ASK ALECC FAQ Newsletter
Featured Newsletter
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ASK ALECC Topic:
“What is Your Recommendation for Hospice Best Practices?”
Jan. 21, 2025 – This is a very simple question for me to answer. Follow the hospice process and you will meet all of the regulatory and eligibility requirements for hospice.
Next question: “What is the hospice process Kathy?” If you have ever attended one of my presentations regarding compliance and regulations, I outline the hospice process in 5 easy steps. I can already hear chuckling as you read that last sentence, hospice in 5 easy steps. OK, well maybe I have the process narrowed down to what I consider 5 simple boxes to follow. They show the required steps that a hospice must follow to meet the regulations and guidelines for compliance and eligibility with Medicare Hospice patients.
Where do you find this hospice process of mine? Each year I teach a 5-part compliance series related to the regulations. I cover all of the core services, beginning with the Medical Directors and ending with the hospice bereavement program. I review the latest regulatory updates specific to each area, go over what is required to meet both the technical and clinical requirements for Medicare Hospice eligibility including providing documentation examples. The technical requirements of certification and the physician narrative are areas that cause considerable challenges under an additional documentation review (ADR). This is where we frequently see payment recoupments for agencies. I take nursing through how to document to support terminality, what guidelines to follow and what incongruent documentation looks like.
We review counseling services including the latest members of the counseling team and how to best use these members to support the hospice process. The Volunteer program, what is required, who can be a volunteer and what meets the 5% requirement always involves a lot of interactions and FAQ’s. Recommendations are made for a bereavement program and risk assessments throughout the course of hospice care. Discussions re: IDT, updating the Plan of Care and comprehensive assessments are topics of great conversation as these are critical areas for both survey and additional documentation review.
Currently with enhanced oversite, the special focus program and RAC ADR’s appearing to present themselves to agencies like baseballs out of a batting cage, this series touches on how to be compliant and avoid the pitfalls for survey and additional documentation reviews. The series is packed full of information and resources and is very interactive. A great way to start the year off getting that hospice process etched into a best practice within your organization! I look forward to you joining us.
ALECC is grateful for the work you do!
~ Kathy Ahearn
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