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What Is Electronic Visit Verification?

The 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law in December 2016, is poised to change the way home health agencies deliver services. Notably, the act sets new mandates for states to establish policies for Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) of Medicaid-funded home care.

What is Electronic Visit Verification?While some agencies may see this requirement as an obstacle, many others view it as an opportunity.

With the deadline for states to implement EVV requirements less than two years away, how can selecting the right EVV solution today help your agency increase operational efficiency and improve service delivery tomorrow? 

What Is EVV, and Why Is It Being Mandated?

As the name suggests, EVV electronically captures:

  • That a home care agency employee provided the agreed-upon point-of-care service
  • The time that a visit began and ended
  • The individual who received the service
  • The date and location of the provided service

Most EVV systems rely on GPS to accurately pinpoint when a caregiver arrives at and leaves a specific location, such as a client’s home. Other systems utilize telephone lines, requiring the caregiver to call the agency office via a landline. (This is called Interactive Voice Response, or IVR.)

The purpose behind the EVV mandate is to track home health providers and ensure the visits they’re reporting to CMS are actually taking place, that patients are getting the care they require, and that Medicaid is being accurately billed.

Unfortunately, Medicaid fraud has been on the rise over the last several years. In fact, in fiscal 2014, the U.S. government recovered $3.3 billion from individuals and companies that attempted to defraud federal health programs.

To minimize this fraud risk, effective January 1, 2019, reimbursement for Medicaid services rendered will be tied to meeting EVV requirements.

How Can Agencies Benefit From EVV?

Although a basic EVV solution will help your agency meet state requirements, more robust solutions bring important benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Comprehensive care delivery management solutions help agencies go far beyond simple proof-of-visit requirements by offering:

  • Mobile apps that work seamlessly even when no land line or connectivity is available
  • Extensive data collection including reporting on KPIs
  • Real-time visibility of caregiver locations
  • Support for all caregivers and employment relationships
  • Real-time availability of caregiver schedules with notification of changes
  • Multiple types of visit verification including use of GPS coordinates, electronic signatures, near-field communications and photos
  • Real-time availability of current client demographic information, notes to care team members, care and service plans, care and service history as well as care team information
  • Support for different types of visits and workflows, including unscheduled visits, delivery of unplanned care, and shared care
  • Complete point-of-care visit documentation, including tasks completed, notes, forms with calculations, assessments, and photos
  • Optimized driving directions between visits and other points of interest
  • Accurate GPS-based mileage with support for both simple and complex mileage policies
  • Full timekeeping capabilities, including out-of-home visits, trips to care-related facilities, trips to the agency and other non-client activities
  • Secure broadcast messaging from the office and secure communication among care team members

By implementing a complete care delivery management solution in your home care agency, your entire team will benefit from a tool that’s configured to meet your business’ unique needs. Other benefits of EVV technology solutions include the ability to:

  • Reduce missed visits and late starts
  • Improve patient care and client outcomes
  • Reduce paper documentation traditionally associated with visit verification
  • Increase productivity and efficiency among staff members
  • Reduce costs associated with the use of multiple software products

Prepare Now to Meet Requirements and Increase Efficiencies

Home health agencies are managing a complex web of employees, payers, clients, and more. But by choosing the right EVV solution, you’ll find you can do so much more than meet minimum EVV requirements.

Go beyond simple proof-of-visit compliance and implement a solution that will not only help your caregivers accurately document visits, but will also improve your agency’s quality of care and client outcomes.

CellTrak offers agencies unique solutions that help achieve objectives, optimize workflows, and increase compliance. Want more information? Join us for a webinar on December 14th, 2021 at 10 AM CDT and hear from our seasoned experts in electronic visit verification. CLICK HERE, or fill out the form below to register.

 

Register For an EVV Webinar!