AHCC Talk

On this episode of AHCC Talk, Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director of AHCC, is joined by AHCC Advisory Board member Lisa Selman-Holman, JD, BSN, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, COS-C, Vice President of Clinical Services with McBee, for a look back at the first eight months of using the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation — HOPE — tool. Jan and Lisa discuss how the transition from HIS to HOPE has affected ho...

In this episode of AHCC Talk , host Jan Milliman, HCS-D , is joined by J’non Griffin, RN, MHA, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-C, COS-C , Director at SimiTree Healthcare Consulting, for a timely discussion on survey readiness for home health agencies . Jan and J’non break down the most common deficiencies identified by CMS, CHAP, ACHC, and TJC, including recurring issues around individualized plans of care, pat...

In this episode of AHCC Talk , host Jan Milliman is joined by coding experts Celeste Miller and Apryl Swafford to walk through real-world coding challenges that home health professionals face every day. From respiratory conditions and sepsis to trauma and complex post-surgical infections, this episode breaks down how to approach difficult scenarios with confidence—while staying aligned with offici...

In this episode of AHCC Talk, we break down the  face-to-face (F2F) requirement for home health —a critical condition of payment tied to compliance and reimbursement. Learn what qualifies as a valid encounter, who can perform it, and how to avoid the most common documentation mistakes that lead to denials. We also cover  timing rules, telehealth updates through 2027, and practical strategies  to e...

In this episode of  AHCC Talk , our expert panel discusses how to create and implement a compliant and individualized plan of care (POC).Learn how to: Meet Conditions of Participation requirements Develop meaningful goals and interventions Avoid common plan of care audit risks Individualize care plans for better outcomes Apply real-world POC examples The discussion includes practical scenarios and...

Falls are receiving greater scrutiny than ever before—and with the introduction of the new Falls with Major Injury (FMI) Outcome, accurate assessment, scoring, and documentation matter more than ever.  In this episode, our expert panel breaks down what’s changed, why it matters, and how clinicians and agencies should respond. From OIG findings and CMS definition updates to practical scoring tips f...

In this episode of  AHCC Talk , we break down what Medicare expects when it comes to  medical necessity at recertification  — and where agencies most often fall short. Host  Jan Milliman, HCS-D  is joined by  Lisa McClammy, BSN, RN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-O , Senior Clinical Education Consultant at MAC Legacy, to discuss: What documentation must show to justify continued skilled care Key elements that...

On this episode of AHCC Talk , our panel dives into diagnosis coding for hospice and how to accurately complete the Hospice Outcomes & Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool , with a focus on Section I: Active Diagnoses . You’ll hear discussion of real-world charts, CMS guidance, and HOPE scenarios so you can feel more confident about aligning your claims, assessments, and documentation. Our Panel ✅...

What truly defines a skilled service in home health—and why does it matter so much for compliance, reimbursement, and patient outcomes? In this episode, host Jan Milliman, HCS-D , is joined by J'non Griffin, RN, MHA, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-C, COS-C and Apryl Swafford, RN, BSN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O , both from SimiTree Healthcare Consulting, to break down how Medicare defines skilled service a...

Join host Jan Milliman, HCS-D (Director, AHCC) with AHCC Advisory Board members Lisa Selman-Holman, JD, BSN, RN, HCS-D, COS-C and Sherri Parson, RN, HCS-D, HCS-O, HCS-H, COS-C as we break down what’s new for FY2026 —what changed, what matters, and how to apply it correctly in home health and beyond. In this episode: Code transition implications for billing and documentation Specialty impacts (incl...

Get clarity on the latest CMS OASIS updates—straight from the experts. In this episode of AHCC Talk , Jan Milliman and Lisa McClemmy break down the July 2025 CMS OASIS Quarterly Q&As, offering practical guidance on comprehensive assessment, OASIS data set items, and documentation for skilled services. You’ll also hear scenario discussions, a product spotlight, and the latest updates from AHCC....

Big changes are coming to hospice quality reporting. In this episode of AHCC Talk, host Jan Milliman is joined by expert panelist Nanette Minton to break down CMS’ new HOPE tool, which will fully replace HIS starting October 1, 2025. You’ll learn what’s required for each HOPE visit, how it impacts compliance and QAPI, and how to navigate new quality measures like pain reassessment. The episode als...

Compliant queries in home health don’t have to be complicated. In this episode, our expert panel covers best practices, guidelines, and real-world scenarios to help you query smarter and stay compliant. Hear from Jan Milliman, Sherri Parson, and Christine Mickel as they share insights and answer practical questions. 🔗 Resources Mentioned Guidelines for achieving a compliant query practice (ACDIS)...

On this episode, the panel discusses functional statis versus self-care by comparing and contrasting M1800 function items versus GG0130 self-care items.  This month's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director, AHCC Apryl Swafford, RN, BSN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, QA Manager, SimiTree Healthcare Consulting Nanette Minton, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, Senior Clinical Coding Manager, MAC Lega...

On this episode, the panel gives a coding update, including hospice invalid principal diagnosis codes list update, a CMS update to Medicare claims, and the answer to the March coding scenario. This month's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director, AHCC Nanette Minton, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, Senior Clinical Coding Manager, MAC Legacy Links Mentioned in the Episode Principal Diagnosis Code Re...

On this episode, the panel discusses social determinants of health (SDoH), including its history, when to use different codes, and some sample coding scenarios. This month's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director, AHCC Sherri Parson, RN, HCS-D, HCS-O, HCS-H, COS-C, CEO, Infusion Health Kelly Kavanaugh, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, BCHH-C, Home health and hospice consultant, owner of The OTB...

On this special guest episode, DecisionHealth interviews two Home Health Coding Center super users to learn their thoughts about this online coding tool. This episode's panel includes: Steven Brust , Product Manager, eSolutions Tina Bursey , RN, HCS-O, HCS-D, Manager of Clinical Operations, HealthRev Partners Stephanie Donato , RN, HCS-O, HCS-D Manager of Clinical Operations, HealthRev Partners Ex...

On this episode, the panel discusses face-to-face encounters, including three scenarios and F2F basics, as well as a review of the January 2025 OASIS Q&As and a scenario involving COPD. This month's panel includes: Jan Milliman , HCS-D, Director, AHCC Nanette Minton , RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, Senior Clinical Coding Manager, MAC Legacy Lisa McClammy , BSN, RN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-O, Senior Clinic...

On this episode, the panel discusses potentially preventable hospitalization (PPH) and the questions and concerns they've heard related to PPH and value based purchasing. This episode's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director, AHCC Sherri Parson, RN, HCS-D, HCS-O, HCS-H, COS-C, CEO, Infusion Health Kelly Kavanaugh, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, BCHH-C, Independent Home Health and Hospice...

On this special episode of AHCC Talk, the panel does a year-end wrap-up of the home care industry's coding and compliance changes, including OASIS E1, COVID-19 vaccination status, coding and hospice-specific updates, GG items, and a face-to-face refresher. This episode's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director, AHCC Apryl Swafford, RN, BSN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, QA Manager, SimiTree He...

On this episode, the panel discusses how home health value based purchasing (HHVBP) will change in 2025. This episode's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director, AHCC Sherri Parson, RN, HCS-D, HCS-O, HCS-H, COS-C, CEO, Infusion Health Lisa McClammy, BSN, RN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-O, Senior Clinical Education Consultant, MAC Legacy You can see the slides featured during this episode on our YouTube...

On this episode, the panel discusses how the hospice outcome and patient evaluation (HOPE) instrument will affect hospice coding and compliance. This episode's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director, AHCC Claudia Baker, RN, MHA, HCS-D, HCS-O, Senior Manager with SimiTree Elise Christensen, RN, HCS-D, COS-C, Inpatient Coder, Hartford Healthcase

On this episode, the panel discusses the FY2025 coding updates. This episode's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director of AHCC Nanette Minton, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, Senior Clinical Coding Manager with MAC Legacy Apryl Swafford, RN, BSN, COS-C, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, QA Manager, SimiTree

On this episode, the panel discusses the OASIS GG items. This episode's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director of AHCC Kelly Kavanaugh, RN, HCS-D, HCS-H, HCS-O, BCHH-C, OTB Group Inc.

On this episode, the panel discusses the 2025 home health PPS proposed rule. This episode's panel includes: Jan Milliman, HCS-D, Director of AHCC Sharon Harder, President of C3 Advisors, LLC