With today’s launch of the new 2015 PEPPER, we encourage SNFs to download the report and begin building a solid database of claims statistics. This will go far in guaranteeing that the facility is both compliant and prepared for audits.
Topsfield, MA (PRWEB) April 15, 2015
With today’s release of the new 2015 PEPPER (Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report), Harmony Healthcare International, the leader in long term care compliance, reimbursement, operations and denied claims appeal consulting, as well as training and education programs and talent management, is encouraging SNF’s to download the resource as the keystone in building a solid and actionable compliance and audit preparedness program.
“As I cross the country and speak and meet hundreds and hundreds of administrators and directors of nursing, what we’re finding is that they’re not even aware the report exists,” said Kris Mastrangelo, OTR/L, MBA, LNHA, President and CEO of Harmony Healthcare International quoted in a March interview with “PPS Alert for Long-Term Care.” PEPPER provides detailed comparisons of Medicare claims data in six areas considered at risk for improper payment or abuse to that of the facility’s counterparts in the same state and Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) region, as well as the entire nation. Even though the report is available to all SNFs and the data offers a wealth of usable information, current statistics show that, in 2014, only 61% of facilities accessed their report.
Elisa Bovee, MS, OTR/L and Harmony Healthcare’s vice president of operations says the report “can be overwhelming,” however, “once the report is completed and the data analyzed, the value to the SNF is powerful.”
The PEPPER can be used to help providers identify problems before auditors do, making the report extremely useful in helping SNFs build and maintain compliance programs and prepare for potential audits.
“At Harmony Healthcare, we consolidate those PEPPER statistics into a more streamlined analysis summarizing the comparative billing data and evaluating the outliers,” said Bovee. “We also do focused medical record reviews and look at clinically appropriate patient care to establish justification for the care in the event of a government audit.”
A more detailed discussion of the impact of the new PEPPER report can be found at: http://www.harmony-healthcare.com/hubfs/PPS_PEPPER_HCPro_A_0315_HarmonyHealthcare.pdf
Harmony Healthcare will also be hosting a webinar on the PEPPER on April 29, 2015 entitled:
“What Did Your SNF PEPPER Tell CMS?”
Speaker: Matt McGarvey
Date: 4/29, 1-2pm EST
http://info.harmony-healthcare.com/what-did-your-snf-pepper-tell-cms
“With today’s launch of the new 2015 PEPPER, we encourage SNFs to download the report and begin building a solid database of claims statistics,” said Mastrangelo. “This will go far in guaranteeing that the facility is both compliant and prepared for audits.”
For more information visit: http://www.PEPPERresources.org.
About Harmony Healthcare International
Harmony Healthcare International was founded in 2001. With headquarters in Topsfield, MA, Harmony Healthcare International services clients in the skilled nursing, acute care, home health and assisted living markets with operational and compliance consulting, training and educational programs and talent management services. With a staff of accomplished healthcare clinicians who serve as consultants to For-Profit, Not-For-Profit, Standalone and Multi-Facility Chains across the country, Harmony Healthcare International has been ranked among the top 5,000 fastest growing private companies in the U.S. for 3 consecutive years by Inc. Magazine. Harmony Healthcare International: “We care about care.”
Visit us at: http://www.harmony-healthcare.com
Media Contact
Jon A. Di Gesu
Vice President of Marketing
jdigesu(at)harmony-healthcare(dot)com
@JonDiGesu
(O) 978.887.8919 (C) 603.770.5731