Program & Event Descriptions
SUNDAY, April 22, 2007
3 to 5 p.m.
 WELCOME & OPENING GENERAL SESSION
Opening Keynote by:
Val J. Halamandaris, JD
NAHC President
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| NAHC policy staff engaged in negotiations with Congress, federal agencies and other policymaking bodies will provide inside information on issues of vital interest to home care and hospice providers. |
William A. Dombi, Esq.
Vice President for Law
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Theresa M. Forster
Vice President for Policy |
Jeff Kincheloe, JD
Director, Government Affairs, U.S. Senate
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Janet E. Neigh
Vice President for Hospice Programs |
Mary St. Pierre, MGA, BSN, RN
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
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Yvonne Santa Anna, RN, MSG
Director, Government Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives |
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Washington Update
National Association for Home Care & Hospice policy staff engaged in negotiations with Congress, federal agencies and other policymaking bodies will provide inside information on issues of vital interest to home care and hospice providers. Your representatives on the front lines will present the latest on legislative, regulatory, legal and research developments relative to the prospective payment system, conditions of participation, quality monitoring and other vital issues.
Objectives:
1. Identify pending regulatory issues and analyze their impact on home care and hospice agencies.
2. Benchmark individual agencies against national data.
3. Analyze pending legislative proposals for impact on home care and hospice operations.
Faculty: Legal, Legislative, and Regulatory Staff, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 2.0 Nursing CEs; 2.0 Accounting CPEs (NASBA/SKA)
MONDAY, April 23, 2007
Concurrent Educational Sessions (100 series)
9:45 to 11:15 a.m.
Opening General Session
8:30 to 9:30 a.m.
Keynote Presentation by:
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author and Presidential Historian
Doris Kearns Goodwin
101. National Patient Perception of Care Survey
Patient satisfaction surveys are commonly administered by home health agencies. However, there are a vast array of survey tools being used, ranging from commercial products that provide benchmarking to those developed and administered by individual agencies. In response to the belief that a uniform tool and process for measuring patients’ perception of the home health services is needed, the Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) has partnered with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Their goal is to develop a process for measuring patient perceptions of care similar to those that are in current use in hospitals, nursing homes and other provider settings. This session will provide an overview of the work to date, timelines and future plans for this project.
Objectives:
1. Describe the work to date on development of a uniform patient perception of home health care survey process.
2. Identify topics under consideration for inclusion in the survey.
3. Describe the target population and survey procedures being considered.
Faculty: Mary St. Pierre, BSN, MGA, Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/Reg/Eth)
102. Home Health Campaign to Reduce Preventable Hospitalizations
In November 2003, the Home Health Compare website was launched. One measure, Acute Care Hospitalization rate, has not improved since the start of reporting, hovering at about 28 percent nationally for patients receiving home health services. Hospitalizations often result in iatrogenic problems ranging from infections to injuries that patients would not sustain in their own home environment. In addition, unnecessary hospitalizations cost the Medicare program untold dollars. As a result, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has initiated a year-long campaign to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations of home health patients. This program will provide the latest information to home health agencies on measures they can employ for successful hospitalization reduction. The speakers will also provide an overview of the campaign activities and successes to date.
Objectives:
1. Describe the home health campaign to reduce preventable hospitalizations.
2. Discuss how to use campaign tools available to providers.
3. List three best practices that have been demonstrated to be effective in preventing hospitalizations
Faculty: Cynthis Pamon, RN, BSN, CCM, CPUM, Government Task Force Leader, Home Health Quality Improvement, Office of Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Baltimore, MD
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA)
103. Creative and Innovative Approaches to Hospice Operations & Finance
This session will assist hospice organizations’ senior management teams in developing the tools necessary to operate cost effectively while still providing quality care. It will cover such issues as shorter lengths of stay; staffing shortages; cost of medical supplies, pharmaceuticals and DME; per diem reimbursement; internal cost and break even analysis; and the need for fundraising. The program will address how hospices need to address increasing competition, measure market share, and open access.
Objectives:
1. Cite the key financial performance indicators necessary to operate both a quality and financially viable hospice program.
2. Describe key clinical performance indicators to operate a quality hospice program efficiently.
3. Develop a process by which to analyze the competition and market share and the need to develop a marketing plan.
Faculty: Carla Braveman, BSN, RN, MEd, CHCE, Executive Director, Hospice of Big Bend, Tallahassee, FL; Robert J. Simione, Principal, Simione Consultants, LLC, Hamden, CT
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA)
104. The ABCs of Advocacy —How to Lobby Your Member of Congress
This program will familiarize participants with the methods and techniques of lobbying to empower them to communicate successfully with their members of Congress regarding home care and hospice priorities. Participants will learn how to conduct a lobbying visit, avoid common errors, and do effective follow up. Both presenters have extensive experience working on Capitol Hill and knowledge of current home care and hospice legislative issues.
Objectives:
1. Discuss how to successfully conduct a lobbying visit.
2. Demonstrate what to do during the three most common types of legislative interviews and how to avoid the two most common mistakes.
3. Describe follow-up activities.
4. Describe the most effective means for communicating with members of Congress.
Faculty: Jeffrey Kincheloe, JD, Director of Government Affairs/US Senate, and Yvonne Santa Anna, RN, MSG, Director of Government Affairs/US House, both of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA)
MONDAY, April 23, 2007
Concurrent Educational Sessions (200 series)
11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
201. CMS Panel on Home Health Regulatory & Policy Issues
Representatives from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will discuss regulatory and policy initiatives for 2007 and beyond. In addition to the latest on vital topics, including payment policies and survey and certification issues, panelists will discuss CMS’ quality initiatives and plans for value purchasing.
Objectives:
1. Describe major regulatory and policy changes CMS is planning to make in the home health program.
2. Discuss the rationale behind the changes.
3. Identify how these changes will impact your agency and how operations must be modified in order to comply with changes.
Faculty: Lawrence Wilson, Director, Chronic Care Policy Group; Patricia A. Sevast, BSN, RN, Nurse Consultant, Survey and Certification Group; Invited: Barry Straube, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Director, Office of Clinical Standards and Quality. All of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, MD
202. Managed Care and the Chronic Care Population - Trends and Issues
The home care provider is faced with a myriad of challenges today, two of which are dealing with managed care entities and effectively addressing the needs of chronic care populations. Outcome Concept Systems (OCS), a nationally-recognized home care and hospice benchmarking and data analysis firm, will present the results of extensive analysis in these two important areas – including study of care costs, outcomes, hospitalizations, and the impact of risk adjustment on these findings.
Objectives:
1. Define the managed care and chronic patient populations.
2. Reveal the clinical and financial outcomes associated w/managed care and chronic patients.
3. Describe key success strategies for demonstrating quality of care in managed care and chronic care populations.
Invited Faculty: Amanda Twiss, President, OCS, Inc., Seattle, Wash.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA)
203. Meeting the New Hospice CoP QAPI Requirements
The new Hospice Conditions of Participation (CoP) expected to be released in the fall of 2007 will contain expanded requirements for hospices to demonstrate that they are providing quality care that continues to improve. To meet this need, hospices must have an organized system of data collection and documentation in place. The National Association for Home Care & Hospice has undertaken a project to help hospices meet this need. A panel of hospice experts will discuss the NAHC initiative to date, what products hospices can expect to be available and how to make it all work efficiently and effectively through the use of electronic recordkeeping.
Objectives:
1. Discuss the anticipated QAPI requirements in the new CoP.
2. Describe NAHC’s data initiative to date and how it will help hospices.
3. Discuss the role of electronic recordkeeping in meeting the new QAPI requirements.
Invited Faculty: Karen Pace, RN, PhD, Hospice Project Leader, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, DC; Carla Braveman, Executive Director, Hospice of Big Bend, Tallahassee, FL; Janet Neigh, Vice President for Hospice Programs, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/Reg/Eth)
204. State and Local Efforts in Pandemic Preparedness - An Update
An influenza pandemic is among the greatest threats today to our nation’s health and way of life. The U.S. government has issued a plan for pandemic and disaster preparedness, but implementation of many of the operational aspects of that plan fall to the states and localities. This session will explore the current state of pandemic preparedness at the state and local levels, providing an update on our state of readiness for a potential pandemic and outlining several “best practices.”
Objectives:
1. Differentiate between the roles of the federal, state and local governments in leading pandemic preparedness effort.
2. Discuss the level of progress to date on the part of state and local governments in meeting preparedness goals.
3. Outline “best practices” in state and local preparedness.
Faculty: Chris Logan, Program Director, Homeland Security & Technology Division, Center for Best Practices, National Governors Association, Washington, DC; Victoria Johnson, Senior Analyst, Public Health Preparedness Team Immunization Project, National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), Washington, DC.
Course level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA)
MONDAY, April 23, 2007
Concurrent Educational Sessions (300 series)
3 to 4:30 p.m.
301. Home Health PPS Update
The home health prospective payment system (PPS) has been in place since October 2000 as the payment methodology for Medicare home health services. Since that time a number of problems have been identified in both the case-mix system and with specific PPS policy provisions. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services plans to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) revising PPS case-mix and policies before the end of 2006. Under consideration for change are such policies as SCIC and LUPA, as well as treatment of medical supplies and subsequent episodes. If published as planned, this session will provide a thorough description and analysis of proposed changes.
Objectives:
1. List the proposed changes to home health PPS.
2. Identify the impact of changes to case-mix and polices on home health agency revenues.
3. Discuss ways to facilitate the implementation of these changes.
Faculty: Mary St. Pierre, BSN, MGA, Vice President for Regulatory Affairs, and William A. Dombi, Esquire, Vice President for Law, both of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/Reg/Eth)
302. How to Market and Sell Hospice Services
Attendees will learn sales and marketing tactics proven to drive more hospice referrals - and sooner. This is a fast-paced session, packed with practical methods used nationally by successful hospices. Differentiating the hospice by distilling a clear story that can be used in the community will cement referral relationships. Crafting a message that will resonate in the community is important to successful marketing program development. Tracking and calculating results are the next steps in the process, including calculating return on investment. Attendees will build a plan to implement upon return to their hospice.
Objectives:
1. Distinguish between sales and marketing and define the importance of each.
2. Identify the nuances of building a sales team and arm them with top notch collateral materials.
3. Describe successful ways to work with skilled nursing facilities to build strong referral relationships.
Faculty: Michael Ferris, Home Care Marketing Solutions, Chapel Hill, NC; Elizabeth Brennen, MSBA, Business Development, Treasure Coast Hospices, Jupiter, FL
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/MKT)
303. Answers from the Experts: CMS Panel on the Medicare Hospice Benefit
This popular annual program is a tradition for the NAHC policy conference as it provides attendees the opportunity to hear from and ask questions of a panel of top Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services hospice experts. CMS will address important issues of the day, leaving time for providers to focus attention on other topics of concern. Among the items discussed will be: new CMS quality assurance/performance improvement initiative, survey and certification issues, hospice medical review, and other regulatory areas of interest.
Objectives:
1. Discuss CMS hospice quality initiative.
2. Discuss status of proposed hospice conditions of participation.
3. Identify top survey deficiencies.
Invited Faculty: Terri Deutsch, MS, RN, Technical Advisor, Division of Community Post Acute Care and Kim Roche, MA, BSN, RNC, CCS-P, Nurse Consultant, Division of Continuing Care Providers; Mary Weakland, Health Insurance Specialist, Office of Clinical Standards and Quality; all from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, MD
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/Reg/Eth)
304. Home Health P4P Demonstration Project: What’s to Come?
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is working with Abt Associates of Cambridge, MA on the design of a Home Health Pay-for Performance (P4P) demonstration. The goal of the demonstration is to determine the impact of offering incentive payments to Home Health Agencies (HHA) as a reward for improving the quality of care to Medicare beneficiaries who receive home health services. This program will provide up to the minute details on CMS’s plans for implementation of the demonstration. Information about the demonstration final design, as available at the time, (including details about incentives, scoring, performance measures and plans for solicitation and recruitment of home health agency participants) will be shared with the audience.
Objectives:
1. Describe the purpose and goals of the home health P4P demonstration project.
2. Describe the latest information about the P4P demonstration final design.
3. Discuss identified plans for home health agency solicitation and recruitment.
Faculty: Henry Golberg, Senior Associate, Abt Associates, Cambridge, MA. and representatives from the Office of Research, Development & Information, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Baltimore, MD.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA)
Home Care & Hospice Law Symposium
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Concurrent Educational Sessions (400 series)
8:30 to 10 a.m.
401. Whistleblowers: What You Need to Know to Protect Your Agency
The health care industry has become the whistleblower’s favorite target, and last year saw significant whistleblower action against home care and hospice organizations. This program will present an overview of whistleblower incentives under the False Claims Act, discuss home care and hospice risk areas, whistleblowers’ rights, steps a provider can take to deter potential whistleblowers, and recent whistleblower cases against the home care and hospice industry.
Objectives:
1. Identify the legal basis of a whistleblower case and the process of a whistleblower lawsuit.
2. Recognize home care and hospice risk areas, whistleblower’s rights and actions providers can take to deter whistleblowers.
3. Discuss recent whistleblower cases against the home care and hospice industry.
Faculty: Denise Bonn, Esq., Deputy Director, Center for Health Care Law, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/Reg/Eth).
Concurrent Educational Sessions (500 series)
10:15 to 11:45 a.m.
501. Provider Enrollment: Are You Ready?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services made major changes to the provider enrollment process last year that affect both new and existing home health agencies and hospices. This program will furnish clear guidance regarding WHAT and WHEN to file.
Objectives:
1. Identify occurrences that require filing full applications, changes of information, and changes of ownership.
2. List the information that needs to be furnished.
3. Discuss questionable situations to resolve filing issues.
Faculty: Denise Bonn, Esq., Deputy Director, Center for Health Care Law, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA).
502. MANAGED CARE: Identifying and Managing Emerging Patient Liability Risks
Managed care is a growing model in the delivery of home care and long term care. The care decision making process is different than that routinely used in the fee-for-service world. Home care providers are working in concert with third party care managers, network physicians and a care authorization process that is outside their control. How does this dynamic affect the home care provider’s responsibilities for high quality and appropriate patient care? Are there new liability risks for malpractice or are the risks just a new model of the same risk? This program provides a journey into the issues involving managed care home care and potential liabilities.
Objectives:
1. Identify distinctions in health care decision making in managed care and resulting distinct care duties.
2. Recognize standards of care liability in a managed care setting.
3. Discuss principles of effective risk management in caring for the managed home care patient.
Faculty: William A. Dombi, Esq., Director, Center for Health Care Law, Vice President for Law, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA).
 Luncheon
Noon – 1:30 p.m.
Keynote Address by: To Be Announced
Concurrent Educational Sessions (600 series)
1:45 to 3:15 p.m.
601. Patient Discrimination in Admission and Discharge: What Have We Learned?
The onset of the Medicare prospective payment system has triggered new home health incentives and pressures that could encourage home health agencies to "cherry-pick" patients for admission and result in early discharge. Hospice faces a similar environment as the reimbursement system is poorly equipped to address all the needs of today’s hospice patient. As a result, patient complaints and subsequent lawsuits have grown with accusations that providers are in violation of various civil rights laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act in admission and discharge practices. This program covers the responsibilities of home care and hospice under those laws with a practical approach to compliance and risk management.
Objectives:
1. Identify standards of enforcement under federal and state civil rights laws related to patient admission and discharge.
2. Identify admission and discharge actions that increase risk to home care and hospice organizations for litigation and liability under civil rights laws.
3. Recognize crucial risk management techniques to avoid noncompliance and to address complaints of discriminatory admission and discharge decisions.
Faculty: William A. Dombi, Esq., Director, Center for Health Care Law, Vice President for Law, National Association for Home Care & Hospice, Washington, D.C.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/Reg/Eth).
602. HIRING and FIRING—Doing it Right the First Time!
Home care and hospice employers are routinely faced with issues related to employment law. These issues include matters of discriminatory employment actions, worker discipline, employee discharges, and employee leave time. This program provides an overview of state and federal employment laws that are implicated in hiring and firing decisions and offers practical recommendations on managing these legal responsibilities.
Objectives:
1. Identify federal civil rights law standards in the recruitment and hiring of staff.
2. Recognize risk areas in employee discipline actions.
3. Discuss best practices in employment policies regarding hiring and firing.
Faculty: Kathy Albarado, President and CEO, Helios HR, Reston, Va.; Karen Doner, JD, Partner, Williams Mullen, McLean, Va.
Course Level: Intermediate; 1.5 Nursing CEs; 1.0 Accounting CPE (NASBA/SKA).
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