NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2015 - (Page 32)

Short Takes FY2016 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule On Friday, July 31, 2015, the FY2016 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule posted to the public inspection page of the Federal Register with the expected publication date of August 6, 2015. An NHPCO Regulatory Alert went out to members on August 3. NHPCO reminds members of some of the key points pertaining to the rule. * An estimated rate increase of 1.1% for FY2016. * Implementation of hospice payment reform, effective January 1, 2016, with a two-tiered routine home care rate (RHC) based on a beneficiary's length of stay, with a higher rate for the first 60 days of care and a lower rate starting on day 61. * A service intensity add-on (SIA) payment is established, effective January 1, 2016, for services provided by an RN or social worker in the last seven days of a hospice patient's life. * Changes in the aggregate cap calculation and an alignment of the cap accounting year to conform to the Federal fiscal year of October 1. * Updates to quality reporting include the establishment of thresholds for data submission compliance and an update on public reporting. * Clarification on the requirement for reporting all diagnoses on the claim form. * The final rule also provides detailed analysis of hospice claims for FY2013. Members are encouraged to visit the NHPCO Regulatory & Compliance Center on the NHPCO website to track the most current information, analysis, and advice from the regulatory and compliance team. Look under "Hot Topics" for the FY2016 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule page. 2015 Circle of Life Award® Honorees Award Celebrates Innovation in Palliative and End-of-life Care Care Dimensions in Danvers, Mass. is the recipient of the prestigious Circle of Life Award for 2015. Hospice of Frederick County in Frederick, Md., has earned a Citation of Honor. The awards were presented at the American Hospital Association's annual summit in San Francisco on July 24. The award celebrates innovation in end-of-life care and the two 32 programs honored this year demonstrate a commitment to providing palliative care services within the continuum of care and outreach to traditionally underserved communities. NHPCO and the National Hospice Foundation honor these distinguished recipients. Both of these exemplary programs are members of NHPCO. Care Dimensions serves 90 eastern Massachusetts communities and an average 650 NHPCO NewsLine | Fall 2015 hospice patients and 140 palliative care patients each day. It provides care in a variety of settings including patients' homes, assisted living facilities, long-term care facilities, hospitals, group homes, veterans' facilities and an inpatient hospice facility. Care Dimensions provides a broad range of services including hospital consultation services; a program to transition from home care to hospice; an early access program that provides both curative and palliative care at the https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/08/06/2015-19033/medicare-program-fy-2016-hospice-wage-index-and-payment-rate-update-and-hospice-quality-reporting https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/08/06/2015-19033/medicare-program-fy-2016-hospice-wage-index-and-payment-rate-update-and-hospice-quality-reporting http://www.nhpco.org/press-room/press-releases/members-fy2016-hospice-wage-index-reg-alert-posted http://www.nhpco.org/billing-and-reimbursement/fy2016-hospice-wage-index-final-rule http://www.nhpco.org/billing-and-reimbursement/fy2016-hospice-wage-index-final-rule

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2015

Issue Table of Contents
NHPCO Palliative Care Membership (display ad)
A Message From Don
Should our Hospice Provide Palliative Care?
Simione Healthy Business Solutions (display ad)
ACHC Accreditation in your Field (display ad)
NHPCO's Palliative Care Membership & Resources
Pay for What? Becoming Relatedness Ready
Spiritual Care Interventions
FY2016 Hospice Wage Index Final Rule
2015 Circle of Life Award Honorees
Hospice Advocates Share Their Stories on Capitol Hill
Council of States Honors Retiring Leaders
CTC 2015 Plenary Speakers
Clinical Team Conference (display ad)
Outreach Materials for November & Diversity Outreach
New Pediatric Facts & Figures Report
CSU Institute's CTC seminar (display ad)
Hallmark Focuses on Hospice
Elara (display ad)
CSU Institute for Palliative Care (display ad)
NHPCO Marketplace (display ad)
Member News
In Memory: Dennis Rezendes
News From National Hospice Foundation
Night at the Taj Majal (display ad)
News From Global Partners in Care
Management and Leadership Conference 2016 (display ad)
More from Moments of Life
Moments of Life DVD (display ad)
Links to Helpful Resources

NHPCO NewsLine Fall 2015