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Home health agencies now have an improved way to get tools, tips and best practices for improving their financial and clinical outcomes. The DecisionHealth team based the Home Health Interactive redesign on feedback that it received from agencies using this Web site.
The improved Web site contains a "breaking news center", a reader poll and featured tools and products.

Latest Home Health News

HHS modifies requirements for HHAs hit by hurricane

The Department of Health and Human Services has waived or modified certain requirements, such as sanctions and penalties for noncompliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), for health care providers in the public health emergency areas in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, according to the department’s Aug. 31 waiver. HHS also has modified deadlines for some required activities related to providing health care in the wake of Hurricane Gustav.

More information about the emergency is available here: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/Emergency/02_Hurricanes.asp.

- Karen Long [klong@decisionhealth.com]

HHS proposes adoption of ICD-10

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Aug. 15 a proposed regulation that would replace the ICD-9-CM code sets with greatly expanded ICD-10 code sets, effective October 1, 2011, according to HHS. ICD-9, which was created almost 30 years, contains only 17,000 codes and is expected to start running out of available codes next year. But the ICD-10 code sets have more than 155,000 codes.

Comments on the ICD-10 proposed rule are due by Oct. 21. For more information, click here

- Maria Tsigas [mtsigas@decisionhealth.com]

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