Tag / Jackie Bensson

by Julianne Haydel

Ding!


A client just received their certification report and it was good but not deficiency free as they had been in the past.  The reason?  Although the risk factors for hospitalization were pulled from the OASIS assessment, they were not identified on the Plan of Care as risk factors for hospitalization.  The interventions were similarly not tied to the risk factors even though they did address them.  The DON reported that she talked to a friend at another agency and learned that the other agency had received the very same tag.  Coincidence or survey trend?  Time will tell.  For now, smart agencies will go with ‘survey trend’ as their final answer.

The Condition of Participation is §484.60(a)(2).  It reads:

(2) The individualized plan of care must include the following:

  1. All pertinent diagnoses;
  2. The patient’s mental, psychosocial, and cognitive status;
  3. The types of services, supplies, and equipment required;
  4. The frequency and duration of visits to be made;
  5. Prognosis;
  6. Rehabilitation potential;
  7. Functional limitations;
  8. Activities permitted;
  9. Nutritional requirements;
  10. All medications and treatments;
  11. Safety measures to protect against injury;
  12. A description of the patient’s risk for emergency department visits and hospital re-admission, and all necessary interventions to address the underlying risk factors.
  13. Patient and caregiver education and training to facilitate timely discharge;
  14. Patient-specific interventions and education; measurable outcomes and goals identified by the HHA and the patient;
  15. Information related to any advanced directives; and
  16. Any additional items the HHA or physician may choose to include.

This is a new requirement included in the 2018 Conditions of Participation.  It’s something that (hopefully) has been done by agencies in the past but risk factors haven’t always been labeled.  The requirement is consistent with the CMS goal of avoiding unnecessary admissions.

There are no instructions on how to do this.  Prior to the final regulations, the proposed regs suggested stratifying patients as high, medium or low risk.  That was omitted from the final rule.  From the 2018 CoPs:

While there may be benefits to establishing more inter-HHA consistency in the application of this requirement, we do not believe that those benefits would outweigh the cost of reducing HHA flexibility and innovation to determine the best possible way to achieve the overall goal of reducing unnecessary emergent care visits and hospital admissions.

The OASIS question that examines risk factors for hospitalization is M1033 reads:

(M1033) Risk for Hospitalization: Which of the following signs or symptoms characterize this patient as at risk for hospitalization? (Mark all that apply.)

  •  History of falls (2 or more falls – or any fall with an injury – in the past 12 months)
  •  Unintentional weight loss of a total of 10 pounds or more in the past 12 months
  •  Multiple hospitalizations (2 or more) in the past 6 months
  •  Multiple emergency department visits (2 or more) in the past 6 months
  •  Decline in mental, emotional, or behavioral status in the past 3 months
  • Reported or observed history of difficulty complying with any medical instructions (for example, medications, diet, exercise) in the past 3 months
  •  Currently taking 5 or more medications
  •  Currently reports exhaustion
  •  Other risk(s) not listed in 1–8
  •  None of the above

Additionally, M1036 looks at smoking, obesity, alcohol dependency and drug dependency.  There is a falls risk assessment which may score high in patients who have not fallen in the last 12 months such as those who had a recent hip replacement.  Depression is assessed and is known to impair recovery in most illnesses and conditions but is not included in the question specific for risk factors unless it has an onset within 3 months.

Some of the most dangerous risks to our patients are not captured by OASIS at all.

  • Elderly patients living alone in a rural area
  • Patients unable to afford or prepare food; may have frequent interruptions in utilities due to financial limitations.
  • Transportation or willing caregiver to pick up medications.
  • Functionally illiterate patients

It is possible that drawing in some information from OASIS might meet the condition, but it may not serve the patient.  On the other hand, it is highly unlikely that you would be hit with a survey deficiency if you included risk factors that were based on a full assessment even if they are not included in the OASIS assessment.

You won’t find many interventions to address isolation, depression and lower socioeconomic status in care pathways for other conditions, but they are equally as important for some patients as falls precautions which are ordered for pretty much everyone.  It may cost a little more but in the long run, lower hospitalization rates will correspond with higher margins.

The CoP’s mandate that care plans include patient risks for hospitalizations and Emergency Room visits and corresponding interventions to mitigate the risks.  Since you must do it, make it meaningful.

Contact us if you need help setting up a system for this or if you would have us review your careplans for you.

by Julianne Haydel

More than Half!


More than half of the dollar amount of claims reviewed by one intermediary were denied in the last quarter of 2014. Multiple results were published this past week. Most were for smaller amounts but the denial rates were similar. The results posted below are the results for an edit of claims with a HIPPS code of 1BGP*. These are patients who were in an early episode, a clinical severity of 2 and a functional level of two, and a service level of 5. This represents a very high paying patient who is receiving therapy but otherwise isn’t all that sick.

Over half of the dollars that were billed for these claims were taken back or not paid because of a focused medical review.

For now, this is where we stand. As unfair as it may seem, there is no other option than to address these numbers until your claims make their way through the appeals process. Please do not think you are being told to grin and bear it because we are angry, too.

Region Midwest Southeast
Total dollars reviewed 6,074,393.71 5,588,813.76
Total Dollars denied 3,498,994.66 3,285,618.64
Denial Rate 57.6 58.8

The good news is that most of the claims were denied for Face-to-Face encounter documentation and we can obviously expect fewer denials in the future but not for several months. The claims that will be scrutinized for the next several months will all have required Face-to-Face documentation.

The bad news is that many of these claims were denied for multiple reasons. For instance, in the Southeast Region, there were a total of 1817 claims reviewed producing 1562 denials. There were 865 claims that were denied because ‘MR HIPPS Code Change  – Documentation Contradicts OASIS MO Item(s)’ Look for this denial related to diagnosis coding and therapy. The functional and clinical domain (except for diagnosis) can change but the diagnosis coding should be fairly static throughout an episode unless there has been change.

What can you do?

Agencies need to fight fire with fire. If it’s details they want, give them every detail you have. Deprive them of the opportunity to take your money back.

  1. Admit all patients with a goal of one episode at most. Any further episode must be approved by someone who has reviewed the chart.
  2. Involve the entire staff in educating each other about documentation.
  3. Constantly remind nurses who already document well that the increased focus is not about them but getting paid.
  4. Documentation takes time and should be included as part of the visit rate. If nurses are running the roads all day and producing sloppy documentation at night when they are tired, visits need to be backed down until all work can get done.

The best solutions will come from within your agency. Take advantage of each individuals talents and get everyone involved. Post excellent notes where everyone can see them.

If you think you cannot afford this level of attention to detail, you might rethink that position if you are hit with an edit.

We can help prevent that with our fabulous coders who will ensure proper coding so the careplan can be written within a couple of days and followed to a T.   Call us or connect by email.