Case management directors and their staffs are vigilantly watching the nursing homes in their areas to determine which nursing homes have available beds and which may have no beds at all due to a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Q: In the 2021 OPPS proposed rule, CMS suggested that there is no longer a need for the inpatient-only list. What could this mean for case managers going forward?
Is the inpatient-only list soon to be a thing of the past? It’s possible. In the 2021 OPPS proposed rule, released August 3, CMS suggested that there is no longer a need for the inpatient-only list. Instead, CMS recommended deferring to the physician’s clinical judgment.
Q: While telemedicine is becoming ubiquitous, we must face the reality that not every patient is capable of effectively accessing or utilizing these tools. What are your suggestions for helping these patients?
Last month, Case Management Monthly provided tips to help support patients using technology during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Since then, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a research letter underscoring the need for this support.
Case managers use a lot of lists. They use lists of nursing homes, lists of community organizations, and lists of other resources that are designed to help their patients.
But there are times when a list is not the best option, saysDiane Iverson, RN, BSN, BS, ACM, CCM, a Baltimore-area case manager. For example, when case managers are working with individuals seeking assistance for substance use disorders, lists of resources may not be effective.
Matty, an expert utilization review (UR) case manager, is shocked when she receives a letter denying payment for the entire hospital stay of Michael, who has recovered after falling severely ill with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Q: As utilization review case managers, we are often tasked with assessing our hospital's risk for novel coronavirus (COVID-19) denials. What are the most important measures we should be examining?
Case management directors and utilization review (UR) case managers beware! In a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document released in July, CMS said it expects to discontinue enforcement discretion for Medicare fee-for-service medical reviews beginning August 3, regardless of the status of the public health emergency (PHE).
Q: As a case manager, part of my job is making sure my patients are capable of utilizing technology to access telemedicine. What are your recommendations for helping patients get up to speed with technology?
