Office of Inspector General  
Division of Health Care  
Issue: #02-SE-2017  

                  March 2017


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HOME HEALTH AGENCY
NEWSLETTER
Welcome to the Division of Health Care's Special Edition-March issue of the Home Health Agency Newsletter.  This newsletter is a valuable vehicle to keep you updated on current events affecting Home Health Agencies.  
 
Please feel free to share this newsletter with anyone you think would benefit.  They can continue to receive this newsletter by joining our mailing list using the link at the bottom. We look forward to serving you through this communication vehicle. 
Final Rule
CMS Finalizes New Medicare and Medicaid Home Health Care Rules and Beneficiary Protections

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a final rule (CMS-3819-F) that modernizes the Home Health Agency Conditions of Participation (CoPs). The final rule, effective July 13, 2017, will improve the quality of health care services for all home health patients and strengthen patients' rights. The regulation reflects the most current home health agency practices by focusing on the care provided to patients and the impact of that care on patient outcomes. This regulation focuses on assuring the protection and promotion of patient rights; enhances the process for care planning, delivery, and coordination of services; and builds a foundation for ongoing, data-driven, agency-wide quality improvement. These changes are an integral part of CMS' overall effort to improve the quality of care furnished through the Medicare and Medicaid programs, while streamlining requirements for providers.

Quality Measures
February 24, 2017
Revised technical documentation for the OASIS-based measures, as well as updated copies of the process, outcome and potentially-avoidable event (PAE) measures tables, are now available in the "Downloads" section of the website below. Both sets of materials include technical clarifications to the information first posted in December 2016, to better reflect the January 1, 2017 implementation of OASIS-C2 and other program changes.

Spotlight
The CMS Spotlight website below provides recent news and updates pertinent to the Home Health Quality Initiative. On this page you will find announcements about posting of resource guides and fact sheets, the availability of Q&A documents, information about Home Health Care, among other notifications.

KY Department for Public Health Announces Regulation Changes
In November 2016, the Reportable Disease Surveillance regulation 902 KAR 2:020 was amended.  The Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) has released a summary of the changes for new reporting requirements, deleted previous reporting requirements and modifications to previous report requirements. 
 
In addition, DPH has also released the following amended documents:
Interested in Serving on an IDR Panel?
Kentucky requires one member of the IDR panel to be "a person currently engaged in the provision of Home Health Agency services who has no affiliation with the provider disputing a deficiency." Typically, a Home Health Agency Director is on each IDR panel. There is no payment or travel reimbursement for a Director serving on a panel.  Directors will be rotated.  If a Home Health Agency Director is interested in serving on a panel, a confidentiality statement must be signed prior to the participation in the first IDR panel.

Please complete the Confidentiality Agreement and submit via email, fax or mail to:

Jennifer Smith, IDR Coordinator
OIG - Division of Health Care
275 East Main Street 5EA
Frankfort, KY 40621
Fax (502) 564-6546
OASIS Data Specifications V2.21.0 - DRAFT

The OASIS Data Submission Specifications Version 2.21.0 are now available in the downloads section of the site below. This DRAFT version applies to the OASIS-C2 item set which is scheduled for implementation on January 1, 2018.  Please note the addition of edit -5480 for item M0063_MEDICARE_NUM, as well as its implementation, which is described on page 2 of the Overview document.

OASIS Automation and Education Coordinator (OEC/OAC) Contacts
For Coding or Assessment issues:

Contact Jennifer Smith, Kentucky's OASIS Education Coordinator, by phone at 502-564-7963, extension 3301 or via e-mail

For Transmission or Technical Issues:

Contact Rhonda Littleton-Roe at 502-564-7963, extension 3300 or [email protected].
Surveyor Training Website
Click to view training options

This CMS website provides training information to include the preceptor manual, the State Operations Manual and other documents.

As always, the survey and certification process is a collaborative effort between CMS and providers. This website will allow providers the opportunity to take the same courses as surveyors.
KARES
Enroll Now!

To enroll in KARES voluntarily, please click the icon below and follow the self-directed enrollment process.
For additional information about the program, please contact the help desk at (502) 564-2159 or via email 
Unbridled Spirit   
                                                                                                         

The Office of Inspector General is Kentucky's regulatory agency for licensing all health care, day care, long-term care facilities, and child adoption/child-placing agencies in the Commonwealth. 

If you would like more information, visit our website at chfs.ky.gov/os/oig.
  
If you have an idea for a future article, e-mail Jami Biggs at [email protected].