Wednesday, May 20
8:00—8:15 AM
Conference Welcome & Announcements
Hear from TAHC&H leadership and get details on the conference format and important instructions for all attendees.
8:15—9:15 AM
General Session: Picking Up the Pieces: Reinventing Your Leadership in a Crisis (All Providers)
Everywhere you look in home care, no matter what services you provide, the COVID-19 Pandemic Crisis has affected us all. Agency leaders are more stressed than ever with the constant changes of industry guidance. In challenging times, a team looks to its leader for direction and motivation. Become that motivational leader that your team needs in this powerful, insightful session. This session is a refreshing look at what we can control and do in a crisis to add value to other people as leaders. When a crisis occurs, we become focused on what is out of our control. But the good news is there are many things you CAN control to navigate your organization through any negative change and situation. Learn positive steps to take in this critical moment to add value to other people and influence outcomes for the better!
Speaker: Jim Mathis, IPCS, CSP, MDiv., CEO of Reinvention Nation, LLC
Speaker Bio: Jim Mathis is a bestselling author, International Platform Certified Speaking Professional (IPCS), Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), and member of the John Maxwell Team. He has been writing, speaking and consulting for over 40 years internationally. Jim helps business leaders who want to reinvent their organizations in changing and challenging economic climates and crises. He leads energetic, entertaining and interactive business growth presentations across many industries. He will help you lead your people through crisis with the goal of adding value to them and your organization.
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hour continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
9:30—10:30 AM
General Session: Laying the Foundation: Infection Control and Prevention (All Providers)
The home health Infection Control door has hit our industry in the face and feels like a revolving entry into rooms that require constant renovation. National expert, Barbara Citarella, will lay the foundation for agency efforts on understanding this COVID-19 pandemic. With multiple guidance changes in infection control practices, home health agencies have found themselves redesigning their plans. This session will focus on key elements of what happened during this COVID 19 Pandemic Crisis and to what degree each agency should handle this Emergency Health situation. Learn what is new, what is acceptable and what long term changes agencies should anticipate. Barbara will provide valuable answers to your questions and insight into the long term recovery efforts from the historic COVID-19.
Speaker: Barbara Citarella, RN, BSN, MS, CHCE, NHDP-BC, President, RBC Limited Healthcare & Management Consultants
Speaker Bio: Barbara Citarella is the founder of RBC Limited Healthcare and Management Consultants. Barbara and her team of expert consultants have made the company a national leader in the home care, hospice and outpatient health care industry. She has been instrumental in developing national and state partnerships for the company.With over 25 years of experience, Barbara is internationally known for her expertise in the areas of infection control, leadership and disaster preparedness. As the only recognized expert in the area of home care and hospice disaster planning, she provides education not only to home care and hospice industry but to law enforcement, government agencies, health care providers, private sector, first responders, national and state associations. Barbara was part of the Department of Homeland Security’s committee to rewrite the National Response Plan document and the DHS Disaster Preparedness Guidelines for people with special needs.In addition to her Disaster Planning experience, Ms. Citarella has been instrumental in OASIS training nationwide since 1997. She was the first to incorporate inter-rater reliability testing in the education process for the OASIS tool. She has done research on the preliminary cost of OASIS to the home care industry and presented such findings to United States Congressional members. RBC Limited’s clientele remain in the top 20% of the industry for quality initiatives.She is an internationally known speaker and has presented well over 500 keynote addresses and workshops.
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates;
1.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
10:45-11:45 AM
General Session: Gathering the Right Tools for a Strong EPP Framework (All Providers)
Statistics show that a company's leadership has a direct impact on success. Who leads your agency’s Emergency Preparedness Plan? Does your agency have all of the right tools to make it successful? During this session you'll learn about the strong framework an agency must have to implement a successful and nimble plan. For many agencies, the Emergency Preparedness Plan has been a static document until COVID-19 made its way into our world. Regardless of the extreme conditions of COVID-19, an agency’s Emergency Preparedness Plan must be a very flexible living document based on agency’s thorough hazard assessment. This session will provide you with an overview of Emergency Management and prepare you for the breakout sessions that will provide details about each phase of the Emergency Preparedness Plan including Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery.
Speaker: Grace Werckle, BSN, RN, Texas Association for Home Care and Hospice, Home Care Education Nurse Manager
Speaker Bio: Prior to joining the TAHCH staff, Grace worked in the Homecare Industry for over 25 years. She has had the wonderful opportunity to serve in multiple roles at Home Health Agencies fulfilling positions varying from Administrator/Alternate Administrator to DON/Supervising Nurse/Clinical Supervisor to Case Management to Field RN. With this, Grace earned extensive experience in Licensed and Certified, Licensed Home Health and Personal Assistance Services licensure categories. Grace specialized in QA and Documentation including certifications of COS-C for OASIS and HCS-D for Coding Compliance and has worked under The Joint Commission, CHAP and AHCH accreditations. She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Incarnate Word College in San Antonio, Texas and currently works with Texas Association for Homecare and Hospice in the Home Care Education Nurse Manager role.
Continuing Education: 1.0 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.0 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
12:45-3:30 PM
The Emergency Preparedness Plan Blueprint: The Necessary Tools for Compliance
LCHSS & HOSPICE TRACK:
Reframing your Emergency Preparedness Plan is one of the most important steps you can take during this time. This session will provide you with the necessary tools to be compliant with the requirements of both Medicare and Hospice planning. Some of the biggest changes in home health and hospice pandemic plans have presented since the introduction of COVID-19 into our world. This session will discuss the details of the four (4) phases of emergency planning; Mitigation--including education & awareness, hazard assessment, vulnerability assessment; Preparedness—including telecommunication plan, training, exercises and building relationships with community partners; Response—including taking quick action to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs and subsistence of the affected population and Recovery—taking actions after an emergency to restore and resume normal operation and rebuilding and repairing with goal of improving conditions and reducing future risks.
Speaker: Jennifer Gibson Osburn
Speaker Bio: Jennifer Gibson Osburn is a Registered Nurse with over 26 years of combined staff nurse, clinical management, administrator, and technology experience. She is a certified OASIS specialist and Home Health coder and uses this diverse background to engage attendees across the nation. Past seminar experience includes presentations for The Joint Commission, CHAP, NAHC, and numerous state home health associations.
As a seasoned Medicare regulatory thought leader, Jennifer regularly trains on PDGM, Conditions of Participation, Emergency Preparedness, Infection Control, QAPI, Documentation, Coding, OASIS, agency operations and management. Her heart for teaching and supporting home health professionals is the foundation on which she has launched a private home health education practice, Home Centered Insights. She is committed to the success of the home care industry and currently serves TAHCH’s Clinical Practice, Medicare, and Government Affairs committees.
Continuing Education: 2.50 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 2.50 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
LHH & PAS TRACK:
Reframing your Emergency Preparedness Plan is one of the most important steps you can take during this time. This session will provide you with the necessary tools to be compliant with the requirements of both LHH and PAS planning. Some of the biggest changes in home health pandemic plans have presented since the introduction of COVID-19 into our world. This session will discuss the details of the four (4) phases of emergency planning; Mitigation--including education & awareness, hazard assessment, vulnerability assessment; Preparedness—including telecommunication plan, training, exercises and building relationships with community partners; Response—including taking quick action to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs and subsistence of the affected population and Recovery—taking actions after an emergency to restore and resume normal operation and rebuilding and repairing with goal of improving conditions and reducing future risks.
Speaker: Jennifer Lopez, RN, BSN
Speaker Bio: Jennifer Lopez, BSN, RN is a Clinical Consultant with Lopez Healthcare Consulting while completing her MSN & Family Nurse Practitioner degree. She has worked in healthcare for over 25 years in many different settings including acute care, physician office, home health care and residential services. She received her LVN from Cooke County College in 1987, Associates Degree in Nursing from North Central Texas College in 1991 and her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from The University of Texas, Austin in 2003. She is also a Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse (CDDN). Her current responsibilities include providing education, training and clinical support for the Home Health and IDD programs in Texas. She also serves as Immediate Past President of the Texas Association of Home Care and Hospice. Jennifer has a vast range of expertise in the areas of operations, due diligence, QA, clinical, state and federal regulations, compliance and investigations. Jennifer has a passion to ensure each person cared for receives the highest quality care possible.
Continuing Education: 2.50 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 2.50 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
3:45-5:00 PM
Infection Control: Best Practices in a Pandemic World
LCHSS & HOSPICE TRACK:
In this time of dramatic policy guidance changes related to COVID-19, home care agencies must be able to execute best practices related to Infection Control. Barbara will provide a detailed review of both Medicare and Hospice regulations covering the 6 elements of prevention and discuss how Infection control is a mandatory QAPI element of the agency QAPI program. This session brings you the cutting edge elements of the latest hand hygiene, appropriate use of PPE, environmental cleaning and disinfection, bag technique and equipment cleaning. Participants will walk away feeling empowered on how to redesign, enhance and implement a quality infection control plan.
Speaker: Barbara Citarella, RN, BSN, MS, CHCE, NHDP-BC, President, RBC Limited Healthcare & Management Consultants
Speaker Bio: Barbara Citarella is the founder of RBC Limited Healthcare and Management Consultants. Barbara and her team of expert consultants have made the company a national leader in the home care, hospice and outpatient health care industry. She has been instrumental in developing national and state partnerships for the company.With over 25 years of experience, Barbara is internationally known for her expertise in the areas of infection control, leadership and disaster preparedness. As the only recognized expert in the area of home care and hospice disaster planning, she provides education not only to home care and hospice industry but to law enforcement, government agencies, health care providers, private sector, first responders, national and state associations. Barbara was part of the Department of Homeland Security’s committee to rewrite the National Response Plan document and the DHS Disaster Preparedness Guidelines for people with special needs.In addition to her Disaster Planning experience, Ms. Citarella has been instrumental in OASIS training nationwide since 1997. She was the first to incorporate inter-rater reliability testing in the education process for the OASIS tool. She has done research on the preliminary cost of OASIS to the home care industry and presented such findings to United States Congressional members. RBC Limited’s clientele remain in the top 20% of the industry for quality initiatives.She is an internationally known speaker and has presented well over 500 keynote addresses and workshops.
Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
LHH & PAS TRACK:
In this time of dramatic policy guidance changes related to COVID-19, home care agencies must be able to execute best practices related to Infection Control. Kay Hollers brings years of experience in infection control process and practice and will discuss in detail what Licensed Home Health and Personal Assistance Services agencies should consider in their Infection Control plan. Kay will also cover how an agency’s QAPI program and Infection Control Program work together to ensure safe and effective care. This session will include a thought provoking discussion about how agencies should review and renovate their infection control policies based on program rules and the latest changes and best practices. Kay will conclude the session with a robust Q&A to ensure you walk away feeling empowered to effectively address infection control in your agency.
Speaker: Kay Hollers, Healthcare ConsultLink
Speaker Bio: Kay Hollers is well known to TAHCH audiences as she has been an active member or associate member since her return to Texas in 1985. Kay holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas with a major in Nursing and a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the University of Texas School of Public Health. She also earned a post-master’s Specialist Certification in Health Care Evaluation from Wayne State University College of Nursing in Detroit. Kay taught Public Health Nursing at Michigan State University and has practiced in and consulted with home health and hospice agencies large and small, public and private. She currently is a consultant with HealthCare Consultlink. Kay likes to share her experiences and knowledge with audiences and has been a frequent presenter for TAHCH conferences and seminars.
Continuing Education: 1.25 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates; 1.25 contact hours Continuing Nursing Education
Thursday, May 21
8:30—10:00 AM
General Session: Pandemic Recovery: Rebuild Stronger than Ever—The Financial Side of Recovery (All Providers)
With the introduction of COVID-19 flexibilities, providers in Texas must be able to understand the changes and adapt quickly. This session will take agencies through the Medicare Emergency Relief Fund criteria for tracking and reporting on how agencies spent the funds that were received from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). When the funds were announced it appeared that there were “no strings attached”. If you think something is too good to be true, it usually is! While the funds do not have to be repaid to HHS, home health agencies will have to track what it is spent on and report quarterly. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you will worry about this later — you need to track every penny. This session will feature Amy Knight, CPA, Knight CPA Group and C. Steve Telles, MCS - Management Consulting Services, who has been on the front line of advocacy with CMS and Palmetto GBA, who will discuss their ongoing advocacy and problem solving around this topic. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from our experts to ensure your success.
Speakers: Amy Knight, CPA, Knight CPA Group and C. Steve Telles, MCS - Management Consulting Services
Speaker Bios:
Amy L. Knight is a CPA, originally from Oklahoma and now based in Austin, Texas with over 20 years experience almost exclusively in home health and hospice. Her CPA firm, Knight CPA Group, has extensive experience with all financial issues pertaining to home health, hospice and other healthcare providers including cost reporting, accounting & payroll issues that are specific to healthcare providers.
Steve Telles worked for 6 years in public accounting with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co in Denver Colorado.He worked in home care as CFO for the largest home health agency in New Mexico from 1986 to 1994, dealing with similar financial and operational issues that we see today. Since then Steve has been consulting for home health and hospice agencies. He focuses on operational and financial management along with education on benchmarking, process improvement, accounts receivable and cash flow management, and cost reporting. He brings an operational perspective in balancing clinical outcomes with financial viability in consulting with agencies in the Southwest.
Continuing Education: 1.50 clock hour continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
10:15—11:45 AM
Concurrent Tracks:
MEDICARE BILLING: Strategies and Lessons Learned during COVID Pandemic Crisis
What is billable and non-billable in today’s COVID-19 Pandemic World? Can you bill for telehealth visits? Does your physician and NPP telehealth F2F encounter contribute to your patient eligibility for HH? These and many other questions will be answered in this information packed session. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear strategies and lessons learned during this public health emergency from national speaker, Melinda Gaboury. In this session, providers will learn why it’s so important to understand the billing flexibilities that were afforded to Medicare providers to ensure cash flow doesn’t stop. If one, or more, of these billing parts are missing or are incorrect, agencies set themselves up for denials, ADRs and a host of other billing dilemmas that we’d all rather avoid. Participants will walk away with a much clearer understanding of Medicare billing tips and we will end the session with ample time for question and answer period.
Speaker: Melinda Gaboury, COS-C, Chief Executive Officer, Healthcare Provider Solutions, Inc.
Speaker Bio: Melinda A. Gaboury, with more than 28 years in home care, has over 18 years of executive speaking and educating experience, including extensive day to day interaction with home care and hospice professionals. She routinely conducts Home Care and Hospice Reimbursement Workshops and speaks at state association meetings throughout the country. Melinda has profound experience in Medicare PDGM training, billing, collections, case-mix calculations, chart reviews and due diligence. UPIC, RA, ADR & TPE appeals with all Medicare MACs have become the forefront of Melinda’s current impact on the industry. She is currently serving on the NAHC/HHFMA Advisory Board and Work Group and is Associate Director on the Home Care Association of Florida Board of Directors. Melinda is also the author of the Home Health OASIS Guide to OASIS-D1.
Continuing Education: 1.50 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
HOSPICE BILLING: Renovating Without Issues
Have you been working hard to keep up with all of the trends impacting Hospice Care in 2020? Never fear, you can rest assured that this session will provide you with a robust review of all of the Hospice Billing Updates that have occurred during this year. Steve Telles will provide a level of clear understanding to Hospice agencies and discuss the impact that these changes will have on their organizations. This session will cover topics including Fiscal 2020 Proposed Rule, Cost Report due dates, Medicare Sequestration relief, Palmetto GBA Hospice CAP overpayments by State, Hospice PEPPER reporting, Hospice Billing Issues – SIA payments and will allow time for Q&As. Don’t miss this in depth coverage!
Speaker: C. Steve Telles, MCS - Management Consulting Services
Speaker Bio: Steve Telles worked for 6 years in public accounting with Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co in Denver Colorado.He worked in home care as CFO for the largest home health agency in New Mexico from 1986 to 1994, dealing with similar financial and operational issues that we see today. Since then Steve has been consulting for home health and hospice agencies. He focuses on operational and financial management along with education on benchmarking, process improvement, accounts receivable and cash flow management, and cost reporting. He brings an operational perspective in balancing clinical outcomes with financial viability in consulting with agencies in the Southwest.
Continuing Education: 1.50 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
STAR PLUS/FFS BILLING: Getting it Right: Billing in the Pandemic World
During this time of dramatic policy guidance changes related to COVID-19, Agencies must be able to execute best practices related to claims filing and reconciliation. Renee will provide an update on EVV changes and review of the Temporary EVV Policies in response to COVID-19. We all know that remaining viable includes the need for financial recovery during this time of crisis. In the session, you will learn: best practices for claim reconciliation; proper EVV visit maintenance; timely claims filing deadlines; how to keep claims alive; conducting appeals and claim reconsiderations; recoupment activities. and when / why it’s important to submit complaints on payment issues. Renee will also share some of her tips and tricks for successful reimbursement!
Speaker: Renee Scepanski, TMHP Outsource Billing
Speaker Bio: Renee Scepanski is the owner of TMHP Outsource Billing, which is a consulting agency in Texas founded in 2008. Renee specializes in EVV, claims, appeals and complaints. She has a focus and passion for helping Texas Home Care Agencies continue to thrive financially, while the Agencies continue to focus on Member care. Renee has been advocating for Texas Home Care Agencies since 2017, when she went public with her company and began the journey to become an agent of change and assist TAHC&H with policy and procedure changes to reduce the administrative burdens being passed down to Home Care Agencies through legislative actions. She has served on various committees with TAHC&H throughout the past three years and provided valuable agency insights to assist TAHC&H efforts in agency advocacy. Renee's educational background includes a Master's degree in Training and Organizational Development, with specialties in e-Learning and Instructional Design, which complements her current agenda to provide the best training strategies and learning outcomes to her clients.
Continuing Education: 1.50 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates
STAR KIDS/FFS BILLING: Inside Out - A Day in the Life of Pediatric Billing in the Pandemic World
COVID 19 hit our country with the devastating unpredictability of an F5 tornado, requiring agencies to rethink and rebuild longstanding practices and policies and disrupting operations in ways no one could anticipate. Changes in longstanding guidance and policies came fast and furious forcing Pediatric agencies to react and take decisive action without a lot of clarity from our Health and Human Services Agency. Ensuring your core practices related to documentation and billing are strong is essential to rebuilding your operations and mitigating impacts of any recoupments or audits that may occur by your payers after the Public Health Emergency is over. Learn best practices from agencies who are in the trenches with you and have an extraordinary combined experience they are willing to share.
Speaker: Kristen Robison, RN, Angels of Care Pediatrics; Justin Hillger, PT, Angels of Care Pediatrics; Courtney Mullaney, MS, CCC-SLP, Therapy 2000; Jonathan Willman, BSN, RN, Consolidated Home Health and Jessica Cloutier, Director Billing & Collections, thrive skilled pediatric care
Speaker Bio: Coming soon!
Continuing Education: 1.50 clock hours continuing education for Administrators/Alternates