BALTIMORE, MD (Home Care Wire) Hospices have gotten a breather on new claims data requirements.

After bitter complaints from providers, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has “temporarily” suspended reporting of visits by non-hospice staff in general inpatient settings, the agency says in April 29 Transmittal No. 1494 (CR 5567).

“All other visit reporting requirements … remain unchanged,” CMS says in the transmittal.

The missive also contains new details for how to report visits. “CMS has removed the words ‘medically’ and ‘direct’ from the reasonable and necessary patient visit description of a hospice visit,” cheers the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. That should make defining a visit easier.

Reminder: Reporting hospice visit data is optional until July 1.

The transmittal is at www.cms.hhs.gov/transmittals/downloads/R1494CP.pdf.

BALTIMORE, MD (Home Care Wire) You can keep Medicare’s bewildering array of claims review projects straight with a new educational product.

The 16-page document, “Medicare Claim Review Programs: MR, NCCI Edits, MUEs, CERT, and RAC” offers a just-the-facts primer on Medicare’s pre- and post-payment claims review systems.

The booklet features simple descriptions of each program and frequently asked questions (FAQs) on a few of them.

The document is available at www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/MCRP_Booklet.pdf.

DES MOINES, IA (Home Care Wire) You will see a new look from Cahaba GBA’s Web site starting May 1.

“This change will improve provider access to home health and hospice information, as well as Web site search results,” the regional home health intermediary says.

BATON ROUGE, LA (Home Care Wire) National home care chain Amedisys Inc. announced more increased earnings for the latest quarter.

The Baton Rouge, LA-based company reported net income of $16.5 million on revenues of $213.1 million for the quarter ended March 31. That’s a 22 percent increase over net income of $13.3 million and a 39 percent increase over revenues of $153.6 million for the same period in 2007.

Amedisys has established a clinical division dedicated to reducing falls and injuries in the chronic population, the company adds in a release. Amedisys piloted the falls reduction program in 33 sites across the country in 2007, it says.