Reverse Your Outlook On Healthcare
January 13, 2010 by admin
Filed under Blog, Healthcare Alerts, Healthcare Reform, News & Events
A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite. This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen…forward and backward.
This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled “u @ 50″ by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it. Then apply the concept to healthcare reform? Enjoy!
Kissito Healthcare Facilities in Katy, Texas Selected As Two of Methodist Hospital System’s Preferred Providers
August 14, 2009 by admin
Filed under News & Events
Kissito Post Acute Cane Island and Kissito Healthcare Katy, both located in Katy, Texas were selected by The Methodist Hospital System in Houston, Texas to participate in a pilot program aimed at enhancing the patient discharge process in preparation for healthcare reform. Under the proposed Bundled Payment legislation, hospitals will be penalized for readmissions within 30 days following the date of discharge thus motivating hospital systems to locate facilities able to aid in the reduction of readmissions.
Of the 75 facilities located in the Houston, Texas market, only 20 were selected for this program. The selection process was based heavily on the facility’s ability to manage various levels of acuity, expedited referral processes, and past survey history. Linda Collins, Director of Continuity of Care for The Methodist Hospital System, leads the efforts of selecting the facilities in the area able to meet the needs of their patients.
Linda and her team conducted on-site visits with both Kissito Healthcare Katy and Kissito Post Acute Cane Island during the selection process. At Kissito Healthcare Katy, her team found an extraordinary hybrid Skilled Nursing Facility/Long Term Care model able to cater to a high acuity nursing patient with a variety of diagnoses. Additionally, Kissito Healthcare Katy was recently awarded the AHCA Quality Award, a prestigious honor in the Long Term Care industry.
Upon their visit to Kissito Post Acute Cane Island , Linda and her team found a return-to-home program second to none. They were particularly impressed with the Collaborative Care Pathways, collaborative care rounds, and quality customer service focus.
Tom Clarke, President & CEO of Kissito Healthcare, headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia states, “We are very proud to have both of our Houston facilities selected by Methodist Hospital for their SNF Network of Preferred Providers. This recognition is the direct result of our staff’s daily focus on customer service and improved clinical outcomes. We believe the future of Healthcare will see more collaborations such as this, where the region’s high quality Acute and Post Acute providers work together to improve patient outcomes and minimize unnecessary patient transitions. We look forward to being a part of the Methodist TEAM!”
Based in Houston, Texas, The Methodist Hospital System is a non-profit organization comprised of a major academic medical center, three community hospitals, a physician organization and a research institute. Methodist Hospital is the only hospital in Houston, Texas to be named to the 2009-2010 US News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll.
Kissito Post Acute Annouces New Relationship with MHealth and Tricare
August 14, 2009 by admin
Filed under News & Events
Kissito Post Acute, a division of Kissito Healthcare, is proud to announce a new relationship with MHealth and Tricare. These two new plans add to the growing list of Managed Care Plans currently accepted at its flagship facility, Kissito Post Acute Cane Island, which include, but are not limited to, BCBS, UHC, Humana, USFH&P, Aetna, and Cigna.
Mhealth, a plan developed by Kissito Post Acute’s collaborative hospital partner, Memorial Hermann Healthcare System in Houston, Texas is one of several ongoing projects between Kissito Post Acute and Memorial Hermann aimed at reducing costs and preserving benefits while enhancing patient outcomes. Rob Turner, Director of ACO Integration states, “We expect great things from this partnership and are honored to participate in this plan.”
Tricare is a plan afforded to Military Retirees and their families. Having several employees on the management team who are Veterans, Kissito is excited to be a part of the lives of those who have served this great nation and with great appreciation is ready to meet their healthcare needs.
The addition of these plans comes at the hands of newly appointed Director of ACO Integration, Rob Turner. Recently promoted from Kissito Post Acute Cane Island Facility, Rob is working closely with Physicians, Hospitals, Managed Care Organizations, and Patients in preparation for the establishment of Accountable Care Organizations and the possibility of Bundled Payments. The need for innovation in these areas will be critical with the forthcoming challenges brought on by Healthcare/Insurance Reform.
Given Kissito’s four-tiered approach to healthcare delivery, which establishes collaborative partnerships with Physicians, Payors, Patients, and Hospitals, these new affiliations enable Kissito Post Acute to continue to redefine the road to recovery.
Kissito Healthcare Mentioned in White Paper Regarding Bundled Payments
August 7, 2009 by admin
Filed under News & Events
While bundled payments is not a new concept in the discussion of healthcare reform, it found its way back to the front burner in December 2008 when the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) proposed new ways to reduce federal healthcare spending to the House and the Senate.
Introduced nearly 30 years ago, bundled payments would essentially provide one payment to Acute Care Hospitals (ACHs) for both acute and post acute services and allow the ACH to determine the amount of post acute care a patient needs and the most cost effective care provider. Under this scenario, the CBO estimates a $0.7 billion reduction in federal outlays between 2010 and 2014 and by 2019 they estimate a reduction of almost $19 billion.
The reintroduction of the concept raises many questions for ACHs, long term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) and how they will be reimbursed for treating Medicare recipients. Also questioning this potential manner of reform are the lawmakers.
In a recent white paper entitled “To Bundle or Not To Bundle: Lawmakers Explore the Question,” released by three attorneys at McGuire Woods, LLP, Jason S. Greis, R. Brent Rawlings, and J. Brian Jackson explore the questions that the implementation of bundled payments raise. The three comprehensively explain the concept, its history, and how it would affect the various types of acute and post acute facilities from the time of implementation through 2019 when the reform measure will reach the outcome envisioned by the CBO.
They further investigate the questions industry leaders are raising, the pros and cons of the option and what companies are doing now in preparation for the proposed legislation. An interview with Tom Clarke, President & CEO of Kissito Healthcare resulted in the explanation that “[s]ome organizations have already begun planning for the bundling trend by creating integrated post-acute care and senior living campuses with a full array or long-term care services, or by developing post-acute care facilities capable of catering to more acutely ill patients in more cost-effective settings.” Kissito Post Acute is one of said organizations in that its “SNF facilities provide ventilator weaning programs, which are commonly found in LTACHs, while achieving comparable clinical outcomes and Medicare costs savings.”
Kissito Post Acute, a division of Kissito Healthcare, prides itself on remaining patient-centered and physician-driven. Existing for the care and betterment of human life, Kissito Post Acute realizes the current paths patients take from hospital to home and redefines that, attempting to eliminate many of the unnecessary trips to various types of facilities. Their Collaborative Patient Care Model™ fosters the best environment for successful outcomes. This unique, industry-leading approach involves partners in a cohesive team that enables patients to return to their lives and function at the highest level.
Kissito Alerts May 18
May 18, 2009 by admin
Filed under Healthcare Alerts
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Hospital advocates address delivery system reform
Date: 5/18/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/hospital-advocates-address-delivery-system-reform
- The AHA supports proposals to develop a comprehensive strategy to address workforce shortages, redistribute unused graduate medical slots to increase access to primary care and ban certain physician referrals to a hospital in which the physician has an ownership interest.
- Premier endorsed value based purchasing as a tool that should be applied not only to existing Medicare models but also to the longer term approaches such as bundled payments and the creation of accountable care Organizations.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: CMS extends timeline for medicare secondary
Date: 5/18/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/cms-extends-timeline-medicare-secondary-payer-reporting
- CMS has extended its implementation schedule for new Medicare Secondary Payer reporting requirements under the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007.
- The requirements are intended to ensure that the Medicare program does not pay for a beneficiary’s care when another insurer has primary responsibility.
- Organizations subject to the provisions can register for reporting through Sept. 30 and pre-test their electronic reporting from July 1, 2009 through May 30, 2010.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Analysis: home health care for chronic patients saves medicare $1.71B
Date: 5/14/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/analysis-home-healthcare-chronic-patients-saves-medicare-171b
- Patients with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or congestive heart failure who used home health care within three months of discharge from a hospital cost the program 1.71B less than those who used other forms of post acute care over a two years period.
- About 8.9% of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries currently used home health services.
- Approximately 86% of the Medicare population has one chronic condition, 66% have two or more and 40% have three or more.
- Avalere estimated that if all chronic care patients in the study used home health care rather than post acute care, Medicare could have spent 1.77B less over the 05-06 period.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Congress promises obama health reform legislation by july 31
Date: 5/14/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/congress-promises-obama-health-reform-legislation-july-31
- Last night Obama said Congress has promised to have comprehensive health care reform legislation passed by July 31.
- SFC leaders said Congress has not yet begun to tackle the most difficult parts of the health care debate, including how to fund the reform, the destiny of the employer health care tax exclusion and a potential national health plan to compete with private market.
Sebelius and DeParle said they are spending much of their time negotiating with Congress to promote the president’s reform plans
Kissito Alerts May 13
May 18, 2009 by admin
Filed under Healthcare Alerts
Source: McKnights
Title: New injection of concern medicare part a to become insolvent in 8 years, report says
Date: 5/13/09
- According to a new study by the Social Security and medicare Boards of trustees issued Tues, if trends continue, the Medicare Part A fund will become insolvent in 2017.
- As recently as 2003, the fund was expected to last until at least 2026. In 2004, the trustees revised that estimate and predicted the fund would run dry in 2019. Late last year, CMS projected that the program could go broke sometime between 2016 and 2018.
- Medicare Parts B and D are expected to remain in relatively good shape in the future, however, about one quarter of Part B enrollees will be subject to unusually large premium increases in the next two years.
Source: McKnights
Title: Nursing home groups suggest one billion medicare cuts could cost even more
Date: 5/13/09
- Nursing home reps released a report stating that cuts could carry additional billions of dollars in unintended costs and consequences for both patients and providers.
- Costs include more than $3.6 B in lost business activity and labor income.
Source: McKnights
Title: CMS released draft version of MDS 3.0 for nursing homes
Date: 5/12/09
- On Monday, CMS posted a draft version of the new MDS 3.0 for nursing homes.
- The final version is slated for release in oct. 2009 and will include the item set, data specifications and RAI manual.
- Questions and Comments on draft version should be sent to MDS30Comments@cms.hhs.gov
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Report: Pushing health care into digital age could save trillions
Date: 5/12/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/report-pushing-healthcare-digital-age-could-save-trillions
- Automating the nation’s health care system could save the government nearly $600 B in spending over the next decade and $9 T over the next 25 years.
- Health reform will spark a productivity boom in health care.
- Productivity growth can cut in half the rise in projected Medicaid and Medicare spending.
- Health reform is entitlement reform.
Examples of poor health care are: failure of chronic care management, lack of performance data, insufficient competition in insurance, ineffective health system design, needless administrative complexity, and inappropriate end-of-life care.
Kissito Alerts May 11
May 14, 2009 by admin
Filed under Healthcare Alerts
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Obama, health care groups to focus on cost control
Date: 5/11/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/obama-healthcare-groups-focus-cost-control
- Several prominent health care groups to meet with President Obama to announce plan to cut health care costs by $2 T over 10 years.
- Details on cost savings remain sketchy but groups are expected to subscribe to reducing the rate of growth in spending by 1.5% a year to achieve the savings.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Sebelius launches office of health reform
Date: 5/11/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/sebelius-launches-office-health-reform
- HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius launched on Monday the new HHS Office of Health Reform.
- Sebelius says “the HHS of Health Reform and the White House Office of Health Reform will work in tandem to advance legislation and take immediate actions to cut costs, assure quality and affordable health care for all Americans and guarantee Americans choose their doctor and their health plan.
- Jeanne Lambrew will head the Office of Health Reform.
Source: McKnights
Title: Long term care providers oppose post acute care payment bundling, medicare regulation in obama’s budget
Date: 5/11/09
- AHCA,NCAL,AQNHC say certain provisions in the budget would undermine efforts to create healthcare jobs and provide services for seniors.
- Bundling together payments for post acute services “could lead to unintended, negative consequences for elderly beneficiaries, front line care staff, and the entire post acute and long term care sector.”
- The groups also oppose a Medicare regulation that would cut senior’s Medicare funding by approximately $840 M in FY 2010.
Source: Medical News Base
Title: CMS announces series of proposed regulations including payment cuts
Date: 5/9/09
- CMS announced a series of proposed regulations, including a proposal to reduce Medicare payments for inpatient hospital care by 0.5% in FY 2010.
- Proposed cut is primarily the result of adjustments for excessive payments to hospitals in past years due to coding mistakes.
- CMS said that total adjustments will be about 8.5%, which would necessitate cuts of 6.6 percentage points combined in FY 2011 and FY 2012.
- Cuts to SNFs in FY 2010 will be 1.2%, or $390 M, compared with FY 2009 payments.
- Payments to long term care hospitals will increase by 2.4%
Kissito Alerts May 8
May 14, 2009 by admin
Filed under Healthcare Alerts
Source: McKnights
Title: Obama proposes $17 B in budget cuts, programs for the elderly and poor threatened
Date: 5/8/09
- On Thurs, Obama proposed $17B in budget cuts for both discretionary spending and entitlement programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
- White House Budget Director Peter Orszag says more budget cuts are needed “especially curbing the growth of the Medicare and Medicaid health programs for the elderly and the poor.”
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Health care employment grows in april
Date: 5/8/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/health-care-employment-grows-april
- Employment in the U.S. health care sector grew by 17,000 jobs in April.
- Job gains in health care have averaged 17,000 per month thus far in 2009, down from an average of 30,000 per month during 2008.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Bill introduced to improve access, reduce physician shortage
Date: 5/8/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/bill-introduced-improve-access-reduce-physician-shortage
- The “Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2009″ would, if passed, increase the number of Medicare-supported training positions for medical residents by 15%.
- The new legislation would redirect unused training slots and increase the cap by 15% to hospitals seeking to expand existing programs or establish new programs.
- The bill would also change existing rules so residents can be trained in non-hospital settings such as physician offices, community health centers, and other ambulatory care sites.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: White house budget bumps up hhs spending by $63B
Date: 5/7/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/white-house-budget-bumps-hhs-spending-63
- President Obama’s budget indicates $879 B will be set aside for DHHS, an estimated $63B increase over FY 2009.
- The budget calls for improving efficiencies and bringing down costs in Medicare and medicaid reform, as well as cracking down on fraud.
- The president is recommending 121 budget cuts that would save $17B next year; included is the elimination of federal subsidies for health insurance companies through Medicare.
Kissito Alerts May 6
May 8, 2009 by admin
Filed under Healthcare Alerts
Source: McKnights
Title: Obamas fiscal year 2010 budget to push for more oversight of medicare, medicaid
Date: 5/6/09
- Details of President Obama’s budget proposal for FY2010 will be unveiled this Thursday.
- The president’s “program integrity” measure would allocate $13.7B over the next 5 years to increase oversight of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and has sparked interest.
Source: PR Inside
Title: LTAC hospital legislation introduced in us house
Date: 5/5/09
URL: www.pr-inside.com/ltac-hospital-legislation-introduced-in-r1228720.htm
- Last week the Medicare Long Term Care Hospital Improvement Act of 2009 (H.R. 2124) was introduced in the House.
- H.R.2124 protects patient access to care in LTAC hospitals while federal regulators and the private sector work towards development of additional facility and patient criteria and while Congress undertakes comprehensive health care reform.
- H.R. 2124 provides for a 2 year extension of certain LTAC hospital provisions found in the MMSEA.
Source: MedPage Today
Title: No sgr overhaul likely for early years of health care reform
Date: 5/5/09
URL: www.medpagetoday.com/washington-watch/washington-watch/14046
- Sen. Max Baucus says wholesale change of Medicare’s SGR system is unlikely in early years of change reform.
- Baucus says the SGR will be patched up those first three years and after that they’ll modify it and let some of the reduction in SGR match the curve, but then physician will be compensated by cost sharing gains received from other reforms; however that is just a proposal.
Kissito Alerts May 7
May 8, 2009 by admin
Filed under Healthcare Alerts
Source: McKnights
Title: Senate special commission on aging addresses medicare, medicaid fraud in special hearing
Date: 5/7/09
- The US Senate Special Commission on Aging met Wed. to discuss prevention of Medicare and Medicaid fraud, which costs taxpayers more than $60 B a year.
- Reps from the Southern District of Florida told the commission that their district prosecuted 245 individuals in 2008 for defrauding Medicare and medicaid of nearly $800M.
- Recommendations for reducing fraudulent spending include: expand the use of the medical home model, provide Medicare beneficiaries with cash incentives to maintain a healthy lifestyle, provide seniors on Medicare with a unique i.d number, independent of their social security number, and allow seniors to travel to another city to receive non-emergency surgery if that facility will charge the govt. less.
Source: McKnights
Title: Proposed bill could eliminate nursing home fines in illinois
Date: 5/7/09
- The Illinois state legislature is considering a controversial bill that would allow for the reduction, or in some cases, elimination of fines against nursing homes.
- Instead of paying money to the state in the event of a care-related violation, fines would be reduced or eliminated, providing the money instead goes toward the problem that led to the fine.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: Republican leader pushes state-level health reform
Date: 5/7/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/republican-leader-pushes-state-level-health-reform
- Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) expressed concerns with democrat plans to give the government more power in health care.
- Hatch believes different states have different needs and each state knows what is best for their situation.
Source: Health Care Finance News
Title: VA outsources management of state medicaid program
Date: 5/7/09
URL: www.healthcarefinancenews.com/news/va-outsources-management-state-medicaid-program
- The VA Dept of Medical Assistance Services has signed a five year, $84 M contract with a vendor to manage the state’s Medicaid program.
- Affiliated Computer Services, Inc. will provide fiscal agent and provider enrollment services for the Medicaid Management Information System.
- Specific improvements include facilitating online provider enrollment and a web portal, which will give providers 24/7 point-of-access for claims entry, prior authorizations, retrieval of recipient eligibility, download of remittance advices and messaging.
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