Hello!
Welcome to the October issue of THE PATHFINDER.
Many of our colleagues are chanting "Change is my friend. Change is my friend..." as the latest round of PPS and Oasis changes approach. While I must admit that change is something that I personally enjoy, often the lesson of change is missed. The current lesson is to modify our behavior, our approach. I have been alarmed by some of my conversations with colleagues across the country over the coming changes to our home care funding design. Running scenarios through a grouper and concluding that there is no need to look deeper and change behavior is a mistake. The purpose of the scheduled changes from CMS is to change our behaviors and our approaches to client care. I would urge you to start now.
I am happy this month to be able to share with you some articles that have been written especially for this newsletter by several of my friends in the industry.
The first is an article by Elizabeth Hogue, Esq., a well known healthcare attorney. Elizabeth, a dear friend, writes an update of P4P. This is particularly timely with the CMS announcement of a P4P two-year demonstration project in seven states.
The second article is written by Keith Carter. Keith is a colleague and an affiliate of my firm. I deeply respect him for the detailed work he does to make sure the bills are submitted completely, timely and correctly!
Lastly, for my friends in hospice, I have included an article on the healing power of music. Music has the ability to calm the emotions, lessen pain and heal the spirit.
With the leaves scuttling across the driveway and the wind blowing through the bare trees, I wish you all a candy-filled Halloween!
If we can provide you with any assistance , please do not hesitate to contact us.
Best wishes, Beth Carpenter
