Complex or custom rehabilitation technology services are highly specialized services and products designed to assist patients with disabilities to help perform activities of daily living (ADL’s). In the DME world, in terms of DMEPOS, most of the equipment and supplies that fall into this category are used for mobility. Customized wheelchairs with specialized seating surfaces and controls are the products that are most commonly provided.
Topics: HQAA Accreditation, HME Accreditation Requirements, DMEPOS, Complex Rehab
The unfortunate lady in the vintage photograph is Fanny Mills, who was known as “The Ohio Big Footed Girl”. Fanny lived in Sandusky Ohio in the late 1800’s and suffered from Milroy’s Disease, which is a congenital disease that causes lymphedema and generally poor circulation in the lower extremities. There was no treatment for this disorder at the time and Fanny lived with the condition into her 40’s. She eventually succumbed to the disease and her cause of death was listed as “abscess”. The photos were taken when she worked in a dime museum, a place similar to a circus sideshow that featured performers and exhibits of medical oddities. Sadly, her affliction was untreatable at the time. Lymphedema is still around, but thankfully is much more treatable today than in the 19th century!
Topics: HQAA Accreditation, CMS, DMEPOS
HQAA’s standard for care plans:
Topics: HQAA Accreditation, Surveys, Care Plan
Imagine you are either sitting down to hear a debriefing after your accreditation survey or opening up the report from your accreditation survey. In either/both cases, the surveyor or the accreditation agency will most likely be breaking down any areas of deficiency into issues requiring on site follow up or issues requiring written follow up. Different accrediting bodies call these categories by different names, but in all cases, they are essentially issues that you need another visit to clear or issues that can be cleared through some type of written follow up report.
Topics: Renewing Accreditation, HQAA Accreditation, Compliance, Business Practices, Surveys
I imagine it’s the same in other industries—December in DME can be a hectic, scatterbrained race to the finish. (“The finish” in this case being the end of the year). Financially speaking, it’s a time to try to maximize earnings and pad the bottom line, wrapping up billing cycles and completing tasks to prepare financially for the new year. Patient/customers that have met their deductible are anxious trying to consume healthcare before a new deductible cycle begins. December 31st is the end of a quarter, the end of a month, and the end of the year and there’s two major holidays –Christmas and New Year to work around. Staff wants to spend time with their families. And of course, company holiday parties abound.
Topics: Employee Training, Personnel Files, Billing, HQAA Accreditation, Process Improvement, Materials Management, Showroom, Delivery, Warehouse, Customer Service, Disaster Preparedness, Emergencies, Business Practices, Infection Control, DMEPOS
Accreditation documentation requirements for the human resource files are relatively straightforward, yet the human resource (“HR”) standards continue to be some of the most frequently cited standards and generate the most questions from DME customers. HQAA’s recent standards revisions and updates included several of the HR standards. This fact, along with the continued questions and citations for HR standards suggest it was time to revisit the personnel file and review expectations.
Topics: Employee Training, Personnel Files, Renewing Accreditation, HQAA Accreditation, HME Accreditation Requirements, Avoiding Deficiencies
In our January 2022 blog, we talked about fraud, waste, and abuse and touched on compliance programs. The article prompted questions and comments from quite a few organizations and questions of late suggest it might be a good time to do a deeper dive on compliance programs.
Compliance “programs” are sets of policies & procedures specifically designed to help an organization adhere to law and regulation. These policies and procedures are specifically set up to detect, prevent, and correct fraud, waste, and abuse. Medicare requires any provider to have such a program and they have very specific content they want these policies to contain.
Topics: Security, Billing, HQAA Accreditation, Compliance, Avoiding Deficiencies, Complaint Process, Business Practices, Marketing, Surveys, OIG
Harry Truman, the 33rd President of the United States had a famous slogan, which appeared on a plaque on his desk: “The Buck Stops Here”. Referring to “passing the buck”; that is, shifting blame or responsibility, the saying demonstrates a person’s willingness and ability to take responsibility, find solutions, and lead by example.
Topics: HQAA Accreditation, HME Accreditation Requirements, Business Practices, Surveys
A dictionary defines disclosure as “the action of making new information known or the action or process of revealing information.” In the medical world, healthcare providers define disclosure as “a release of information to persons or entities other than the patient who is the subject of the information.”
Topics: HQAA Accreditation, HME Accreditation Requirements, Compliance, Business Practices, DMEPOS
You could write a book about “employee vs. contractor” pros, cons, legality, and operational efficiency. In fact, there are books written about that very subject. There are also lawyers who specialize in employment law who advise companies about how to structure their staffing around those two broad categories of staff. While accreditation organizations won’t delve into the legalities (that’s for the lawyers to do), accreditation standards DO in fact address both categories of staffing.
Topics: Employee Training, Personnel Files, HQAA Accreditation, Clinical Practice Guidelines, Quality Care, Retail, Delivery, Clinical Respiratory Services, Competence, Customer Service, Business Practices, Surveys, Equipment
