DAY 1
Feb 21
DAY 2
Feb 22
FEBRUARY 21st
Day 1
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
GS1: General Session: The State of the Industry 2024
Session Description: In 2023, both Home Health and Hospice had Final Rules passed that will impact their businesses and care delivery in 2024. Congress and federal agencies took numerous actions that involve federal health care programs including Medicare and Medicaid that significantly affect home care and hospice. These changes will impact quality of care standards, program integrity requirements, and payment rates in 2024 and beyond. It is essential that providers of health care at home continue to stay aware of these changes to continue to provide high quality of care, remain compliant with the myriad of participation requirements, and obtain fair reimbursement for the services rendered. This program provides the up-to-the-minute update on what Congress and federal agencies are doing affecting home care and hospice.
Speaker: Bill Dombi, President, National Association for Home Care (NAHC)
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM
Quick Hit Sessions
Predictive analytics & AI: the future of improved agency outcomes by WellSky
Session Description: To succeed in an increasingly value-based environment, top home health and hospice agencies must deliver smarter, more patient-centered care, powered by data. Join Phil Lehl Jr, Vice President of Sales, WellSky at the WellSky booth to learn about how innovative predictive analytics tools can empower providers to stratify patients by risk and improve patient outcomes.
Texas EVV Update by HHAeXchange
This session will include
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Navigating EVV
-
Information + Resources
-
Best Practices
-
What We're Hearing
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Concurrent Track - Hospice
1b. Mastering Hospice TPEs: Compliance and Quality Care
Session Description: This presentation delves into the world of Hospice TPEs (Additional Documentation Requests) and their critical role in hospice care compliance and quality assurance. Join us to gain a comprehensive understanding of hospice TPEs, their impact on patient care, and the strategies for efficiently managing these requests. Explore real-world examples, best practices, and expert insights to enhance your hospice agency's compliance and patient-focused care.
Speaker: Brian W Lebanion, MBA, CPC, RNC, HCS-O, HCS-D, Healthcare Consulting Manager, Wipfli
Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education (CNE)
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Concurrent Track - Hospice
2b. Tips for Hospice Providers: Things I Wish I’d Known
Session Description: When it comes to patients entering that last chapter of their stories, the medical side of the equation pales in comparison to the importance of a holistic, consistent, and compassionate presence on the part of the home care and hospice team. In this session, we will explore some of the hard lessons learned along the trail, sharing some clinical pearls of wisdom as well as ideas to ease transitions of care, as well as how a home health and hospice organization can build a consistent culture of exemplary care. “Parkey’s Rules” will be applied.
Speaker: J. Robert Parkey, MD MTS HMDC CMD
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education (CNE)
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM
General Lunch (included in registration)
Owner’s Lunch (limited to those owning 20% or more of agency
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Concurrent Track - Hospice
3b. Harnessing Technology for Staff Retention
Session Description: In the ever-evolving landscape of post-acute healthcare, the role of care in the home is pivotal, offering personalized care to patients in the comfort of their homes. However, the industry faces a persistent challenge: the attrition of staff due to staffing instability and inadequate organizational support. This not only impacts staff morale but also has cascading effects on patient care, agency budgets, and collaborative relationships with other healthcare settings. This presentation seeks to explore innovative approaches to staff retention in agencies of all types and sizes by emphasizing the integration of technology into orientation, mentorship and training programs while aligning with adult learning principles.
Speaker: Mike Carr, Senior Product Manager, Axxess and Monika Virk, MD, Hop Into Home Care
Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education (CNE)
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Concurrent Track - Hospice
4b. HQRP - Keep Your Quality Up Under the Weight of New Regs and Oversight
Session Description: This session will focus on the components of the Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP). Ensure you know the components of quality that your agency is judged on now and in the future. The session will focus on how you can be prepared for success by ensuring that your quality measures reflect your best outcomes, even with all of the updated hospice regulations for 2024. Don't let industry changes take you by surprise, foundational quality is your best defense against additional oversight.
Speaker: Colleen Woods, Senior Consultant and Lead Educator, JCC Consulting
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education (CNE)
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
FEBRUARY 22nd
Day 2
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
GS2. General Session: The Fundamentals of Establishing Customer Loyalty
Session Description: In busy healthcare settings, true “Customer Service” tends to go by the wayside, as we get wrapped up in day-to-day minutia. But succeeding in Home Care is about more than providing quality care and consistent staffing to your clients. To achieve the ultimate goal in Home Care, we have to treat our consumers and staff like they’re the most important people in our agency – and they are! In this session you’ll gain some new perspective on customer service as it pertains to loyalty and develop a clearer understanding of how others perceive your agency and what you can do about it.
Speaker: Candyce Slusher, LVN, Owner of SLUSHER Consulting
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
9:30 AM - 9:50 AM
Quick Hit Sessions
Predictive analytics & AI: the future of improved agency outcomes by WellSky
Session Description: To succeed in an increasingly value-based environment, top home health and hospice agencies must deliver smarter, more patient-centered care, powered by data. Join Phil Lehl Jr, Vice President of Sales, WellSky at the WellSky booth to learn about how innovative predictive analytics tools can empower providers to stratify patients by risk and improve patient outcomes.
Texas EVV Update by HHAeXchange
This session will include
-
Navigating EVV
-
Information + Resources
-
Best Practices
-
What We're Hearing
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM
Concurrent Track - Hospice
5b. Understanding Hospice CAPs: What You Should Know!
Session Description: Every year hospice agencies must endure the task of going through their CAP calculations for their agencies. Every year certain hospices are unaware of the CAP calculations and must pay back money to CMS. We will explore the history of the hospice CAP and what is expected from your agency and what you need to understand to stay compliant with CAP rules.
Speaker: Petria McKelvey, Chief Executive Officer, Precision Medical Billing (PMB)
Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for
11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
Concurrent Track - Hospice
6b. VBID – Hospice 2024 Update
Session Description: This session will cover the details of the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model – Hospice Benefit Component. Medicare Advantage (MA) has long had coverage for home health patients, but there has never been coverage for Hospice under the MA benefit until 2021 when the VBID demonstration began to include Hospice. There have been many changes to the Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAO) participating in 2024 as the demonstration has now been extended through 2030. The differences in coverage for an in-network vs. out-of-network provider will be reviewed and the allowance of MAO plans to force patients to elect IN-NETWORK ONLY. CMS requires that MAOs provide beneficiaries with broad access to the complete original Medicare hospice benefit. This webinar will cover all known aspects of the demonstration and will prepare hospices for the reality that Medicare Advantage is now in the Hospice world to stay.
Speaker: Melinda Gaboury, COS-C, Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare Provider Solutions
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
12:45 PM - 2:00 PM
General Lunch (included in registration)
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
Concurrent Track - Hospice
7b. Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP) & Provisional Period of Enhanced Oversight (PPEO)
Session Description: Major scrutiny of the Hospice Benefit is well underway nationwide. This session will review the details of both programs and what Hospices can expect. The Special Focus Program (SFP), will monitor hospices identified as poor performers based on selected quality indicators. Hospices selected for the SFP will be under additional oversight to enable continuous improvement. This required program includes the development and implementation of enforcement remedies for noncompliant hospice programs, as well as procedures for appealing determinations regarding these remedies. These enforcement actions can be imposed instead of, or in addition to, termination of the hospice program’s participation from the Medicare program. Through the PPEO, new providers or suppliers are subject to prepayment medical reviews designed to address improper billing practices right out of the gate. This program is for newly certified hospices as well as change of ownership. This is a must attend session.
Speaker: Melinda Gaboury, COS-C, Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare Provider Solutions
Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Concurrent Track - Hospice
8b. Navigating Delicate Dialogues: The Hospice RN's Guide to Challenging Conversations
Session Description: This is an insightful presentation crafted to empower hospice nurses with the essential skills and knowledge crucial for effective communication in the emotionally charged context of end-of-life care. Participants will explore practical communication strategies to engage in open, empathetic, and culturally sensitive conversations with patients, families, and interdisciplinary team members. The presenter will discuss crucial topics such as the judicious removal of unnecessary medications, addressing the decision to decline IV therapy at the end of life, and facilitating alignment between patients and their families on non-covered equipment in hospice care. By the end of the session, attendees will be well-equipped to navigate challenging dialogues, enabling them to provide compassionate care and support during the sensitive moments of hospice care.
Speaker: Jennifer Prescott, RN, MSN, Founder, Blue Water Homecare and Hospice
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education