March 26, 2018 Edition of The Situation Report

CBO INNOVATIONS

AWARDS

RURAL ADD-ON

APPEAL CHANGES

RFI seeks community-based organization (CBO) innovation ideas that address social determinants of health; winners get chance to present innovation projects to DSRIP PPSs.

Don’t forget to nominate staff or a colleague for HCA’s Annual Awards.

MACs to make retroactive adjustment for rural addon extension passed by Congress in budget bill. No provider action is necessary.

Starting May 1, managed care appeals processes require different timeframes, procedures for internal appeals, fair hearings and determinations.

Webinars on March 28 and 30 to discuss new requirements.

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Your Source for HOME CARE News, Policy and Advocacy

Vol. 3, Issue 13 | March 26, 2018

COMING UP Downstate LHCSA Forum March 27, 2018 NYC Blueprint for OASIS Accuracy April 9-10, 2018 Workshop (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.)

April 11, 2018 COS-C Exam East Syracuse Upstate LHCSA Forum April 16, 2018 Utica Register for these and other programs online at https://hcanys.org/eventseducation/ upcoming-events.

State Budget Direction Uncertain as Deadline Looms With the April 1 start of the new fiscal year looming, much is still unresolved both in terms of big-picture state budget items under negotiation and issues specifically related to the home and community based care sector, including Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSAs) and Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) plans.

HCA and our legislative-affairs team at Hinman-Straub continue working round-the-clock to advocate in all priority areas, guarding against threats and seeking opportunities that may arise at a moment’s turn during this stage of the process.

See BUDGET p. 3

Home Care, Hospice Recruitment, Retention and Team Performance Insights at HCA’s Annual Conference According to HCA’s 2018 financial and program survey, recruitment-and-retention issues are among the top cost pressures on home care agencies. Compensation is a big factor; but so, too, are non-pay pressures on staff, such as coping with intensive patient care loads, documentation burdens, work-life imbalance, and others.

HCA’s Annual Conference (May 9-11) has several sessions to help your organization overcome the many factors that lead to staff turnover and loss of talent, from your management divisions to your front-line field staff.

See CONFERENCE p. 2

INSIDE State Budget Direction Uncertain as Deadline Looms............................................1 Home Care, Hospice Workforce Insights at HCA’s Annual Conference....................1 A Message From Sponsor RBC Limited..................................................................3 Innovations in Social Determinants of Health Initiative.......................................4 2018 HCA Award Nominations Now Accepted.......................................................5 CMS Seeks Comments on Revised OASIS................................................................5 Register Your Clinical Teams Today for OASIS Training in Just 2 Weeks.....................6 MACs Instructed on 3% Rural Add-On Adjustment.................................................6 Member Hiring Announcement............................................................................6 HHCAHPS Preview Reports with Star Ratings Available........................................7

DOH Webinars to Outline Appeal Changes..........................................................8 New Funding Opportunity from NYSHealth..........................................................9 DOH Stats Find Home Care, Hospice Account for Less Than 2% of DSRIP Funds........9 DSRIP Workforce Activities Reported................................................................10 NGS: No SSNs, HICNs, or MBIs Permitted on ABNs...............................................11 PHHPC Committee Moves on Home Care Applications......................................11 NGS Timely Billing Reminder.............................................................................12 DSRIP Independent Evaluation and New Video Available..................................12 CMS Proposes Changes for State Medicaid Program Monitoring Requirements........13 Important Deadlines.......................................................................................14 Resources..............................................................................................15

The Situation Report: the Home Care Association of New York State

CONFERENCE from p. 1 One of our feature presenters, Greg Hicks, is the national bestselling author of the FosterHicks model for creating a highperformance, motivated workplace culture. His insights, which delve into behavioral health, have been tested and researched by none other than the Mayo Clinic, a client which found that the FosterHicks model had significant correlations to successful and resilient team building. He’ll discuss this pioneering model in an interactive session that offers a practical and sustainable roadmap for building a hightrust, highperformance team at your organization.

Our breakout sessions on Thursday and Friday also include Eric Scharber, who leads Simione Healthcare Consultants’ talent acquisition and recruiting efforts. As a seasoned recruiter working squarely in the home care and hospice field, he’ll offer tips, strategies and words of wisdom for attracting and retaining top-tier talent.

We’ll also feature the exceptional work of HCA member Royal Care, and its CEO Josh Klein, who have garnered major acclaim for an innovative employee benefits model and supportive facilities for improving home health aide workplace quality, work-life balance and other factors that, research shows, have an impact on outcomes and recruitment and retention.

Check out our full conference brochure and register today at www.hcaannualconference.com.

Volume 3, No. 13 March 26, 2018 

The Situation Report is a weekly publication of the Home Care Association of New York State (HCA). Unless otherwise noted, all articles appearing in The Situation Report are the property of the Home Care Association of New York State. Reuse of any content within this newsletter requires permission from HCA. Joanne Cunningham HCA President jcunningham@hcanys.org Roger L. Noyes Director of Communications, Editor of The Situation Report rnoyes@hcanys.org Al Cardillo Executive V ice President acardillo@hcanys.org Patrick Conole V ice President, Finance & Management pconole@hcanys.org Andrew Koski Vice President, Program, Policy & Services akoski@hcanys.org Laura Constable Senior Director, Membership & Operations lconstable@hcanys.org Celisia Street Director of Education cstreet@hcanys.org Mercedes Teague Finance Manager mteague@hcanys.org Jenny Kerbein Director of Governance & Graphic Design jkerbein@hcanys.org Billi Wilson Manager, Meetings & Events bwilson@hcanys.org Teresa Brown Administrative Assistant tbrown@hcanys.org

Home Care Association of New York State (HCA) 388 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12207 Tele: 518-426-8764; Fax: 518-426-8788; Website www.hcanys.org

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BUDGET from p. 1 State leaders and budget negotiators met throughout the weekend. Progress reports, however, suggest large open issues that have ripple effects across the budget, particularly on the health budget overall as well as on issues of significance to home care, hospice and MLTC. For example, the Fidelis sale and conversion – on which the Governor has balanced his budget with a provision valued at nearly a billion dollars in potential revenue – is far from resolved with Catholic Church officials asserting that dollars produced from the transition are intended as a charitable asset and not for state budget purposes.

As of this morning, the Assembly, Senate and Governor remained in different positions with respect to the MLTC-LHCSA contracting cap. All stakeholders are weighing in with respective positions; HCA continues to urge a more refined, targeted and thoughtful process for examining and guiding MLTC service contracting, while the Senate continues to maintain a hard-number contracting limit and phase-down, and is joined by certain stakeholders advocating similarly.

The major, wide-open expansion of in-home telehealth proposed by the Governor, and likewise by the Senate and Assembly, also continues to be an HCA priority advocacy area. New York’s home care providers have been the state and national leaders on telehealth. HCA has urged that language with proper parameters and guidance is included as part of the proposed expansion to ensure that in-home telehealth abides the lawful scope and licensure otherwise required for the delivery of services in the home. HCA members, working with HCA, are also conducting direct outreach to budget negotiators in this direction. Thus far, all sides – the Governor, Senate and Assembly – remain firm about opening the doors for in-home telehealth without this guiding clarification.

Many of the very concerning MLTC-related cuts and actions also remain on the table, with an uncertain fate. HCA continues to press for rejection of the cuts and adverse program mandates. We also call for

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The Situation Report: the Home Care Association of New York State

moderation and flexibility in areas of eligibility change, so that the changes align with a plan’s status, needs and, where possible, plan options.

Disagreement also continues with regard to community paramedicine, with the Senate advancing the collaborative paramedicine proposal co-authored by HCA and passed last year (by the Senate). The Governor has advanced a similar concept (to which HCA has proposed modification), and the Assembly has completely omitted the bill from its budget proposals.

As of this morning, a home care/hospice workforce proposal that was included by the Senate in its budget proposals appears still on the table, as does HCA’s home care public health proposal that the Senate has also advanced.

A separate bill to require LHCSA registration and filing of information has yet to be matched by a Senate bill and its fate in the budget is not known at this time. This bill emerged last week (as reported in an alert to members). It was proposed by the state Department of Health and introduced by Assemblyman Richard Gottfried as A.10139.

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Innovations in Social Determinants of Health Initiative The state Department of Health (DOH) is launching a new initiative designed to identify innovative new or existing ideas on how to address the Social Determinants of Health for Medicaid members.

On May 1, 2018, the state will launch a Request for Innovation (RFI) initiative that will solicit proposals from Communitybased Organizations (CBOs) for evaluation by a team of national experts. Top proposals will receive special recognition but all proposals will be made public.

The RFI will solicit innovative new approaches for addressing the social determinants of health in three categories.

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:     

From HCA’s perspective, while the legislation speaks to principles of compliance for all LHCSAs that HCA has espoused and advocated, the legislation requires further detailing and control by the Legislature and we will be advancing recommendations on the bill accordingly.

HCA will keep the membership closely apprised of the developments in these critical hours and days. HCA members should continue to call and otherwise conduct outreach to their local Senators and Assembly members urging important home care, hospice and MLTC positions.

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Potential Return on Investment Scalability Evidence-based practices Relevance to the Medicaid population Speed to market (how quickly the strategy could be launched)

Proposals will be due to DOH by June 1, 2018, with winners being announced by July 15, 2018. Winners will have an opportunity to present their ideas directly to Performing Provider Systems (PPSs), Managed Care Organizations and Value Based Purchasing contractors at a conference that DOH will host in August.

DOH is now accepting comments on this program, which should be submitted to SDH@health.ny.gov.

The Situation Report: the Home Care Association of New York State

Volume 3, No. 13 March 26, 2018 

2018 HCA Award Nominations Now Accepted, Including Two New Categories HCA has opened the nomination process for our 2018 Annual Awards, which include three cornerstone award categories, as well as two new awards in recognition of our 40th anniversary.

Award winners will be honored during a special reception at HCA’s Annual Conference, on May 9-11.

As in past years, we invite HCA members to make nominations for our mainstay Caring and Advocacy awards, as well as our highest recognition, the Ruth F. Wilson Award. With recommendations from our Board of Directors, we are also excited to introduce two new award categories: the Triple-Aim Home Care Quality & Innovation Award and the Physician Home Care Champion Award.

These awards are a great way to recognize your team, draw attention to the work your organization does on behalf of patients, and celebrate colleagues or exemplary system partners.

To make a nomination for any of these five award categories, please read the instructions posted to our online form at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2018HCAAwards. As you scroll to page two of this online form (by clicking “next” after the instructions), you will find detailed descriptions of the above award categories as well as space to provide background for your nomination.

Nominations are due by April 4.

If you have any questions or would like to e-mail your nomination directly to HCA, please contact Jenny Kerbein at jkerbein@hcanys.org.

CMS Seeks Comments on Revised OASIS Scheduled for Jan. 1, 2019 Implementation This U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently posted a revised Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) data set.

It can be found at https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/ PaperworkReductionActof1995/PRA-Listing-Items/CMS10545.html?DLPage=1&DLEntries=10&DLSort=1&DLSortDir=descending.

The current OASIS-C2 data item set was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on December 9, 2016 and implemented on January 1, 2017. CMS is now seeking OMB approval for revisions known as OASIS-D, scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2019.

OASIS-D reflects changes finalized in the 2018 Home Health Prospective Payment System (HHPPS) final rule.

Among these are changes resulting from the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (the IMPACT Act), the removal of certain data elements to “reduce burden,” and formatting changes.

Comments on the revised OASIS-D are due May 11, 2018. See the Federal Register notice at: https:// www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-03-12/pdf/2018-04893.pdf.

HCA members that have issues or concerns with the revised OASIS-D are encouraged to e-mail HCA’s Patrick Conole at pconole@hcanys.org.

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Register Your Clinical Teams Today for OASIS Training in Just 2 Weeks Do you need to train new clinical staff, or get your current clinical team up-to-date, on OASIS assessment standards?

HCA’s next session of Blueprint for OASIS Accuracy is just about two weeks away (April 9-10, with optional exam on April 11) in centrally located Syracuse.

If you are a clinician, you know why OASIS training is important for accurate assessment of your patients.

If you are a finance manager or administrator, you know that OASIS accuracy is fundamental to your organization’s compliance and payment. Complete a registration for yourself or your team today by downloading the form here: https://hca-nys.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Blueprint-for-OASIS-FlyerSyracuse-April-2018.pdf.

This program, which offers an opportunity for contact hours and an optional COS-C (Certificate for OASIS Specialist-Clinical) exam, will be led by expert faculty from OASIS answers.

MACs Instructed on 3% Rural Add-On Adjustment The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has instructed its Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) on claimsreprocessing procedures for the

three-percent rural add-on extension

signed in the recent Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018.

These instructions come in the form of Change Request 10531 (https:// www.cms.gov/Regulations-andGuidance/Guidance/Transmittals/ 2018Downloads/R2047OTN.pdf).

The budget act, signed on February 9, contains a number of Medicare feefor-service (FFS) extenders, including the 3 percent home health rural addon payment for calendar year 2018.

Some Medicare home health claims will need to be reprocessed, retroactive to the effective date for the add-on extender. By April 2, CMS will update its Home Health Pricer software to allow for the threepercent rural add-on. Eligible claims with a “through” date on or after

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DIRECTOR OF PATIENT SERVICES The Director of Patient Services has overall responsibility for the planning, interpretation and delivery of patient care services within the framework of the Agency's Mission and Strategic Plan. Ensures that services are provided within Agency, governmental and accrediting body requirements. Administrative areas of responsibility include clinical policy formulation and implementation, staffing and resource allocation, establishing goals and systems to provide high quality, safe and effective care.

Qualifications: 1. 8-10 years of experience as Supervising Public Health Nurse in Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) or Long Term Home Health Care Program (LTHHCP) 2. BSN/Master’s Degree in Nursing, Health Care Administration, or Public Health from an accredited college or university.

3. License and current registration to practice in the State of New York as an RN. 4. Strong interpersonal and communication skills.

5. Ability to work effectively in high- activity situations and under pressure and to meet the necessary time and schedule requirements as related to the position.

6. Able to work in close contact with leadership team, management staff, department staff, and community.

Full job description available at www.vns.org. Apply directly on website or with resume to hrdept@vns.org.

Competitive Salary/ Benefits Package Available

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January 1, 2018 that were submitted prior to April 2 will be reprocessed to reflect the add-on. These are MAC-level actions, and CMS says that agencies will not need to take any further steps.

For further information, contact Patrick Conole at (5180 810-0661 or at pconole@hcanys.org.

HHCAHPS Preview Reports with Star Ratings Available Preview Reports are now available reflecting results from the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) survey from October 2016 through September 2017 (Quarter 4 of 2016 to Quarter 3 of 2017). See https://homehealthcahps.org under the “For HHAs” tab.

These same data will be updated on Home Health Compare (HHC) on www.medicare.gov in April 2018.

The Preview Reports present the publicly reported results for those agencies with a sufficient number of completed interviews to receive star ratings. Agencies must have data for 40 or more patient surveys in the reporting period to have star ratings.

To access your preview report, log into the HHCAHPS website using your username and password. Select the “Survey Preview Report” link under the “For HHAs” tab. If you have forgotten your password, click on the Login link and then click the “Reset Password” button for further instructions.

If you have comments about your HHCAHPS star ratings on the Preview Report, please e-mail the HHCAHPS Coordination Team at hhcahps@rti.org by April 6, 2018 with your name, your facility name, your CMS Certification Number (CCN), your contact information, and your comments about your preview report.

If you believe your HHCAHPS star ratings are not correct, submit evidence showing why the star ratings are incorrect. However, if you have historically had higher ratings than are shown, this is not considered evidence. You must provide information showing that the data submitted by your vendor for the most recent quarter are incorrect and, therefore, may have impacted the assigned HHCAHPS star ratings for your agency.

For more information about the Preview Reports, please refer to this document on the HHCAHPS website, accessible once you are logged in: https://homehealthcahps.org/ LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=rEmqINcxYK8%3d&tabid=277 For more information about HHCAHPS star ratings, including Frequently Asked Questions, go to https:// homehealthcahps.org/GeneralInformation/StarRatingsInformation.aspx If you have any questions about the HHCAHPS star ratings or your HHCAHPS Preview Report, please contact hhcahps@rti.org or (866) 354-0985.

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DOH Webinars to Outline New Managed Care Service Authorization Appeal Changes The state Department of Health (DOH) will hold two webinars to explain important changes regarding Medicaid managed care service authorization, appeals, fair hearings and grievances (complaints). These changes are required by a federal managed care rule from May 2016.

The changes apply to New York’s mainstream Medicaid managed care, Health and Recovery Plans (HARPs), HIV Special Needs Plans, Managed Long Term Care Partial Capitation plans, Medicaid Advantage, and Medicaid Advantage Plus.

Webinar dates are below (the same information will be provided on both dates).

March 28 (1 to 3 p.m.)

Join: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/onstage/g.php?MTID=e600354c1c6d2830118b32a617b0e09b0 Call: 1-844-633-8697 (toll free) or 518-549-0500; access code: 646 221 892 March 30 (10 a.m. to 12 p.m.)

Join: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/onstage/g.php?MTID=e06f32a614c724ad4609db2d5c211c7e9 Call: 1-844-633-8697 (toll free) or 518-549-0500; access code: 645 278 217 Starting May 1, 2018, plans will be required to complete their reviews of service authorization requests under different timeframes. They will also need to issue revised enrollee notices and follow revised appeal processes for adverse determinations made on May 1, 2018 and thereafter.

Two key provisions are as follows: 

Starting with plan service determinations made on May 1, 2018 and after, enrollees wishing to dispute a plan’s adverse determination regarding their services must exhaust the plan’s internal appeal process before requesting a State Fair Hearing. This means the enrollee must request a plan appeal, which may be expedited, and receive a Final Adverse Determination upholding the plan’s decision prior to requesting a State Fair Hearing. Enrollees will have 120 days from the Final Adverse Determination to request a State Fair Hearing. If the plan does not respond to the Plan Appeal or the response is late, the appeal process will be deemed exhausted and the enrollee may request a State Fair Hearing.



Upon review, health plans may determine to reduce, suspend or terminate authorized services. Enrollees will be able to have their aid continue from the plan upon filing a plan appeal within 10 days of the Initial Adverse Determination notice, or before the effective date of the decision, whichever is later. If the plan upholds its decision, and issues a Final Adverse Determination, the enrollee may have aid continue by requesting a State Fair Hearing within 10 days of the Final Adverse Determination notice, or before the effective date of the decision, which is later. If the enrollee loses his or her plan appeal or Fair Hearing, the enrollee may have to pay for the services received while the appeal/fair hearing was being decided.

If you have any questions related to the regulation changes, please contact 438reg@health.ny.gov.

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New Funding Opportunity from NYSHealth The New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) has announced an upcoming Request for Proposals (RFP) to support projects that seek system improvements, practice innovations, or policy reforms designed to benefit and empower patients and consumers.

The RFP will be issued on April 18, 2018. Letters of interest will be due on May 16, 2018.

This RFP will be open only to organizations based in New York State. It will allow for applicants to partner or subcontract with a non-New York-based organization if it offers resources and expertise beneficial to the project. Awards of up to $250,000 will be granted to up to six organizations for New York-targeted projects spanning one to three years.

To learn more and receive a notice of the RFP when it opens, please e-mail your interest or questions to PatientsasPartners@NYSHealth.org, or visit NYSHealth’s website (https://nyshealthfoundation.org/) beginning April 18 to apply.

DOH Stats Find Home Care, Hospice Account for Less Than 2% of DSRIP Funding Distributions The state Department of Health (DOH) has released statistics on the funding distributed by Performing Provider Systems (PPSs) as part of the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program.

The data is at https://hca-nys.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Mid-Point-Assessment-Action-Plan-FinalSummary.pdf.

In February 2017, the Independent Assessor (IA) presented its Mid-Point Assessment recommendations to the Project Approval and Oversight Panel (PAOP). These recommendations were then released to the PPSs who were required to develop Mid-Point Assessment Action Plans addressing the recommendations.

The most common recommendation was for the PPSs to address concerns related to their Funds Flow and Partner Engagement activities, with 14 of the 25 PPS receiving the PAOP Standard Modification. The PAOP called for PPSs to do the following: 

Develop a detailed plan for engaging partners across all projects with specific focus on Primary Care, Mental Health, Substance Use Disorder providers as well as Community Based Organizations (CBOs).

The Plan must outline a detailed timeline for meaningful engagement.



Describe how the PPS will flow funds to partners so as to “ensure success in DSRIP.”

In the four quarters following the initiation of the Mid-Point Assessment, PPSs increased their Funds Flow distributions to partners from $414 million to over $1 billion, an increase of over $685 million.

Distributions outside of the hospitals and PPS PMO partners increased by $231 million during this time, an increase of over 204 percent from the start of the Mid-Point Assessment. However, this included only $2.5

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million to home care and $3.2 million for hospice, which accounts for less than 2 percent of the funds distributed.

The low amount of funding given to home care providers is a concern we’ve heard from several members who have spent much time engaging with their PPS partners but have not been involved in specific projects. We have communicated this message to DOH and the Legislature on numerous occasions, including through the anecdotal responses from HCA members to our industry survey and corresponding report of its findings.

All materials related to the Mid-Point Assessment can be found at: https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/ medicaid/redesign/dsrip/mid-pt_assessment/index.htm.

Questions can be sent to DSRIP@health.ny.gov.

DSRIP Workforce Activities Reported The state Department of Health (DOH) has released a report on Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program workforce activities.

The summary report is at: https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/dsrip/workforce_docs/ 2018-02_workforce_impact.htm.

According to DOH, Performing Provider Systems (PPS) made workforce spending commitments to support DSRIP goals and priorities of $415 million over 5 years. As of DSRIP Year 3 Quarter 2, PPSs have spent $247.5 million on workforce initiatives. These initiatives include recruitment in high-need or emerging titles, workforce pipelines in collaboration with educational institutions, new college credit-bearing and certificate courses, incentives and bonuses, DSRIP and value-based payment training, and “change management” competencies for organizational readiness.

The PPSs have reported 3.5 years of data identifying the impact of workforce investments on delivery system changes. The top three job titles most commonly recognized under “new hires” (all personnel hired as a result of DSRIP) across the state were: 1. Nurse Aides/Assistants 2. Care Manager/Coordinator 3. Nurse Managers/Supervisors; Home Health Aides (HHAs); Personal Care Aides (PCAs); and RN Care Coordinators/Case Managers/Care Transitions (all tied for third place) The top three new hires for home health agencies were: HHAs, PCAs, and Nurse Managers/Supervisors.

The report also includes data on new hires for emerging/transformation titles (PCAs are number two); titles that underwent retraining; and redeployed staff.

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NGS: No SSNs, HICNs, or MBIs Permitted on ABNs According to National Government Services (NGS), the Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), Advance Beneficiary Notices of Noncoverage (ABNs) must not contain the beneficiary’s social security number (SSN) or Medicare identification number (HICN or MBI), reinforcing instructions already on the for. HCA assumes, and is verifying, that the same applies to other beneficiary notices, such as the Home Health Change of Care Notice (HHCN), the Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC), and the Detailed Explanation of Non-Coverage (DENC).

While this information is not allowed on ABNs, NGS will not use this requirement to invalidate any of these advance written notices. Forms with SSNs or HICNs would remain valid and would allow the provider to shift financial liability to the beneficiary if the claim is denied by Medicare as not reasonable and necessary.

ABNs are written notices issued by home health, hospice and other providers to fee-for-service beneficiaries in situations where Medicare payment is expected to be denied for a specific item or service. If the beneficiary does not get written notice when it is required, he or she may not be held financially liable if Medicare denies payment, and the provider or supplier may be financially liable if Medicare does not pay.

Guidelines for mandatory and voluntary use of the ABN are published in the Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 30, Section 50 (see https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/BNI/ Downloads/ABN-CMS-Manual-Instructions.pdf).

More information on the ABN, including the form and instructions, are at https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/ Medicare-General-Information/BNI/ABN.html, and a CMS booklet is at https://www.cms.gov/Outreach-andEducation/Medicare-Learning-Network-MLN/MLNProducts/downloads/abn_booklet_icn006266.pdf.

PHHPC Committee Moves on Home Care Applications The Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) Establishment and Project Review Committee approved home care applications on March 22 that will now be forwarded to the full PHHPC for review at its April 12 meeting.

The agenda, along with supporting documents, is at https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/ public_health_and_health_planning_council/meetings/2018-03-22/.

The applications included: 

One Certified Home Health Agency (CHHA) to establish one entity as its parent and another entity as its grandparent;



One CHHA for a full asset merger of another entity into its operations;



Five new Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSAs) that are affiliated with an assisted living program;



Two existing LHCSAs for a change of ownership; and



Eleven entities to establish new LHCSAs.

The April 12 PHHPC meeting as well as other meetings can be viewed at https://www.health.ny.gov/events/ webcasts/.

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NGS Timely Billing Reminder National Government Services (NGS), New York’s Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC), has posted a notice reminding agencies of the timely episode billing requirements.

All home health Requests for Anticipated Payment (RAPs) and episode claims must be submitted within one calendar year of the episode end date in order to meet federal timely filing guidelines.

Additionally, the episode billing must be submitted within a specific timeframe in order for claim reconciliation to take place. The RAP should be submitted once the following conditions are met: 

OASIS is complete;



Physician’s verbal orders are received and documented;



Plan of care has been established and sent to the physician; and



The first service for the episode is delivered to the patient.

Once these conditions are met, the RAP should be submitted as soon as possible in order to establish the home health episode. The episode claim must be submitted within 60 days of the date the RAP processed or 120 days from the episode start date (whichever is greater) to be considered timely for episode billing.

If the claim is not received within this timeframe, the RAP will be auto-canceled and a claim submitted after the RAP cancellation will be returned to the provider (RTP’d). In this case, the RAP will need to be resubmitted and processed before the claim can be resubmitted for processing.

Full billing guidelines are in the Internet-Only Manual (IOM) Publication 100-04, Medicare Claims Processing Manual, Chapter 10, “Home Health Billing,” at: https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-andGuidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/clm104c10.pdf.

For further information, contact Patrick Conole at (518) 810-0661 or pconole@hcanys.org.

DSRIP Independent Evaluation and New Video Available The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved the state’s Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program Independent Evaluation Plan.

The plan can be viewed at https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/dsrip/evaluation.htm.

In December 2016, the Research Foundation at the State University of New York was awarded the contract to be the DSRIP Independent Evaluator and has begun the five-year research process according to this CMS approved plan. Any future changes to this plan, as negotiated with CMS, will be updated to the link above.

Progress and annual reports from the Independent Evaluator will be posted as their work and reports are finalized.

Continued on next page

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The Situation Report: the Home Care Association of New York State

Volume 3, No. 13 March 26, 2018 

Continued from previous page Video DOH has also announced another video in its Whiteboard series.

In the new video, titled “DSRIP Year 4: Start a Movement,” State Medicaid Director Jason Helgerson gives an overview of the DSRIP Year 4 theme and goals including the focus on performance, the move to Value Based Payment, and planning for the future.

The video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GEzMUc1_CU. Questions can be sent to DSRIP@health.ny.gov.

CMS Proposes Changes Affecting State Medicaid Programs’ Data and Access Monitoring Requirements Last week, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed regulation that would “amend the process for states to document whether Medicaid payments in fee-for-service systems are sufficient to enlist providers to assure beneficiary access to covered care and services” by exempting states with large Medicaid managed care enrollment from requirements to analyze certain data and monitor access.

In addition, it would provide similar flexibility to all states that make nominal rate reductions to fee-forservice payment rates.

The proposed rule is at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2018-03-23/pdf/2018-05898.pdf and other information is at https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2018-Pressreleases-items/2018-03-22.html.

The rule would make the following changes: 

States with an overall Medicaid managed care penetration rate of 85 percent or greater (currently, 17 States) would be exempt from most access monitoring requirements.



Reductions to provider payments of less than 4 percent in overall service category spending during a state fiscal year (and 6 percent over two consecutive years) would not be subject to the specific access analysis.



When states reduce Medicaid payment rates, they would rely on baseline information regarding access under current payment rates, rather than be required to predict the effects of rate reductions on access to care, which states have found very difficult to do.

HCA will be reviewing the proposed rule to determine any effect on home care providers and consumers in New York.

13

Volume 3, No. 13 March 26, 2018

The Situation Report: the Home Care Association of New York State



Upcoming Deadlines and Due Dates Requirement/Change

Effective/ Due Date

Home Care, Fiscal Intermediaries and other providers who contract with Managed Care Organizations must be enrolled in Medicaid

Applications still being https://www.emedny.org/info/ProviderE nrollment/ManagedCareNetwork/index. accepted, but providers must aspx submit now

Posting of OSHA Form 300A

February 1 to April 30

https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/R Kforms.html

April 1, 2018

https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/ho me_care/advanced_home_health_aides /docs/ahha_legislation.pdf

Submission of COI Compliance Implementation Plan forms by Regional Resource Development Centers to state Department of Health

April 1, 2018

https://hcaͲnys.org/wpͲ content/uploads/2018/01/ConflictͲofͲ InterestͲComplianceͲImplementationͲ Plan.docx; https://hcaͲnys.org/wpͲ content/uploads/2018/01/COIͲ ComplianceͲImplemenationͲPlanͲPowerͲ Point.pdf

Start of Transition Period for Using Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) or Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI)

April 1, 2018

https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/NewͲ MedicareͲCard/index.html

Implementation of Universal Billing Codes for Home and CommunityͲBased Long Term Care Services under Managed Care

April 1, 2018

https://www.health.ny.gov/facilities/lon g_term_care/reimbursement/letters/dal _2017Ͳ12Ͳ07_billing_codes.htm

Community First Choice Option Services Available to Medicaid Managed Care Enrollees

April 1, 2018

https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/ medicaid/redesign/community_first_cho ice_option.htm

Healthcare Personnel Influenza Vaccination Report

May 1, 2018 for personnel employed from immunize@health.ny.gov or (518) 473Ͳ 4437 October 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018

Changes in appeals system for Medicaid managed care enrollees

May 1, 2018

https://www.health.ny.gov/health_care/ managed_care/plans/appeals/index.htm

NYS Health Foundation Special Funds RFP

May 16, 2018

https://nyshealthfoundation.org

Criminal history record check requirements apply to hospice

14

More Information

The Situation Report: the Home Care Association of New York State

Volume 3, No. 13 March 26, 2018 

Resources 

“Social Determinants Of Health: How Are Health Conversion Foundations Using Their Resources To Create Change? Health Affairs Blog (March 15, 2018) https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20180313.6738/full/

For more information, contact Andrew Koski at (518) 810-0662 or akoski@hcanys.org.

15

HCA ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCE

HCA 2018 Annual Membership Conference HCA: 40 Years Strong May 9-11, 2018 Saratoga Springs, NY The Saratoga Hilton

The last 40 years have been quite a ride for home care.

We saw the birth of the “Nursing Home Without Walls” (aka Lombardi program) in the late 70s, an 80s rise in service capacity fueled by quicker hospital discharges and Medicare eligibility changes, followed by the contracting forces of 90s‐era reimbursement reforms. Promising new technologies, like home telehealth, have since extended in‐home chronic‐care capabilities … and, today, providers are still responding to the sweeping New York State Medicaid Redesign changes of the past couple of years.

Amid these trends – and countless new clinical models, funding battles, and regulatory experiments influencing New York’s home care system – HCA has been at the forefront of policy, education and advocacy, making us truly ‘40 Years Strong.’

Join us for this banner HCA Annual Conference in Saratoga Springs, celebrating our 40th year as an association. We’ll be joined by special guest Bill Dombi, President of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice, as well as other expert presenters offering insights on all facets of home care operations. These sessions, networking opportunities and more will help your organization plan for the future by tackling emerging issues, enhancing your team’s performance, confronting public health and population health challenges, and optimizing your success with some of the biggest changes happening to home care in decades.

May 9 – 11, 2018

1978 HCA is incorporated

1980 Article 40 established for hospice

1982 Katie Beckett Program authorized

THANKS TO ALL OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS!

Exhibitors AETNA BlackTree Healthcare Consulting Byram Healthcare Connect America Complia Health Fazzi Associates Forcura Home Healthcare Solutions, A Cardinal Health Company

Homecare Homebase Mass Mutual/Blue Ocean Wealth Solutions Medtronic Care Management Services, LLC NYSARC Trust Services One Group Quality in Real Time Sandata Technologies Simione Healthcare Consultants TSG Financial

Sponsorship and Exhibitor opportunities are still available. Visit:

www.hcaannualconference.com to learn about all the benefits you will receive as a supporter.

1

WHO SHOULD ATTEND Chief Executive Officers, Executive Directors, Administrators, Finance Managers, Clinical Leaders or any other department leader who plays a key role in the success of your operation.

Why not use the HCA Annual Conference as an educational retreat for your team?

Let us know if we can help make that happen!

1984 Home Care license created

1985 Home Care Medicaid copayments repealed

HOTEL INFORMATION The Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY is the site of the HCA Annual Conference. Rooms at the Saratoga Hilton are $175 per night. This discounted rate is available until April 7. After this date, higher rates will prevail. Parking is $5 per night. To make a reservation, call 888‐866‐3596.

The hotel’s check‐in time is 4pm and checkout is 11am. Luggage storage is available should your room not be ready prior to check‐in time.

2

1992 State aid to CHHAs for complex, rural, uninsured cases

HCA Annual Membership Conference

AGENDA

May 9 – 11, 2018 Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 9:00am–5:00pm

1:30 – 4:30pm

Welcome Desk Open (Lower Lobby)

HCA Annual Corporation and Board of Directors Meetings

10:00am–12:00pm

Pre‐Conference: Compliance and Finance Considerations for Advanced Home Health Aides The Advanced Home Health Aide (AHHA) regulations go into effect in May of 2018. This new law, which authorizes home health aides to conduct an advanced set of tasks, opens up a whole set of operational and financing questions for providers getting ready to implement this major change in the designation, supervision, task‐ management, assignment, and, of course, reimbursement for AHHA services. With these changes set to go into effect by the end of May, this pre‐conference offers a well‐timed opportunity for provider executives, clinical managers and human resources or operations leaders to get information and insights to fine‐tune your AHHA implementation plans.

10:00am‐11:00am

AHHA Regulations and Compliance Considerations Rebecca Fuller Gray, DOH The state’s top authority on home care regulatory issues will provide an overview of the main compliance requirements that providers must adhere to when planning and operationalizing their use of AHHA services.

All HCA Members are invited and encouraged to attend the Annual Meeting of the Corporation, where members will actually vote on the slate of candidates for the HCA Board of Directors!

The HCA Board of Directors Meeting will follow. This is your opportunity to learn more about the governing body that shapes the direction of HCA policy, education, advocacy and operational priorities. The meeting will include a focus presentation about HCA’s work and research to consider the prospect of an HCA‐led Independent Practice Association (IPA) model for purposes of group contract negotiations.

Such a model has been the subject of recent board deliberations, and this initial research is now ready for a concept briefing to the full membership. Also, guest presenter Greg Olsen, Acting Director of the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), will meet with the board and discuss his office’s vision for supporting elderly New Yorkers – specifically, how home and community‐based services fit into NYSOFA’s vision and agenda.

4:30 – 6:00pm

Welcome Reception: HCA’s 40th Year Celebration

Rebecca Fuller Gray is Director of the Division of Home and Community‐Based Services at the New York State Department of Health.

Join HCA for cocktails and an opportunity to network with peers and exhibitors as we formally kick‐off our ‘40 Years Strong’ annual conference.

11:00am‐12:00pm

The Reimbursement Plan and Vision for AHHA Services

DINNER ON YOUR OWN

Erin Kate Calicchia, DOH The use of AHHA services will have a significant impact on labor costs and, thus, reimbursement needs. Some of these costs are obvious, and others not so much – from the competitive marketplace dynamics dictating AHHA compensation levels to the added nursing oversight, assessment, and patient education functions that will affect an agency’s bottom line. For this session, HCA has invited the Acting Deputy Director for the Division of Long Term Care to discuss some of the state’s plans for reimbursement changes in response to the new AHHA statute. This session will also offer an exchange of ideas about provider‐anticipated costs that can help inform the state’s reimbursement decisions in light of AHHA.

1995 Consumer Directed Personnel Assistant Program made statewide

Erin Kate Calicchia is Acting Deputy Director, Division of Long Term Care at the New York State Department of Health (Invited).

3

2002

Special rates created for recruitment, training & retention

AGENDA Thursday, May 10, 2018 7:30 – 8:30am

2007 HCA gains home care’s inclusion in palliative care training HCA’s home telehealth law signed

Strolling Breakfast with Exhibitors Enjoy a breakfast buffet and chance to browse the exhibitor hall for nutritional and mental nourishment to start the first full day of our conference.

8:30 – 9:15am

HCA Presidential Address: 40 Years Strong HCA President Joanne Cunningham provides her vision for HCA’s strategic plan to support the membership and advocate on your behalf during her annual address.

9:15 – 10:30am

Building the High‐Trust, High‐Performance Team and Organization Greg Hicks, Researcher, National Best‐Selling Author, and Co‐Founder of FosterHicks The FosterHicks leadership model has been tested and researched by none other than the esteemed Mayo Clinic, which found it to have significant correlations to successful and resilient team building. In this interactive session, the co‐founder of this pioneering leadership model will provide a practical and sustainable roadmap for leaders to create a high‐trust, high‐performance, motivated, and happy workplace culture within their organizations which translates into better care outcomes, efficiency and higher retention rates. These insights have been honed through interactions and training sessions at the Mayo School of Medicine and interviews with thousands of patients, doctors and medical professionals who have helped bring scientific methods to this proven model for successful leadership.

Greg Hicks is a pioneer in the research of individual and group well‐being and leadership; a national best‐selling author; and co‐founder of FosterHicks, a company that helps people and organizations achieve success. Since 1995, Greg and partner, Rick Foster, have traveled to all 50 states, 7 continents, and over 60 countries finding and interviewing people and communities that thrive. This acclaimed research has spawned the FosterHicks system of nine behaviors. Hicks is the author of several books and has teamed up with Stanford neuroscientists and behavioral scientists to bring scientific rigor to his methods. His work and commentary have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and magazines such as Health, Fitness, Self, Good Housekeeping, Fit, Working Mother, Redbook, Prevention, and Readers’ Digest.

10:30 – 11am

Extended Break with Exhibitors Enjoy a morning break and visits with the Exhibitors before you dive into the morning Workshops!

Fashion was a blend of patchwork prints and corduroy jumpsuits in the 70s! Bring a favorite photo of yourself from “the 70s” to share with us at the HCA Exhibit Booth, and we’ll enter it into our “70’s Fashion Contest!” The winner will be chosen based on a vote from our exhibitors. We’ll announce the winner later at the HCA PAC Reception.

Along with bragging rights, the winner will take home a fun 1978 throwback prize! You must be present at the Reception to win.

HCA Annual Membership Conference May 9 – 11, 2018 Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY

4

HCA Annual Membership Conference

AGENDA

May 9 – 11, 2018 Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY

Thursday, May 10, 2018 - continued 11am – 12pm

Breakout Workshops Optimizing Your Business & Technology Processes for CoP Success

What New York Employers Need to Know about Employee Leave

Craig Mandeville, CEO, Forcura and Charles Breznicky, MSN, MBA, Clinical Consulting Manager, BlackTree Healthcare Consulting

Kathleen Russell, PHR, SHRM‐CP, Human Resources and Employee Benefits Consultant, OneGroup Casey Cone, PHR, SHRM‐CP, Senior Human Resources Consultant, OneGroup

The new home health Conditions of Participation (CoPs) are the most sweeping changes in federal home care regulations since 1989, with many complex, interconnected components. While these changes add new tasks and responsibilities for providers, the overall intention is to drive quality in care and, ultimately, eliminate unnecessary procedural requirements.

However, in order to realize these potential benefits and upsides of CoP implementation, home health and hospice organizations must optimize their business and technology processes. Craig Mandeville, Forcura CEO, and Charles Breznicky, Manager of Clinical Consulting for Blacktree Healthcare Consulting, will share industry best‐ practices for adhering to these new requirements with technology today and in the future.

This session will offer an overview of New York’s Paid Family Leave Benefits Law, the Federal Family Medical Leave Act, and New York City’s Paid Sick Leave Law to provide important clarifications of the similarities, differences and interplay between the different leave types that will support your organization’s compliance.

The program will review employer and employee rights and obligations under each law and the impact on your agency’s leave practices and employee handbook policies.

Enhancing Quality of Life for Home Care Workers through an Innovative New Employee Benefits Model Josh Klein, Chief Executive Officer, Royal Care

Attendees will learn: • How to develop a business process to derive value from the revised CoPs. • What to consider in evaluating a technology solution to streamline CoP documentation requirements.

• How some of the larger home health and hospice organizations across the United States are managing these changes.

Your agency’s attention to worker quality of life issues affects staff retention and the stability of home care system services. It communicates to employees that they are valued, and it maintains a positive workplace culture that translates into an effective patient care culture. It’s also the right thing to do. In this session, you’ll hear how one agency created an innovative employee benefits model and supportive facilities and programs with specific goals for improving home health aide workplace quality, supporting work‐life balance and other factors.

Post‐Discharge Medication Reconciliation and High Risk Medications: Processes, Challenges, and Strategies for Home Health Care Anne Myrka, RPh, MAT, Director, Drug Safety, IPRO This presentation is designed specifically for home healthcare services and will: define medication reconciliation as a component of medication management and discuss the impact of discrepancies; define post‐discharge medication reconciliation as a patient safety priority and discuss challenges for home health care; describe the medication reconciliation process and provide strategies for successful implementation of post‐discharge medication reconciliation and medication support; and identify and resolve problems related to high‐risk drugs, with particular focus on opioids and anticoagulants.

2009 HCA gains cost‐ saving flexibility for medication pre‐fills

5

HCA Annual Membership Conference

Thursday, May 10, 2018 - continued

May 9 – 11, 2018 Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY

12 – 1:30 pm

2018 HCA Home Care

Awards Luncheon Since its incorporation in 1978, HCA has recognized home care leaders, direct‐care staff, legislators and policymakers for their commitment to patients and the home care system. These individuals are a big reason why HCA is “40 Years Strong.”

Join us for this special celebration as we present HCA’s annual awards to caregivers, leaders, advocates and exceptional allies, showcasing the acts of compassion, dedication, selflessness and resourcefulness that make us strong together.

To nominate someone for an HCA Award, please visit the conference website at

www.hcaannualconference.com or contact Jenny Kerbein at (518) 810‐0659 or at jkerbein@hcanys.org

1:30 – 2:15pm

Desserts with Exhibitors 6

AGENDA

HCA Annual Membership Conference

Thursday, May 10, 2018 - continued

May 9 – 11, 2018 Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY

2:15 – 3:15pm

Breakout Workshops Reducing Hospital Readmissions in the Elderly Population with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias

Affordable Housing Improves Health Outcomes for Senior Residents Elizabeth Lynn, Assistant Vice President, Grants and Research, Selfhelp Community Services Mohini Mishra, CASP, LMSW, Managing Director of Housing and NORCs, Selfhelp Community Services

Dr. Amy Craven, PT, MS, DPT, Vice President, C&V Senior Care Specialists One in seven hospital admissions attributable to Alzheimer’s disease are potentially avoidable, unnecessarily costing Medicare $2.6 billion annually, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Because of its effect on memory, thinking and behavior, Alzheimer’s disease can significantly interfere and complicate the management of other chronic conditions, increasing the risk for hospitalizations that may be preventable with proactive care. This presentation will address caregiver education to recognize the behavior issues and teach strategies to deal with those behaviors in ways that can ultimately reduce avoidable hospitalizations, improve patient outcomes, and lower costs. These lessons can be incorporated by your agency’s clinical directors as part of a cohesive approach to managing the risks of Alzheimer’s and other cognitive conditions.

Selfhelp Community Services, Inc., a NYC‐based multi‐ service agency, will describe the successes of its innovative affordable housing model. This model is a key component of Selfhelp’s overall program, which also includes home care, case management, care transitions, senior centers, and social adult day care to support independent living. Its outcomes are shown in a recently completed study suggesting that service‐enriched housing can save money to the health care system.

Selfhelp will discuss the results of this study based on Medicaid data and comparisons of health outcomes for Selfhelp residents and older adults in the same zip codes.

Different Modalities of Telehealth for Chronic Care

Advancing Better Patient Outcomes through Pharmacy‐Home Care Collaboration

Rhonda McGivney, Senior Director, Care Model Innovation, Medtronic Care Management Services

John Croce, RPh and Steve Moore, PharmD, Upstate‐NY Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network

Caring for your complex, chronic, co‐morbid population requires having the right patient information, at the right time, to make the right clinical decisions. While the definition of telehealth may vary, telehealth typically has four main modalities: Live Communication, Store & Forward Communication, Remote Patient Monitoring, and Mobile Health. This session will explore these modalities. It will also provide examples – such as linking a patient’s symptom and biometric data with telemedicine capabilities – to show how these modalities can work together in concert to help clinicians become more informed while making care decisions for their patients.

Upstate‐NY Community Pharmacy Enhanced Services Network (CPESN) is a clinically integrated network of community based pharmacies focused on providing enhanced services to health care providers in a collaborative arrangement to optimize medication therapies for shared patients, resulting in positive health outcomes.

The goal of Upstate‐NY CPESN, and its regional counterparts throughout New York State, is to: improve quality of care and patient outcomes related to medication use; enhance patients’ overall health trajectory; and reduce the total cost of care through active partnership with community providers including home care. This session will provide insights on the role pharmacists can play in supporting patient health and highlight ways to build successful collaborations that synchronize with many of the state and federal government provider partnership models, value based payments, and other care‐coordination initiatives.

2009 HCA negotiates insurance coverage for home care discharge 7

2011 HCA‐authored personnel & workplace development program signed into law

AGENDA

HCA Annual Membership Conference May 9 – 11, 2018 Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY

Thursday, May 10, 2018 - continued 3:30 – 4:30pm

Home Care’s Role in Advancing Public Health in New York State Dr. Howard Zucker, MD, JD, Commissioner, NYS Department of Health (Invited) As New York State Health Commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker is a distinguished leader on public health and program issues that affect all New Yorkers, including many initiatives that hold extraordinary promise for the home care population. These include home care’s work on sepsis intervention (as demonstrated through HCA’s Stop Sepsis at Home initiative) and other core public‐health challenges that home care can – and does – address, such as the opioid crisis and addiction management, asthma, behavioral health and social determinants of health. HCA has invited Dr. Zucker to share his vision for home care as a solution in all of these areas, as well as discuss his specific concerns and ideas about how to positively impact the burgeoning home care workforce shortage.

Dr. Howard A. Zucker is Commissioner of Health for New York State. As the state's chief physician, Dr. Zucker leads initiatives to combat the opioid crisis, strengthen environmental health and end the AIDS epidemic in New York. Since his arrival at the helm of the NYS Department of Health, he has established a network of hospitals equipped to treat Ebola, implemented programs to address the threat of Zika and spearheaded efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance. He is board‐certified in six specialties/subspecialties.

4:30 – 6:00pm

HCA PAC Reception!

Join us for a flashback celebration to 1978 – the year HCA was born!

HCA’s PAC Reception is an annual highlight of our conference, offering fun, laughter, drinks, hors d'oeuvres and a chance to make an impact on the political front by contributing to HCA’s Political Action Committee (PAC).

Sponsored by:

A $50 HCA PAC donation at the door gets you groovin to the hit songs of 1978 – from artists like the Bee Gees , Foreigner, The Who, and the Grease soundtrack! Hustle your way on over to the Springs Lounge for a great kick‐off to a fun evening!

2012 Premium, rate adequacy amendments made for home care, MLTC

2013

Palliative care training support for home care & hospice

8

2015

Governor signs HCA’s Hospital‐ Homecare‐Physician collaboration law

HCA Annual Membership Conference May 9 – 11, 2018 Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY

AGENDA Friday, May 11, 2018 10:00 – 11:15am

7:30 – 8:30am – Breakfast Buffet

Washington Update from Bill Dombi William A. Dombi, Esq., President, NAHC

7:30 – 8:30am

HCA Town Hall Meeting

Bill Dombi is in a class of his own when it comes to knowledge about the federal issues affecting home care and hospice providers. He also has an uncanny ability to communicate about these issues and develop strategies for success. He’s been involved in nearly every major home care and hospice issue over the past 40 years, and has now begun taking on new responsibilities as the recently confirmed President of the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC). His insights offer a perfect capstone for the conference, drawing on a unique understanding of home care’s place in the last 40 years as well as where it is headed in an environment of political upheaval, Medicaid funding threats, the near‐certain prospect of a Home Health Groupings Model or other similar payment overhauls, the pivot toward uniform post‐acute care payment methodologies, and the continued struggles with federal regulatory burdens like Medicare face‐to‐face, limits on home care ordering and referring practitioners, as well as other issues at the focus of his attention.

HCA’s Town Hall Meeting is a casual, unscripted, no‐agenda panel session where you can ask the HCA team any questions on your minds about home care policy, regulations, reimbursement issues and advocacy positions, or to make recommendations for ways we can better support you. This is your chance to hear what’s on the HCA work plan, tell us what issues are keeping you up at night, and engage in a free‐rolling dialogue that better keeps us connected with your needs and concerns.

8:45 – 9:45am

Strategies to Recruit and Retain Quality Employees Eric Scharber, Principal, Simione Healthcare Consultants Question: Who knows best why people leave a job? Answer: The person who helped them find a new one! This presentation will provide words of wisdom from a successful recruiter about retaining key employees, which is among the top concerns for health care executives these days, especially in home care.

Attendees will also hear examples of successful strategies – as well as not‐so‐successful ones – as you work to attract top‐tier talent. You’ll also gain an overview of workforce trends specific to the home care and hospice industry that can help you get a handle on your workforce retention plan.

Bill Dombi is President of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). He previously served as the Vice President for Law at NAHC. Dombi specializes in legal, legislative, and regulatory advocacy on behalf of patients and providers of home health and hospice care. With nearly 40 years of experience in health care law and policy, Bill Dombi has been involved in virtually all legislative and regulatory efforts affecting home care and hospice since 1975, including the expansion of the Medicare home health benefit in 1980, the formation of the hospice benefit in 1983, the institution of Medicare PPS for home health in 2000, and the national health care reform legislation in 2010.

Eric Scharber is a Principal at Simione Healthcare Consultants, leading talent acquisition and employee retention efforts for the home care and hospice industry through Exact Recruiting, a Simione Talent Solution. He oversees executive search and non‐ executive recruiting services, as well as recruitment process outsourcing, compensation analysis and employee satisfaction survey services.

11:15am – Conference Adjourns

9:45 – 10:00am – Break

2017 HCA launches emergency preparedness sessions statewide

2017

NYS Health Foundation grant bolsters HCA sepsis effort

9

2018 Join us on May 9 – 11 to discover what’s ahead for your HCA Membership!

40th ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCE May 9 – 11, 2018, Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY

Conference Registration Form NAME ______________________________________________________________

TITLE ____________________________________________________

AFFILIATION ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PHONE _____________________________________________________________ FAX _____________________________________________________ E-MAIL ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Method of Payment

How to Register

Please check one:

Return this completed registration form with your payment by fax to (518) 426-8788 or mail it to: HCA, 388 Broadway, 4th Floor, Albany, NY 12207. You may duplicate this form for additional attendees. Please save a copy for your records.

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Cancellation Policy: We encourage you to attend the full three day conference for the best value. No credits can be given for meals not taken or unattended education programs. Cancellations received by April 18 will receive a full refund, less 25% of total due as an administrative fee. Cancellations received on April 19 or later will forfeit their registration fee, as will those who register and do not attend.

Substitutions are permitted.

Full Conference Registration Options • HCA Provider Member Primary Registration - Additional Registrant from Same Provider Member

$599  $549 

• Non-Member Provider

$749 

• HCA Vendor/Associate Member

$729 

• Non-Member Vendor

$879 

Note the following with your registration: I will attend Wednesday’s Pre-Conference Session (Included in my registration above)

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$239 

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388 Broadway Fourth Floor Albany, New York 12207

40th ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP CONFERENCE May 9 – 11, 2018 TO: