What is EVV ?
The 21st Century Cures Act, which was passed in 2016, mandated that states implement EVV for home health care services by January 1, 2023, and for personal care services by January 1, 2020. However, because of the COVID-19 epidemic, some governments received extensions to the deadline.
Before the federal requirement for home care providers, EVV systems had already been established in a number of states. Texas, for instance, introduced an EVV system for some home healthcare services in 2014, while Minnesota started using EVV for some personal care services covered by Medicaid in 2015.
Home care agencies must abide by these rules in order to be eligible for Medicaid reimbursement for their services. Other states have enacted EVV more recently in response to the federal requirement.
In order to ensure that patients receive home health care services in the proper setting and at the appropriate time, the healthcare sector uses EVV or Electronic visit verification. By utilizing EVV, fraud and abuse are prevented while also ensuring that the services were rendered and priced correctly.
Why is EVV important for Home health care agencies?
For home health care agencies, Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) is particularly crucial for a number of reasons:
1. Compliance :
In order to adhere to local, state, and federal standards, many states demand that home health care agencies employ EVV. Organizations who don’t use EVV for home health care services run the danger of losing Medicaid funds or receiving other sanctions. Today, a number of states require EVV usage by home health care agencies.
For instance, all state Medicaid programmes for personal care services and home health care services must include EVV by 2023, according to the 21st Century Cures Act, which was passed into law in 2018.
If certain conditions aren’t followed, Medicaid funds might be forfeited or additional fines might be imposed. Home health care organizations must employ EVV as a crucial tool in order to abide by rules.
2. Preventing fraud and abuse :
The fact that EVV assists in preventing fraud and abuse is another significant advantage for home health care agencies. Agencies can use EVV to confirm that their carers are delivering services at the appropriate time and place. This could help stop unreported changes to care plans and unlawful services.
The use of unlicensed or unauthorized carers can be prevented by using EVV to confirm that the carer who supplied the service was indeed allowed to do so. By ensuring that only licensed and qualified carers are providing services, this can help to preserve the quality of care given to patients.
3. Billing accuracy :
EVV ensures that home health care agencies are compensated fairly for the services they render. EVV lowers the chance of billing errors and guarantees that services are billed in accordance with state and federal standards by offering an electronic record of the services rendered. As a result, there is a lower chance of audits or recoupments and income growth.
4. Enhanced patient care :
By ensuring that caregivers deliver services promptly and effectively, EVV enhances patient care for home health care agencies. In addition to enhancing patient happiness and overall health outcomes, this can assist decrease hospital readmissions.
The home health care agency can track service delivery by using EVV as well, which enables ongoing care delivery and management improvement.
How does EVV work ?
Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) is a computerized system that checks that home health care providers are providing permitted services at the appropriate time and place using a mix of software and hardware.
Depending on the technology being utilized, the specifics of how EVV operates may change, but the overall procedure is as follows:
- The home health care agency puts up an EVV system for their carers to use when giving services to patients. This system may comprise a mobile application or a telephone system. The system might also have a web interface that the agency can use to oversee and manage carer activity.
- A PIN, password, or biometric scan is used to sign into the EVV system when a carer enters the patient’s house to start providing care.
- Using GPS or other geolocation technologies, the system confirms the caregiver’s identity and location to guarantee that they are present at the correct area and performing the approved services.
- The carer keeps a computerized record of the caregiving services, which includes the visit’s beginning and ending times, the services performed, and any notes or changes on the patient’s condition or care plan.
- The recorded data is then automatically transmitted to home health care agencies for billing and record keeping services through the EVV system.
- To guarantee legal compliance, prevent fraud and abuse, and improve the caliber of care provided to patients, the home health care agency can monitor the data generated by the EVV system, including carer activity and service delivery.
In conclusion, EVV offers a trustworthy and effective means for home health care organizations to confirm that their carers are rendering services as instructed and on schedule.
EVV makes it possible for the home health care business to track the delivery of services for improved care management while also assisting in ensuring billing accuracy.
Limitations Of EVV
Although Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) offers numerous advantages, it also has significant drawbacks and difficulties in both implementation and use. For home health care agencies, some of the primary EVV constraints are as follows:
1. Cost :
The cost of implementing an EVV system might be high because it calls for spending money on hardware, software, and training for carers and agency employees. Smaller home health care agencies with tighter funds may find this to be a major strain.
2. Technical issues :
Like any digital system, EVV is susceptible to malfunctions, connection problems, and human error. Missed or erroneous data may come from this, which may lead to billing and record-keeping mistakes and make it challenging to assure regulatory compliance.
3. Privacy Concerns :
Some people may be concerned about their privacy since EVV systems call for the gathering and storage of personal data, such as patient and carer information. Agencies providing home health care must make sure that their EVV systems abide by privacy laws and take precautions to safeguard the security and confidentiality of personal information.
4. Limited capabilities
Some EVV systems can have limited functions or be unable to satisfy the particular requirements of a home health care service. For instance, some systems might not be able to keep track of several carers who visit the same patient, or they might not permit customized care plans.
Overall, while EVV has the potential to enhance the quality of care and boost efficiency for home health care agencies, it is crucial to be aware of these limitations and give careful thought to the implementation and use of EVV systems to make sure they meet the needs of the agency and the patients they serve.