Electronic Visit Verification is a tool federally mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act to verify home care visits by personal care services (PCS) and home healthcare services (HHCS) that are medicaid-funded. The purpose of mandating an EVV system is multifold. We’ll go over 4 major benefits of EVV implementation along with state’s system models (open and closed).
4 Major Benefits of EVV:
- Helps Combat Neglect of Clients & Fraudulent Visit Reports
- Better Validation of Employee Work Time & Location for Each Visit
- Precise Identification Reduces Errors
- Faster & More Accurate Processing of Claims
Helps Combat Neglect of Clients & Fraudulent Visit Reports
Prior to the implementation of EVV, caregivers would report their home care visits on paper timesheets. These paper records did not always accurately reflect the actual work hours. Fraudulent claims were frequently made by caregivers who took advantage of the system.
Clients who were registered to receive home care services were commonly being neglected by their assigned caregivers. The loophole in the system was being abused as caregivers were reporting in-home visits and services that were never actually provided. This loophole became better safeguarded with the implementation of EVV, having to verify each visit electronically.
Better Validation of Employee Work Time & Location for Each Visit
Precise Identification Reduces Errors & Redundancy
In order for home care agencies to receive due reimbursement, they must be able to provide accurate information about the caregivers, clients and services provided. Paper-driven timesheets and data collection documents would commonly have input errors, redundancy, and issues related to deciphering illegible handwriting.
Without accurate information about caregivers, clients and services, billing errors could easily be made, leading to more problems for home care agencies. EVV helps resolve these problems by requiring the caregivers to electronically input the necessary data into the system.
EVV simplifies the process for home care agencies, caregivers and clients by eliminating messy handwriting, redundant data input or billing mistakes due to inaccuracy of data.
Faster & More Accurate Processing of Claims
With the advent of electronically verifying each home care visit, the accuracy of data collection and speed of processing claims has improved. Home care agencies previously had the dilemma of trying to verify data input of caregivers, clients, service times and more. This process would use up valuable time and delay reimbursement claims. With EVV, both of these areas have improved making it easier overall.
State’s Open Model vs Closed Model
The 21st Century Cures Act allows states the freedom to choose between an open or closed model. An open model means that the state permits personal care services and home health care services to choose their own EVV vendor.
A closed model is the opposite, meaning that the state selects a vendor and requires home care businesses to use the state-selected EVV vendor. It’s imperative to become familiar with your state’s system along with all the accompanying regulations. For open model states, because you will have the option to select a vendor, it’s imperative to research the available vendors in your state before making a decision.
Conclusion
The EVV system was federally mandated for numerous reasons. With electronic verification of home care visits, the number of neglected clients & fraudulent claims has drastically reduced. EVV enables better validation of employee work times along with verifying the caregiver’s location for each visit.
Data entry errors, and billing mistakes have also decreased due to the precise accuracy of electronic information collection, enabling faster processing of claims. It’s important to check with your state’s guidelines, as each state has regulations regarding EVV vendors, with some allowing home care services to select their own EVV vendor, and others requiring providers to select a particular EVV vendor.
Caretap is a top quality EVV vendor providing a comprehensive, convenient system for personal care and home health care services.