Leadership Part 1: Resilient Leadership for Sustainable Excellence
Speaker: Carla Cheatham, MA, MDiv, PhD, TRT, Principal and Lead Trainer, Carla Cheatham Consulting Group, LLC, Assist. Professor, MS in Palliative Care, University of Maryland
Continuing Education: 2.0 clock hours for Administrators/Alternates
The previous few years have been even more difficult than usual for those in professional caregiving. As we process what we've been through and seek to revitalize ourselves and our industry that is stressed by staffing shortages and more, we need each other, more than ever. To improve our own satisfaction, effectiveness, and both clinical outcomes and satisfaction for patients and families, we can practice greater attunement and deep listening that need not require more time, just more mindful connection. This presentation will briefly discuss the above, then engage participants in activity to practice strengthening our ability to be present, with ourselves first, then each other, as well as for those whom we seek to serve.
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Resilience, emotional intelligence, and post-traumatic growth for recovery from COVID and promotion of organizational sustainability; co-creating a healthier way of providing care; revolutionizing caregiving
3:00 pm - 5:00 pm
PC2. Leadership Part 2: Resilient Leadership for Sustainable Excellence
Speaker: Carla Cheatham, MA, MDiv, PhD, TRT, Principal and Lead Trainer, Carla Cheatham Consulting Group, LLC, Assist. Professor, MS in Palliative Care, University of Maryland
Continuing Education: 2.0 clock hours for Administrators/Alternates
Building and Leading Healthy Teams
The role of healthy tension, effective communication, and team boundaries and expectations; handling triangulation, gossip, and backbiting; techniques for building cohesion and loyalty teams
Leading Effective Service Recovery
Building safe work environments, modeling humility and attunement, decreasing emotional labor, whole-system accountability rather than individual blame, understanding the role of trauma and grief, improving satisfaction for recipients and providers
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You can find out more about our preconference here.
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6:30 pm - 10:00 pm
PAC Cornhole Tournament
The PAC Cornhole Tournament is back by popular demand! Visit our PAC Cornhole Page for more details about the tournament.
Day 1 - Wednesday, August 30
9:00 am - 10:00 am
Opening Ceremonies & Award
This session will kick off with TAHC&H's Executive Director, Rachel Hammon and Board President, Chrystal Everett welcoming attendees with an association and industry update as well as presenting awards to industry professionals.
General Session
10:00 am - 11:00 am
Keynote: They Who Laugh, Last
Speaker: Juli Burney, M.A.
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Session Description: With the constantly shifting landscape of healthcare it is more important than ever for home care professionals to find flexibility and positivity. This can be done with a sense of humor to help de-personalize challenges. Everyone has a sense of humor; they just don’t use it to their potential. Humor helps you remain cool under pressure, keeps challenges in perspective and builds stronger relationships. You may not always be in control of the events happening around you, but you can control your response to those events. This is when a sense of humor is essential. Come and discover your own delightfulness!
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
General Session
Medicare
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
1a. Jurisdiction M Home Health Hot Topics
Speaker: Charles Canaan, RN, Senior Provider Relations Consultant, Provider Outreach & Education, Palmetto GBA
Session Description: This session will discuss improper payment and denials and give tips on how to prevent them.
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Home Health Referral Process
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Case Studies
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Home Health Nursing Documentation
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Psychiatric Care Policy
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Improper Payments
***MUST Attend both 1 hour sessions to receive continued education credit***
Continuing Education: 2.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 2.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education (for sessions 1a and 2a combined)
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All HCSSAs
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
1c. DOL and TWC Issues for Homecare Employees
Speaker: Tommy Simmons, Legal Counsel for the Commissioner, Texas Workforce Commission
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Session Description: This session will cover the basic requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act for paying minimum wage and overtime, as well as exemptions from those laws, as well as recordkeeping, legal issues for wage deductions, best practices for drafting enforceable wage agreements, paying employees on time, and minimizing the risk of wage claims. The speaker will also discuss advanced wage and hour law topics, including minimum wage for the final pay period, how to deal with non-return of company property, the most common pitfalls under the FLSA, what happens if an employee works for two or more related companies, and how to handle final pay legally. Finally, the session will address what to do when an audit or wage claim investigation happens, how to appeal adverse rulings, how wage judgments can be enforced by legal authorities, and how to deal with upper management about the importance of following good advice for compliance with the laws.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
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Management
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
1b. Understanding How to Be Successful at Patient Collections
Speaker: Petria McKelvey, CEO and Founder, Precision Medical Billing
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Session Description: Now that home health agencies are having more and more non-Traditional Medicare patients and private insurance patients, it is most imperative for agencies to turn to technology when performing intake and insurance verification and prior authorizations for patients. Learn how to proactively, with technology, collect all of the intake paperwork from the patient, financially counsel the patient and their family,
collect necessary copays and deductibles, and much more before the nurse makes her
visit. At the time of the visit, clinicians should only be concerned with patient care not reimbursement from the patient. Let us demonstrate to you how other agencies are having success by being proactive with their patients’ payments for services.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
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Pediatric
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
1d. Working Through the Complaint Process with Medicaid Managed Care Managed Care Provider Complaints
Speaker: Mike Osborne, Senior Manager, Managed Care Compliance and Operations, Medicaid and CHIP Services
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Session Description: Join HHSC staff, Mike Osborne, for a robust discussion of the complaint process related to Texas Medicaid Managed Care Organizations. Every wonder what happens when you lodge a complaint with HHS? What if an MCO states they did not receive your complaint, then what? What are agency’s rights and the MCO’s timelines for follow up on a complaint? This session will address these questions and many more common issues experienced by providers when lodging complaints both with MCOs and HHSC. Don’t miss your opportunity to interface directly with HHSC on this important topic. Agencies will find this session extremely helpful with HHSC explaining the process for the complaint process and how to handle with the MCOs. HHSC will provide guidance on the steps and timeframes to assist agencies with completing a complaint and will also advise on agency rights when filing complaints.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
12:15 pm - 1:30 pm
Networking Lunch & Owner's Forum
Additional info coming soon.
Medicare
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
2a. Jurisdiction M Home Health Hot Topics (CON’T)
Speaker: Charles Canaan, RN, Senior Provider Relations Consultant, Provider Outreach & Education, Palmetto GBA
Session Description: This session will discuss improper payment and denials and give tips on how to prevent them.
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Home Health Referral Process
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Case Studies
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Home Health Nursing Documentation
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Psychiatric Care Policy
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Improper Payments
***MUST Attend both 1 hour sessions to receive continued education credit***
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Continuing Education: 2.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 2.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education (for sessions 1a and 2a combined)
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HCSSA Management
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
2c. Financial Considerations when Buying or Selling an Agency
Speaker: Amy Knight, CPA, Knight Home Care Financial
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Session Description: Mergers & Acquisitions have been in full swing for a while now and many agencies are expanding by acquisition. This session will review the financial considerations involved when an agency is bought or sold. We'll discuss the difference between a Stock Purchase and an Asset Purchase as well as what information should be available and presentable for any potential acquisition - both from the seller's perspective and the buyers'. For those not looking to sell soon, we'll also discuss steps you can take now to increase your potential sales price and attractiveness to buyers down the line. Even if you never sell, being prepared to do so sets you up as a successful agency.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
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Hospice
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
2b. Hospice Revenue Cycle– Compliance and Efficiency
Speaker: Melinda Gaboury, COS-C, Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare Provider Solutions
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Session Description: An optimized hospice revenue cycle effectively maintains cash flow and minimizes write-offs. The Hospice Revenue Cycle continues to be threatened by new challenges yearly. New compliance/medical review risks constantly emerge and the hospice billing and payment landscape continues to evolve. Recently added complexities created by the expanding Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) demonstration project and increasing medical review audits from all sides are topped off by heightened scrutiny by the Office of Inspector General (OIG). This session will provide hospices with an update on the latest billing and payment issues while examining best practices for optimizing revenue cycle management and mitigating compliance risks.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
Medicare Clinic
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm
2d. Effective Drug Regimen Review as a Preventer of Acute Care Hospitalization (ACH)
Speakers: Lisa Selman-Holman, JD, BSN, RN, HCS-D, COS-C, McBee and Michelle Horner, BSN, RN, HCS-D, COS-C, HCS-H, McBee
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Session Description: Identifying High Risk Drug classes has been a challenge under OASIS E, but there are many challenges that have been with us since the beginning. Of 366 patients discharged from the hospital with a follow-up PCP appointment within two months:
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64% used at least one med not ordered at discharge
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73% failed to use at least one med ordered at discharge
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32% did not take meds ordered at discharge at all
An effective drug regimen review includes recognizing and mitigating medication issues from the beginning and providing effective teaching. Learn how effective management of medications can lower your agency's acute care hospitalization and emergency department use.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
General Session
2:45 pm - 3:45pm
GS2. Avoiding Discrimination and Wage Compensation Violations in Home Health Care and Hospice
Speaker: Terrence B Robinson, Managing Member, TB Robinson Law Group, PLLC
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Session Description: Don’t miss out on employment law attorney, Terrence B Robinson, review the specifics of home care and hospice wage compensation issues. Attendees will walk away with an impactful understanding of the following:
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Spotting Issues and taking action in matters of Equal Employment Opportunity
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Overview of Federal and State Laws
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Understanding the Theories of Employment Discrimination and Harassment
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Establishing Proper Employee Compensation Methods to Avoid DOL and TWC Audit Issues
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How to Determine Properly Exempt Employees under the FLSA
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Employees vs. Independent Contractors
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
4:00 pm - 5:45 pm
Business Meeting
Annual review of association business and election of new Board of Directors.
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
President’s Reception/Exhibit Hall Grand Opening
To be held in Exhibit Hall. Join us for Mariachis, Margaritas, and more!
Day 2 - Thursday, August 31
8:00 am - 9:00 am
Breakfast
Complimentary Breakfast in Exhibit Hall
General Session
9:00 am - 10:00 am
GS3. The Brilliance of Resilience: How to Navigate Change and Thrive in Work and Life
Speaker: Jeff Vankooten
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Session Description: Every person can effectively manage change and help others to do so by developing 9 resilient habits.
Change is wearing down a lot of people these days. It’s intense. More complex than ever. But the world continues to pressure organizations and people to improve performance like never before.We need new solutions. We need new approaches that energize us and restore spirit and morale in the workplace. Resilience gives us all a needed lift to make us more effective performers, while helping us be more in confidence in our lives. Don’t miss this session as it introduces these nine resilient habits for exploiting uncertainty and thriving in disruption and change:
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Be Ready Not to Be Ready: Regard setbacks and change as challenges that will offer opportunities and help to bounce back from adversity quicker.
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Make Full Use of the Present: Increase flexibility and confidence and acquire a stronger sense of confidence when faced with moments of uncertainty.
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Work with the Long View: Improve the ability to understand and solve problems creatively and remain optimistic under pressure.
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Let Go of What’s Going Away: Change previous responses to pressure to more effective resilient ones.
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Take Time to Focus: Maintain performance and stamina during periods of high demand and be able to think clearly and logically under pressure.
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Don’t should on yourself: Staying honest about who you are and being the best you can be to engage stress and grow from setbacks and disruption.
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Don’t go it alone: Build strong supportive relationships with colleagues and the members of their teams and know when and where to ask for help when it is needed.
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Lighten up: Enliven the ability to use humor to maintain morale in others
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Practice Bricolage: Use the limited resources you have to accomplish incredible things.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
10:00 am - 10:30 am President’s Message/Board Installation
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10:30 am - 11:15 am
Break and quick hit sessions in Exhibit Hall
Coffee, Conversation and Bonus Education at select vendor booths.
Medicare
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
3a. Medicare Advantage: Digging in the Details
Speaker: Melinda Gaboury, COS-C, Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare Provider Solutions
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Session Description: Home Health providers are grappling with the shift in the Medicare eligible population into Medicare Advantage Plans (MA Plans). Providers are asking: What are the implications of current demographic trends? What operational and financial issues should providers expect as their payer mix shifts to mostly Managed Care? Being successful in this environment of these payer mix changes requires agencies to understand their costs of treating these patients and other impacts on their operations on an individual contract basis. This session will assist with details that are needed for success under Medicare Advantage.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
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Community Care
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
3c. EVV Contract Transition & Home Health Expansion
Speaker: Jordan Nichols, Deputy Associate Commissioner for HHSC Medicaid/CHIP Operations Management and James Brady, Contract Oversight and Finance Manager for EVV.
Session Description: The Texas Health and Human Services Commission will present updates on the EVV contract transition occurring the remainder of 2023 and Home Health expansion status.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
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HCSSA Management
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
3b. Preparing Your Team for Your Absence: Lessons from CEO Jeff Salter's 9500-Mile Bike Ride
Speakers: Jeff Salter, CEO and Ian Klaes, VP, Caring Senior Services
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Session Description: Does your business feel like it has you in shackles? Can't get away for a weekend? How about 4 months out of the office? During this session you will hear from Jeff Salter, CEO and Ian Klaes, VP of Caring Senior Service on how a 53 location system was able to thrive while the founder went on a 4 month, 9500 mile bike ride around the country. While Ian called it Jeff's "Vacation", Jeff was riding 8-10 hours every day while camping out most nights on the road to raise funds and awareness to the needs of seniors. Hear from both Jeff and Ian on their experiences, including Jeff's rigorous daily routine and Ian's challenges of managing the business in Jeff's absence. Learn from their successes and mistakes to better prepare your team for any length of time away.
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Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
Hospice
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
3d. Jurisdiction M Hospice Hot Topics
Speaker: Charles Canaan, RN, Senior Provider Relations Consultant, Provider Outreach & Education, Palmetto GBA
Session Description: This session will discuss current trends and issues with Medicare Home Health and Hospice
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Hospice Compliance Program
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Eligibility Case Studies
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Documenting Hospice Appropriateness for Recertification
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Improper Payments
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***MUST attend both 1 hour sessions to receive continuing education credit***
Continuing Education: 2.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 2.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education (for sessions 3d. and 4d.)
12:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Lunch in Exhibit Hall
Lunch, Bonus Education at select vendor booths, and raffle drawings.
Medicare
1:45 pm - 3:00 pm
4a. The Value of Reporting in Value-Based Purchasing
Speaker: Lisa Selman-Holman, JD, BSN, RN, HCS-D, COS-C
McBee
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Session Description: The first Interim Performance Report is out. What does this mean and how do you use the reports? How are you maintaining and/or improving your Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) outcomes data? Join us in reviewing reports, forms, tracking/trending data, and strategies to ensure success in VBP.
Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
Community Care/Pedi
1:45 pm - 3:00 pm
4c. Protecting the Integrity of Health and Human Services
Speaker: Inspector General Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman
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Session Description: Join Inspector General Sylvia Hernandez Kauffman as she discusses the agency’s latest work to combat fraud, waste and abuse in Texas health and human services and provides valuable insight specific to home care and hospice providers.
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Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
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All HCSSAs
1:45 pm - 3:00 pm
4b. Employee Tax Credits: What You Need to Know
Speaker: Shelby Betts, Whirks
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Session Description: What is the work opportunity tax credit? What is the Employee retention tax credit? Are they really as lucrative as some people claim? (the answer is YES for private duty!)
What are other tax credits that I should be tracking in my business? How can those tax credits help offset my labor cost?
• Learn who is eligible
• Learn how to receive the credits
• Best practices for implementing in your company.
• Top vendors and providers to partner with for tax credits
• Strategic Tax Planning: Federal and State tax Implications for credit tracking
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Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
Hospice
1:45 pm - 3:00 pm
4d. Jurisdiction M Hospice Hot Topics (CON’T)
Speaker: Charles Canaan, RN, Senior Provider Relations Consultant, Provider Outreach & Education, Palmetto GBA
Session Description: This session will discuss current trends and issues with Medicare Home Health and Hospice
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Hospice Compliance Program
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Eligibility Case Studies
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Documenting Hospice Appropriateness for Recertification
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Improper Payments
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***MUST attend both sessions to receive continuing education credit***
Continuing Education: 2.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 2.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education (for sessions 3d. and 4d.)
Medicare
3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
5a. Enhancing Home Health Quality Improvement: Insights, Innovations, and Impact
Speakers: J’non Griffin, RN MHA HCS-D, COS-C, HCS-H , Sr. Vice President/Principal-Coding and OASIS Department, SimiTree & John Rabbia PT, DPT, MS, MBA, COS-C, Director, Operations Consulting, SimiTree
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Session Description: In the evolving landscape of healthcare, home health performance improvement plays a vital role in ensuring the delivery of high-quality care to patients in the comfort of their own homes. This presentation session aims to distill the latest CMS report formats to prioritize and implement performance improvement efforts for the highest impact at your agency.
Join us as we delve into the realm of home health quality reporting and discuss the significance of interpreting results and prioritizing measures for improvement efforts. Discover the latest insights and best practices that contribute to improved patient outcomes, enhanced care coordination, and increased transparency within the home health industry. Join us to gain valuable insights, engage in meaningful discussions, and shape the future of home health performance improvement.
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Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
Community Care/Pedi
3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
5c. Overview of Contract and Compliance Monitoring
Speaker: Kaliope Schmidt, CTCM, Director, Provider MonitoringContract Administration & Provider Monitoring, Medicaid and CHIP Services, HHSC and Nikolaos Vekris
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Session Description: This session will focus on CLASS, DBMD, and PHC providers who hold a HCSSA license. It will cover a general overview of the contract types and requirements, compliance monitoring and types of reviews, provider responsibilities, and common areas of non-compliance.
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Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
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All HCSSAs
3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
5b. Time Management for Administrators: Balancing Operations with Compliance
Speaker: Ann Lozano, Forte Consulting Group
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Session Description: Administrator’s and Clinical Supervisors never have "enough time". Compliance tends to get pushed to the back burner because it’s seen as additional work that can be done when all the fires have been put out, until compliance becomes the bonfire we can’t ignore. In this session, we’ll discuss the day-to-day issues facing home-based care agencies, and managing those issues while working your compliance program. We will discuss how to document efficiently so that completing your compliance is just a matter of running a report from your EMR. We can’t eliminate emergencies, but we can restructure to stop duplicating work and allow you and your team the one thing more important than coffee; TIME!
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Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
Hospice
3:15 pm - 4:30 pm
5d. Why and How Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Matters to Your Hospice Organization
Speaker: Zaundra Ellis, Vice President of Hospice Professional Services, Axxess
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Session Description: In its fifth year of testing, the hospice component of Medicare’s Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) continues to grow and evolve. In fact, the number of Medicare Advantage organizations participating in the VBID model increased by more than 35% and were expected to provide coverage for more than 9.3 million Medicare beneficiaries in 2023. While those numbers are still out, what we do know is that if your hospice organization has not been affected by this shift in payment for hospice services, it will be in the very near future.
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In this session, we will discuss components of the hospice VBID model, how they affect the care your hospice organization provides, and how collecting your hard-earned revenue is different when working with a Medicare Advantage organization.
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Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education