| ARE YOU ON THE RIGHT PATH?
Since 1995 Beth Carpenter and
Associates has provided its real-world experience to the management of
healthcare companies, especially those organizations with a focus
on home health, hospice and private duty, in the areas of operations,
clinical services, sales and marketing. We work with management to
identify the strategic direction of the organization and implement the
necessary changes that allow health care providers to move forward in
today's environment.
We help you choose the right path to success and then we walk it with you.
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Hello!
Welcome to the July 2010 issue of THE PATHFINDER.
Ah yes! It is the hazy, crazy, lazy days of summer (http://tinyurl.com/2dzsko9)
.............well
, maybe not always hazy or lazy, but as the decisions continue to come
out of Washington, there are certainly crazy days!
I
have had the good fortune to attend two great conferences in the last
month. The first was a seminar on Health Care Reform and Other New
Realities Facing Healthcare Industry Employers sponsored by Baker and
McKenzie. Topics ranged from union activity to wage and hour
issues to the need for social media policy and employee guidance for
employers, but it was in the area, simply identified on the agenda as
Health Trends, that the room was electrified. The speaker was Tom
Emerick, Chief Strategy Officer for Laurus Strategies. He had a
riveting presentation with challenging observations. Some of his
thoughts included:
·
Healthcare reform costs have been dramatically under estimated and will
cost 8X the original forecast because the government projections were
not done using dynamic forecasting methods.
·
Large employers, when required to insure all employees, may choose to
"pay" the fines rather than "play" with the higher cost of insurance.
·
Employers will look for medical travel opportunities in order to
control the cost of complicated procedures.
The
second conference was the Homecare and Hospice Financial Manager
Association meeting. It was a wonderful conference bringing
together financial gurus and agency ownership to learn from one
another. The top topics were compliance and preparation for
funding reductions. Everyone is aware that appropriate assessment
and complete, thorough documentation are key to survival in this era of
investigative Federal contractors.
In
this month's edition of the Pathfinder, I am including an article that
follows up on our discussion last month on sales training and focus (The
Cookie Lady is Dead, To read the article again, please click here)
with a article by Elizabeth Hogue, Esq. on potential changes to
our relationship with referring physicians. PhRMA, a trade
association whose
members are pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, recently updated its Marketing Code. Although
the
Code applies only to members of PhRMA who voluntarily agree to follow
it, the Code has helped providers to understand changing standards
regarding acceptable marketing practices.
The
second article is one that I feel will benefit
hospices. Just as sometimes home health agencies struggle
with the homebound status requirement, hospices also sometimes have
difficulty with understanding the need for a patient to meet eligibility
criteria while also being appropriate for hospice care. Norma
Hirsch, our guest author this month, is the Medical Director for
the Hospice of Central Iowa. This article reflects a number of our
discussions when I had the privilege of working alongside her while on
assignment. I appreciate her generosity in writing this article
for this newsletter.
Lastly,
as you know, we assist organizations to get ready for Accreditation
Commission for Health Care (ACHC) accreditation surveys. The
latest ACHC newsletter highlights an article written by Beth Carpenter
on the topic of maintaining margin. You can find the article at http://tinyurl.com/2bs75vu.
Once
we pass the 4th of July holiday it seems that we are on the down slope
to autumn. Enjoy every sunny, warm day by finding the time to take
a walk, ride your bike or feel some sand between your toes!
If we can provide you with any assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Best wishes, Beth Carpenter
"Let us realize that the privilege to
work is a gift, that the power to work is a blessing, that the love of
work is success" David O. McKay
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Changes in Referral Relationships with Physicians
By Elizabeth Hogue, Esq.
Significant changes are likely in the near future in relationships between providers and
referring physicians. Trade associations, for example, are providing substantial guidance for their members on this subject.
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IS HE OR ISN'T HE HOSPICE APPROPRIATE?
By Norma Hirsch MD, Medical Director-Hospice of Central Iowa
This is a more complex question than it seems. And it is really a two part question: "Is the patient
hospice eligible?" And secondly "Is the patient hospice appropriate?" We are well advised not to
confuse the two questions and to ask and answer the first question before pursing an answer to
the second question.
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| WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE A NEW SERVICE
Accreditation Commission for Health Care
Beth Carpenter and Associates is proud to announce the addition of a
new service for its clients! We are now able to support your
efforts to achieve accreditation through Accreditation Commission for
Health Care (ACHC) whether you are a new or existing agency - home
health, hospice or private duty.
To
assist you in your efforts to reach and maintain deemed status for
Home Health and Hospice agencies as well as accreditation as a Private
Duty Nursing and/or Private Duty Aide organization, the following are a
sample of potential services currently available through Beth
Carpenter and Associates:
- Assistance in preparation of the ACHC Application and the Preliminary Evidence Report (PER).
- Review of your Application and PER prior to submission to ACHC.
- Assistance with any revisions to the PER requested by ACHC following initial submission.
- Training and instruction to administration and staff to prepare for an on-site ACHC survey.
- Assistance in creating a Plan of Correction, if necessary, following an on-site ACHC survey.
Subsequent
to successful accreditation, we are available to work with your agency
to continue compliance with the ACHC standards.
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Beth Carpenter
Beth Carpenter and Associates
847-382-1035
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I would like to invite you to visit our website, www.bethcarpenterandassociates.com, to learn more about how we can help your organization move forward and find your path to success.
Beth Carpenter and Associates has
earned a reputation as a company with deep industry experience and one
that works closely with its clients to identify solutions that meet
their business goals and strategic objectives. We do not simply
advise. We partner with our customers to implement the solution
and ensure its success.
Sincerely,
Beth Carpenter
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