FDA Update: Agency Closely Monitoring Emergence of XBB.1.5 Subvariant

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The FDA posted this news release on Friday, January 6, 2023. Today, the FDA posted an update that the agency is closely monitoring the emergence of the XBB.1.5 subvariant, a SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant that is currently estimated to account for 28% of circulating variants in the U.S. Because of its…… Continue reading FDA Update: Agency Closely Monitoring Emergence of XBB.1.5 Subvariant

Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum – January 11, 2023   

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The next Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum is scheduled for: Wednesday, January 11, 2023 PM at 2:00 PM-3:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). Please call at least 15 minutes prior to the forum start time. **This Agenda is Subject to Change** Opening Remarks Chair…… Continue reading Home Health, Hospice & DME Open Door Forum – January 11, 2023   

2022 Medicare Fee-for-Service Supplemental Improper Payment Data

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare HHS has posted the 94-page 2022 Medicare Fee-for-Service Supplemental Improper Payment Data report. This document supplements improper payment information in the annual HHS AFR. PIIA requires improper payment reporting in the HHS AFR. The improper payment rate calculation complies with the requirements of OMB Circular A-123,…… Continue reading 2022 Medicare Fee-for-Service Supplemental Improper Payment Data

Unwinding and Returning to Regular Operations after COVID-19   

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Before you get anxious, thinking that this blog is announcing the end of the PHE – it’s not.  The PHE declaration is still in place as evidenced by the January 5, 2023 CMCS Informational Bulletin: Key Dates Related to the Medicaid Continuous Enrollment Condition.  Towards the…… Continue reading Unwinding and Returning to Regular Operations after COVID-19   

New AHRQ SOPS Workplace Safety Supplemental Item Set for Nursing Homes

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP  Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare This AHRQ webcast will introduce the new Workplace Safety Supplemental Item Set that can be added to the end of the Surveys on Patient Safety Culture™ (SOPS®) Nursing Home Survey. The new item set assesses staff perceptions of workplace safety, including workplace hazards, inappropriate resident…… Continue reading New AHRQ SOPS Workplace Safety Supplemental Item Set for Nursing Homes

Home Oxygen: 3 New Claims Modifiers and Home Health Prospective Payment System: CY 2023 Rural Add-on Policy 

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP  Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS added 3 new modifiers for home oxygen use under national coverage determination (NCD) 240.2 to indicate the appropriate treatment regimen and presence of supporting documentation for each Medicare patient group: Section B, Group I: modifier N1 Section B, Group II: modifier N2 Section D: modifier N3…… Continue reading Home Oxygen: 3 New Claims Modifiers and Home Health Prospective Payment System: CY 2023 Rural Add-on Policy 

Skilled Nursing Facility Consolidated Billing: CY 2023 HCPCS Codes   

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP  Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the CY 2023 HCPCS Codes for accurate payment of Part A skilled nursing facility stays. Additional information regarding these codes as well as billing information: General Explanation of the Major Categories for Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Consolidated Billing(includes additional exclusions) The SNF…… Continue reading Skilled Nursing Facility Consolidated Billing: CY 2023 HCPCS Codes   

One in Four U.S. Older Adults Needed Long-Term Care for Themselves or a Loved One in 2022   

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP  Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “Twenty-four percent of U.S. adults ages 50 and older say they, or a loved one needed long-term care in the past year, according to a new, national survey commissioned by Nexus Insights, a think tank focused on older adults. The research was conducted by the…… Continue reading One in Four U.S. Older Adults Needed Long-Term Care for Themselves or a Loved One in 2022