November 20, 2020
Guides for the Holidays

The CDC coronavirus webpage has published new measures for patients and families to consider for this year’s holiday gatherings and travel arrangements. These are meant to supplement, not replace, state or local laws, rules and regulations in reducing community spread. Topics include considerations for hosting or attending a gathering and understanding travel risk levels for transportation, lodging, food, and more.


Medicare Compare is Live

The redesigned Medicare.gov website is now available and allows users to find provider information for all levels of care on one, easy to use website. In the past, users would have to go to separate websites for information regarding home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities, or hospices, etc. To make it more difficult, each of the provider-specific compare websites were set up differently and navigation was often not user friendly.

Now, users have access to one website that allows for easy access to information regarding the following provider types: doctors and clinicians, hospitals, nursing homes, home health services, hospice care, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, long-term care hospitals, and dialysis facilities. To see the new and improved Medicare Compare website, click here.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
CMS to Transition Home Health RAPs in 2021

Effective January 1, 2021, CMS will begin moving the home health industry away from traditional Requests for Accelerated Payments (RAPs) to a No-Pay RAP. Under the No-Pay RAP transition, please note the following changes beginning in 2021:

  • Submission of a No-Pay RAP is required within 5 calendar days of the admission visit (or within 5 calendar days of the 1st day of subsequent 30-day billing periods). These submissions must meet the following conditions to meet regulation guidelines:
  • Admission visit (or recert visit for subsequent episodes) must be completed (synched) and the patient be admitted to home health.
  • The appropriate physician’s written or verbal order has been received and documented as required.

  • Failure to submit the No-Pay RAP will result in a reduction to payment equal to 1/30th the total 30-day period payment for each day the submission is late. This would be the number of days from the due date (5 calendar days after admissions visit, or recert date) to the date the No-Pay RAP is received.

CMS began the reduction of the RAP payment in 2020 from 50%-60% of the Patient-Driven Groupings Model payment to 20%. At the end of 2021, it is expected for CMS to transition once more from a No-Pay RAP to a Notice of Admission.
FYI: Hospice Item Set Manual V3.0 Draft Now Available

CMS has made available the draft for the Hospice Item Set (HIS) Manual V3.0 on the Hospice Item Set (HIS) webpage. The HIS Manual V3.0 is set to go into effect on January 1, 2021, however the manual is not yet finalized and is still in the approval process. Approval should be complete later this year. To view the HIS Manual V3.0 draft, please click here.
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Impact of Hospice Visits Report Released

CMS recently shared The Hospice Visits When Death is Imminent (HVWDII) report to analyze a measure pair focused on visits received by hospice patients in their last week of life and to share with the public the findings of the testing for public reporting. The report looks at methodology, analysis, results and conclusions which have motivated CMS to adopt the claims-based Hospice Visits in the Last Days of Life (HVLDL) measure specification. To view the report, click here.
VBID Hospice Benefit Component Technical Support Series

The CMS Innovation Center’s Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model team will be hosting Q&A office hours that will discuss the Hospice Benefit Component Technical and Operational Guidance.

December office hours
December 15, from 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

January office hours
January 12, from 1:00pm - 2:00pm EST

Office hour presenters will answer questions received in the VBID mailbox. Presenters have asked that participants submit their questions in advance by emailing the VBID Mailbox at VBID@cms.hhs.gov


To stay updated on the Hospice Benefit Component, providers can sign up for the listserv here. For more information, please visit the VBID overview page.
Skilled Nursing Facilities Accepting COVID-19 Patients
Below is a list of current quality skilled nursing facilities that are accepting new positive patients. *Please note, this list is subject to change*
Arlington Residence & Rehab (Arlington) 817-649-3366
Benbrook Nursing and Rehab 817-528-5217
Carlyle at Stonebridge Park (Southlake) 817-431-5778
Carrara (Plano) 469-969-0740
Cherokee Rose Nursing & Rehab (Glen Rose) 254-897-7361
Christian Care Center (Mesquite) 972-918-5274
Edgewood Rehabilitation & Care Center (Mesquite) 972-288-8800
Granbury Care Center (Granbury) 817-573-3726
Grapevine Medical Lodge (Grapevine) 817-421-1313
Keller Oaks (Keller) 817-577-9999
Kemp Care Center (Kemp) 903-498-8073
Lakewest Rehab & Skilled Care (Dallas) 214-879-0888
Le Reve Rehab & Memory Care (Dallas) 469-501-5051
Mansfield Nursing and Rehab 940-297-1367
Marine Creek (Ft. Worth) 817-624-6164
Presbyterian Village North (Dallas) 214-355-9643
Remarkable Healthcare of Prestonwood (Carrollton) 469-701-5300
Sunflower Park Health Care (Kaufman) 972-932-7776
Terrell Healthcare 972-563-7668
The Belmont at Twin Creeks (Allen) 972-390-8088
The Healthcare Resort of Plano 972-379-0000
The Hills Nursing and Rehab (Decatur) 940-627-2165
The Village at Richardson 972-231-8833
Trail Lake Nursing & Rehab (Ft. Worth) 817-263-2224
Traymore Nursing Center (Dallas) 214-358-3131
Walnut Place Nursing (Dallas) 214-380-9615
Wellington Oaks (Ft. Worth) 940-297-1360
West Side Campus of Care (White Settlement) 817-246-4995
Williamsburg Village (Desoto) 972-572-6200
Willow Park Rehab (Weatherford) 817-757-1200
Villages of Lake Highlands (Dallas) 214-342-7105
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To ensure you continue to receive these communications to your inbox, rather than spam or junk folders, please add swhrnews@southwesternhealth.org to your email contacts. For additional information contact:

Mike Beaty, Network Engagement Specialist
214-274-2505 | Michael.beaty@southwesternhealth.org

Barbara Gardetto, Supervisor of Home Health UM and DME Team
817-614-8105 | Barbara.gardetto@southwesternhealth.org
Southwestern Health Resources | www.southwesternhealth.org