Just before the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) requirement became effective March 8, CMS added another hoop to jump through in an open door forum held February 28. The discussion in that forum forced many organizations to change course at the last minute as CMS announced it would not allow pre-populated check boxes in the free-text field of the MOON designated for describing clinical reasons for the service the patient receives. Organizations that had listened to experts touting the value of adding check boxes with specific rationale to the MOON were forced to revamp the form shortly before implementation.
This week’s Medicare updates include additional information on denial of home health payments when required patient assessment is not received; Advanced Provider Screening phase 1 go-live; an MLN Matters article on billing for Advance Care Planning claims; and more!
This month's HIPAA Q&A answers our readers' questions about disclosures to family members, healthcare providers, and home health visits to gated communities.
How many of us have a successful mentoring program established in our organization and department? For most organizations, I would venture to say mentoring is performed on a piecemeal basis and is likely not as effective as it could be. Far too often, mentoring efforts are disorganized and lack a dedicated trainer. If any training is given, it often consists of the same general orientation afforded to all new employees, regardless of the job they will be doing.
