American Association For Homecare - Wednesday In Washington, August 8, 2007

Main Category: Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 10 Aug 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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Now is the time to make sure your Senators and Representatives tell their leadership to keep the cuts to homecare passed in the final House passed version of the reauthorization bill for State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). See talking points on the American Association for Homecare homepage, http://www.aahomecare.org. Please engage employees, families, patients, and local seniors and disabilities groups in this important effort. If possible, schedule a meeting with your Members of Congress or attend a town hall meeting during the August recess when many members are in their home states and districts.

Heat Wave across South and Midwest Calls for Extra Steps for Patient Care

Homecare providers are stepping up efforts to check on their patients as a brutal heat wave sweeps across the U.S. Areas stretching from St. Louis to New Jersey have issued heat warnings as temperatures have soared into triple digits this week. High humidity has also been a factor, making temperatures feel like110 degrees in Cincinnati. Some power companies have taken steps to prevent outages triggered by increased usage, according to USA Today. AAHomecare reminds members to anticipate possible power outages for both this week and next. Excessive heat puts older homecare patients at risk: heat can cause confusion, stress to the heart, light-headedness, and heat exhaustion. The Association encourages all providers to check on elderly patients and their equipment during these heat advisories.

NPI Registry and NPPES will be Available September 4

CMS announced a delay in the use of the National Provider Identification (NPI) Registry and dissemination of data from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES). Both will now be available on September4, with a downloadable file of the NPI Registry available approximately one week later. Use of the NPI Registry is free and a user ID or password is not needed. According to CMS, the NPI Registry enables users to query the NPPES and displays the FOIA-disclosable data for records. Providers can apply for an NPI online at https://nppes.cms.hhs.gov.

American Association for Homecare
2011Crystal Drive, Suite 725, Arlington,VA22202
http://www.aahomecare.org