Mother's Day 2020. We at OHCA wish all mothers the best possible Mother's Day despite the circumstances. You may enjoy this poignant video featuring Mother's Day wishes of health care heroes at member facilities. Also under our COVID-19 Guidance and Resources section below is an article with some ideas for celebrating Mother's Day within the current constraints.
That brings us to a warning, though. The Director of Health order restricting visiting in facilities has not changed in any way with the recent re-opening moves. The order limits visiting to end-of-life situations. This applies to both indoor and outdoor visits.
Opening hair salons. Along with restaurants, the latest wave of re-openings in Ohio includes hair salons, along with other personal service businesses. In the case of hair salons, the re-opening date is May 15. Please note that this does not include beauty shops in skilled nursing centers or assisted living communities. They are not covered by the re-opening, but instead by the existing Director of Health order that restricts "access to all Homes only to those personnel who are absolutely necessary for the operation of the Homes." Hair stylists, however valuable they may be, are not absolutely necessary for operations.
NHSN registration delays. Members report that while they signed up for the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), they did not receive their credentials. AHCA reports that this is a nationwide phenomenon. AHCA suggests documenting when you signed up and replying to registration/enrollment emails, not emailing the help desk. Registration instructions and enrollment guidance are available. In addition, NHSN is offering live question and answer sessions on Tuesday, May 12, at 1:00 p.m. and on Thursday, May 14, at 2:00 p.m. Register for the Tuesday session here or the Thursday session here.
As a reminder, the NHSN reporting requirements do not apply to assisted living communities and ICFs/IID but are optional only. AHCA reports that there is some discussion of requiring ICFs to report, but that would take a separate rule from the one already in place for SNFs.
New and revised DODD guidance. The Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) released several guidance documents this evening. These include people re-starting adult day services (please note that this must be done under the Director of Health order limiting adult day programs to 10 or fewer people, which is still in effect), adult day support and vocational habilitation service modifications, DODD budget reductions, and non-medical transportation (updated). Most significant is the guidance on modifications to adult day supports and vocational habilitation, proposed in Ohio's Appendix K request to CMS, that would allow and pay for delivery of these services in groups of four or fewer people in a person's home, in an integrated setting, or via technology. The guidance affirms that DODD is considering continuing these modifications after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends.
VA Marion looking for home health agencies. Today, the Veteran’s Administration (VA) Medical Center in Marion reached out to OHCA in search of home health agencies for contracting. On December 10, 2019, the VA third-party intermediary changed from TriWest to OPTUM. The VA is in need of home health agencies that can supply home health aides for their veterans and are willing to contract with the new TPA. Interested providers should contact Deborah Winningham at 614-257-5200, extension 2720.
Aetna PA changes effective May 7, 2020. According to a recent provider notice, effective May 7, 2020, Aetna Better Health of Ohio and Aetna Medicare and Commercial plans are reinstating certain prior authorization requirements that were relaxed because of the public health emergency. Aetna Better Health will continue its previously announced temporary waiver for initial precertification/prior authorization for admissions from acute care hospitals to post-acute facilities, in accordance with America's Health Insurance Plans guidance. New or community admissions will need full authorization before admission. All skilled nursing admissions should be sent to the Aetna case manager for concurrent review. OHCA confirmed that the prior authorization relaxations still apply when required by the ODM directives for managed Medicaid admissions for home health and long-term care.
Clarifications on NPP certification of home health. In the new interim final rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made way for non-physician practitioner (NPP) certification and oversight of home health plans of care to be a permanent change after the public health emergency ends. NPPs include nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and physician assistants. This week, CMS provided clarification on NPP billing codes for certification (G0180), recertification (G0179), and supervision of patients (G0181) under home health plans of care at current fee schedule rates. Please share this information with your referral sources.
Furthermore, Palmetto GBA provided clarification for Ohio Review Choice Demonstration non-affirmation decisions relative to a NPP certifying a patient for home health. For dates of service on or after March 1, 2020, home health agencies should resubmit all ADR or PCR requests that were not affirmed for this reason if the final claim has not yet been billed. If it was billed, the provider should file an appeal. For more information regarding this process, please contact Erin Begin.