May 2015
 

Introducing Simione Business Accelerator, A New Financial Sidekick for Home Care and Hospice 

 

From size and scope of operations to competition and the availability of qualified staff, Simione Healthcare Consultants recognizes that many factors can support or deter the financial health of home care and hospice organizations. Now more than ever, these agencies and facilities need business support resources that are scaled to their specific structure, means and market for optimal performance.

 

Our team of experts in home care and hospice consulting have launched Simione Business Accelerator, a suite of customized financial support packages for agencies of every dimension - from independent agencies to network-owned and multi-provider organizations.  With a core offering that combines leading benchmarks and financial consultation, Simione Business Accelerator is structured to provide guidance for decision-making based on more diligent data collection and reporting.  It also is designed to help growing provider networks optimize home care and hospice as they place increasing focus on community-based care.


 
"Every home care and hospice organization has a unique blend of factors that support and challenge its success," says Robert J. Simione, Managing Principal, "but all share common goals to provide quality care and operate efficiently, while maintaining sound financial health.  With Simione Business Accelerator, we offer the tools and expertise to sort through all of the variables and prioritize to improve decision-making. Our goal is to facilitate education and buy-in at all levels of an organization to help you manage finances within changing payment models and delivery systems."

 

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CMS Publishes Proposed Hospice Payment and Quality Reporting Changes 

On April 30, The Centers for Medicare and Medicate Services (CMS) published  its
Proposed Hospice FY 2016 Hospice Wage Index and Payment Rate Update and Hospice Quality Reporting Requirements. Simione Healthcare Consultants is working to notify client providers this week and develop cmments to provide to CMS. Please note the recent advisories provided by our industry's national associations: 



Stay tuned......The Simione team is working to publish more information to address the many implications for hospice providers.  
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Where Are You On The Road To ICD-10 Transition?  technology-abstract2.jpg

By this time, we hope that most agencies have taken the necessary steps for ICD-10 implementation. Whether you are in process or have not started, it is time for a reality check for the last push to implementation. You may know what you need to do, but are there areas where you will need additional and/or focused resources to get it all done before the October 2015 deadline?

Laura Gramenelles, RN, BSN, HCS-D, COS-C, Director, Simione Healthcare Consultants, says agencies with a thorough and flexible plan of attack can take charge in the final months -- and they need not do it alone. The AHIMA-Approved ICD-10 trainer and certified ICD-10 coder says that fast-tracking the ICD-10 to-do list requires knowing where to bring in temporary resources to address training needs, conduct process review, engage vendors and payers, and/or test systems and processes in order to make a successful transition.

Based in Massachusetts, Laura has progressive leadership experience in home care and hospice since 1985, including five years in management and 25 years in consulting.  She oversees many clinical initiatives at Simione, supporting Clinical Operations and Mergers & Acquisitions projects, including those related to clinical due diligence, quality improvement, OASIS validation, and diagnosis coding. 

Review some tips from Laura's recent webinar, including keys to a successful transition plan, ICD-10 training, vendor readiness, potential failure points, and other ICD-10 resources.
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A DYNAMIC DUO: Simultaneous Efforts to Grow Revenue and Reduce Costs Shape Agency Success

In an industry with growing patient needs and dwindling resources, home care and hospice organizations with strong financial discipline are more likely to prevent financial crisis and outperform their competition. By guiding a more deliberate review of revenue and costs, agency leaders can better initiate strategies to support their teams and strike a balance among finances, quality and patient satisfaction to support agency growth.

Rob Simione, Vice President, Simione Financial Monitor, says, "Many agencies are struggling with the increase in necessary expenses to meet changes in the regulatory environment and keep pace with changing payment models and payer mix. Facing many tough questions when it comes to costs, they are finding they have to come up with their own answers, and are often left trying to do more with less. Benchmarking can help provide guidelines on costs and staffing, taking the guesswork out of financial management and allowing providers to share comparisons of their performance with other peer organizations."

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There's Still Time.....
Join Us May 18 for the More Affordable, Improved Simione Sales Training 

Simione Healthcare Consultants is pleased to announce several key enhancements to its highly acclaimed sales training programs -- lower pricing and one less hotel night with no need to travel on a Sunday! The training fee is now $1,495 per person (formerly $1,895), and the training schedule is Monday 1 -5:30 pm, Tuesday, 8:30 am-5:30 pm, and Wednesday, 8:30 am-2 pm. Additionally, Square One Boot Camp now includes separate, specialized tracks for home care and hospice, along with the Sales Management Workshop for those who lead sales teams.  Join us for this great value to improve your referral management efforts!

May 18-20, 2015, Courtyard by Marriott, Chapel Hill, NC
SAVE THE DATE: September 14-16, 2015
Simione's 2nd Annual Sales Leadership Summit
A Conference and Networking Event at The Cosmopolitan at Las Vegas, NV

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SIMIONE AT CONFERENCES & MEETINGS

May 6-8Home Care Association of New York State Annual Conference, Saratoga Hilton, Saratoga Springs, NY
May 13-15Michigan Association for Home Care Annual Conference, Grand Traverse Resort & Spa, Acme, MI
May 13-15Pennsylvania Homecare Association Annual Conference, Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square, Lancaster, PA
May 13-15Decision Health's Home Health Administrator's Summit, Tropicana, Las Vegas, NV
May 19-20New England Home Care & Hospice Conference & Trade Show, Radisson Hotel Manchester, Manchester, NH          (Afternoon Keynote: Robert J. Simione)
May 19-21CAHSAH Annual Conference & Expo, Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel, Palm Springs, CA
May 20-21Hospice & Palliative Care Association of New York State 35th Annual Conference, Albany Hilton Hotel, Albany, NY



COMPLIMENTARY WEBINARS

Click on the free webinar icon at right, and select date on calendar for registration link. All webinars are held 2-3 PM or 3-4 PM Eastern time.

May 5     ICD-10 Reality Check: Taking Charge in the Final Months     
June 11  Financial Fitness: Exercise Your Options
July 1      Five Strategies for Sales Excellence in Home Care and Hospice 

THOUGHT LEADERS IN HOME CARE AND HOSPICE

Founded in 1966, Simione™ Healthcare Consultants provides comprehensive business solutions for home health and hospice in the areas of finance, operations, cost reporting, compliance and risk,  sales and marketing, information technology, and mergers and acquisitions.  Simione's experts and tools support performance improvement across the healthcare continuum, engaging hospitals, health networks and agencies to improve quality, reduce costs, and minimize risk for more effective delivery of patient care.