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Melissa Cott

Recent Posts

How to Get a Prior Authorization for Home Health Billing

Certain payers require prior authorizations.

Depending on the payer, a home health agency (HHA) may be required to obtain a ‘prior authorization’ (PA) for home health billing and to determine insurance eligibility. Think of prior authorization as “permission” to provide a type of...

Posted by Melissa Cott on Apr 20, 2020

COVID-19: Three (3) Requirements for (Early) Discharge Planning

Prepare Patients for Early Discharge

Preparing non-priority home health patients for early discharge should be the primary objective of home health agencies right now. Since accessibility to routine healthcare is currently suspended, home health agencies should prepare patients and...

Posted by Melissa Cott on Mar 25, 2020

COVID-19: Substitutions for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

It's no secret that healthcare providers - hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, doctor's offices - and home health agencies - have run out of - or are running out of - personal protective gear (PPE). Because of the shortage of PPE, the CDC has announced methods to optimize the supply of...

Posted by Melissa Cott on Mar 20, 2020

COVID-19: Daily Management Plan for Home Health Agencies

1. Provide home health services to priority patients only.

Since the corona virus in the US is not contained, the presumption must be that anyone can have the COVID-19 virus. Under these circumstances your HHA must limit contact to patients that require critical care and have no one -...

Posted by Melissa Cott on Mar 18, 2020

COVID-19 & Home Health: Your Emergency Preparedness Plan

So, now it's happened. We have the pandemic called COVID-19. The coronavirus causes illness ranging from the common cold to more severe respiratory infections. COVID-19, the most recently discovered coronavirus disease, was first seen in December 2019 in China.

Posted by Melissa Cott on Mar 17, 2020

16 Home Health Nurse Safety Tips

Basic Home Care Industry Safety Guidelines for Field Clinicians

The following is a home health and safety inspection checklist:

  1. Before making home visits, home health care workers should secure all purses and wallets at the Agency. If you must take a purse or wallet, lock it in the...

Posted by Melissa Cott on Feb 26, 2020

Home Health Best Practices for COPD - SN Teaching and Care Plan

For the patient with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD, in addition to assessing shortness of breath on M1400, also include these Best Practice assessment strategies:  

Posted by Melissa Cott on Nov 6, 2019

Home Health Management of Hypertension

High blood pressure is the most common home health diagnosis.

Home Health Management - High blood pressure is called the “silent killer" because it often has no warning signs or symptoms and patients don't realize they have hypertension. The 'silent' nature of the disease only...

Posted by Melissa Cott on Oct 24, 2019