Home healthcare agencies face three major regulatory issues right now, according to Mary Carr, vice president of regulatory affairs at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice:
- The need to redefine patient visits in a way that addresses telehealth as a plan of care, enabling the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to provide reimbursement to agencies for such visits. “This is a legislative issue that needs to be addressed,” Carr said. “The pandemic will set telehealth standards moving forward, and we’ll be expected to implement this technology. However, right now agencies don’t get paid.”
- The new home infusion therapy benefit, effective Jan. 1, that carves out of the Medicare home health benefit the professional service related to Part B infusion drugs.
- Implementation of penalties for late submissions of home health admission notices — with notices having to be submitted within five days of admission, with penalties for each late day.
Carr spoke Tuesday at NAHC’s virtual Home Care and Hospice Conference and Expo.
