May 2009: End of the Road for MPN's for Billing

According to this, May is the end of the road for using for the Medicaid provider numbers for billing. We hear May 5th is the actual date. This is only for billing as of now. This year's cost report will still need to use provider numbers as the state's system is tied heavily to the MPN numbers.

NYT: Three Part Series on Home Health Care Aides

The third and final part of Home Health Care Aides article is up and it makes for a great read. Regardless of if you're in need of an home care worker or if you are an owner or manager of a home care agency, it's worth a read along with the first and second articles. We think this quote is a great starting point for all workers in this industry.

The place to start is to recognize that certified home health aides provide a specialized service. Only when aides are properly trained and supervised can they provide the highest quality of care, and at the end of the day, that is what we all want for ourselves and the people we love.

New DHHS Secretary Selected

Governor-elect Beverly Perdue on Tuesday named Lanier Cansler, a lobbyist and former legislator, as secretary of the beleaguered state Department of Health and Human Services.

Cansler, who served as DHHS deputy secretary from 2001 to 2005, has been a partner in the Cansler Fuquay Solutions lobbying and consulting firm for the past four years. The firm represented Computer Sciences Corp., which recently won a $265 million contract to handle North Carolina's Medicaid billing system.

See more here.

Home Health Aide Turnover

Just wanted to point out an article just published on how to hire a home health aide from the consumer's point of view and a quote from that article:

The first person you hire, or even the second or third person may not be the right one. Don't get discouraged, the right match is out there. Do not settle for someone that does not meet all your expectations.

So as an agency owner, please do not get discouraged if it takes multiple aides to find the right one as the consumer has a right to find the perfect fit.