When it comes to running a home health (HH) or hospice agency (HSP), staying compliant with regulations can feel like an endless uphill climb. Do you find yourself scrambling before surveys? Wondering if a monthly consulting program is worth the investment? And most importantly, do these programs actually work? If these questions have crossed your mind, that’s great. We’re prepared to answer them.
At The Home Health Consultant (THC), we’ve spent over 20 years helping agencies navigate the complexities of administrative compliance. Through our Admin Compliance Program (ACP), we’ve developed a structured approach that ensures agencies stay ahead of the curve. You can avoid last-minute stress, and consistently meet CMS, state, and accreditor requirements.
This article will give you a clear understanding of:
- how much ACP costs
- how to determine if you’re a good fit for ACP
- how ACP works
- why we’ve designed ACP this way
How Much Does the Home Health & Hospice Admin Compliance Program Cost?
The Admin Compliance Program costs $850 per month. There are no hidden fees, and your quarterly call does not cost extra. Billing is monthly, providing flexibility without long-term commitments. With predictable pricing and the ability to cancel with 30 days' notice, the ACP delivers a cost-effective way to maintain survey readiness and operational excellence.
Is the Admin Compliance Program a Good Fit for Your Agency?
The Admin Compliance Program works best for Medicare-enrolled HH & HSP agencies that value proactive compliance. It’s ideal for teams comfortable with basic technology, open to collaboration, and committed to consistent improvement. Agencies aiming to excel in value-based purchasing and reduce compliance-related stress will benefit most.
Breaking Down Our Admin Compliance Program
ACP helps home health and hospice agencies stay compliant with Medicare regulations. The program creates custom compliance plans, tracks progress, and prepares agencies for surveys.
Our program is structured into five parts:
- Program Setup – Establishing a strong foundation for compliance.
- Monthly & Quarterly Program Management - Regular monitoring, reporting, and addressing immediate compliance needs to ensure consistent program performance.
- Annual Program Management – Annual goals and processes to keep you on track.
- Triannual Accreditation Cycle – Focused preparation for your accreditation survey.
- Ongoing Program Enhancements – Continuous updates based on the latest regulations and survey feedback.
Here’s how each segment works and how this structure functions for your agency’s success.
1. Phase One: Setting Up Your Home Health Or Hospice Agency’s Program
There are three sections in the setup portion of ACP:
- Data Collection
- Program Creation
- Portal Demo
Comprehensive Agency Data Collection
We kick off the program by sending you a data collection sheet where you’ll share key details about your agency, like its address, ownership, and main staff members.
From there, we dig deeper by reviewing your corporate structure, CDPH records, and NPI data to ensure everything matches up. We also gather your OBQI and HHCAHPS data to see how your agency stacks up against national standards.
This thorough due-diligence process ensures there’s no mismatch or oversight that could result in a conditional deficiency or provider termination.
Personalized Program Creation for Your Agency
Using the collected data, we design custom programs tailored to your agency’s needs. These include foundational initiatives like fall prevention and medication management.
We typically start with programs focused on patient and staff feedback, as these are key indicators of operational health. All materials, from forms to training resources, are stored in your online portal. This gives you access to everything you need in one place.
The Home Health Consultant Online Portal Demo
Don’t worry, we’re not throwing you into the deep end before teaching you how to swim. Our next step is training your team on how to use your online portal. This step ensures you can access your tailored materials—from QAPIs to in-service documentation—whenever needed. We also identify your compliance contact and ensure key team members are fully equipped to manage the system.
2. Monthly & Quarterly Program Management
After setup, the program settles into a monthly and quarterly support structure.
Monthly Compliance Check-Ins
Each month, we send a short questionnaire to collect insights from your team. This helps us track progress, identify areas of concern, and set the stage for quarterly performance improvement projects (PIPs). The PIPs are carried out and monitored month by month. The ACP team will give feedback on your progress, suggest ways to improve, and help you make sure you’re staying on track.
While you’re busy working on your monthly PIPs for the quarter, our compliance representatives are actively building your QAPI and PIPs for the following quarter. This keeps our process efficient, so you’re never waiting on us to start working towards your next goal.
Setting Manageable Goals: Quarterly QAPIs & Meetings
As the program starts, we start our quarterly calls with you. Check out our article on ‘What to Expect in Your Quarterly Call with The Home Health Consultant’ to learn more.
Additionally, we knock out the meetings CMS requires your agency to hold in the quarterly call. For example, your quarterly call with us can qualify as both your governing board meeting and QAPI meeting, if all the right team members attend. This kills two to three birds with one stone, optimizing the call, and your time, to its fullest potential.
3. Annual Program Management
At THC, we’re not just looking at short term fixes. We’re crafting a long-term goal for your agency that extends beyond monthly and quarterly programs.
Annual Medicare CoP Review for Home Health & Hospice
At the end of each year, we conduct a thorough review to ensure all data aligns with CMS Conditions of Participation. We celebrate wins, identify ongoing challenges, and plan the next year’s initiatives. This is also when we evaluate your progress against key compliance measures and make adjustments as needed.
By the end of your first year on the ACP, you will have received assistance with and materials for:
4. The Home Health & Hospice Triannual Accreditation Cycle
Preparation for your Medicare enrollment renewal survey is an ongoing process, supported by a structured triannual cycle that breaks it into focused yearly phases. Throughout this cycle, the ACP team provides consistent monthly to-do lists and all required materials to get them done.
Quarterly meetings also continue without interruption, regardless of the year in the triannual cycle. The purpose of the triannual cycle is to make sure you’re more than survey-ready when it’s time for renewal.
Year 1: Program Setup and Staff Training
We focus on creating and implementing programs while educating your staff about their responsibilities.
Year 2: Data-Driven Improvements
Our efforts shift to improving OBQI metrics, CAHPS star ratings, and Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) scores.
Year 3: Survey Prep
In the lead-up to your survey year, we review Medicare Conditions of Participation (CoPs) and, if you work with ACHC, accreditor-specific standards. We’ll conduct one detailed chart review to identify potential compliance gaps and provide real-time virtual survey assistance.
The reason we only review one chart is because ACP is not a clinical program. By reviewing one chart, we can catch technical charting issues that can cause deficiencies. We provide you with a “Survey Vulnerabilities Checklist” that you can use to review your remaining charts. Additionally, if you receive a plan of corrections after your survey, we will assist you with that process.
Why Our Administrative Compliance Program Is Structured This Way
Compliance can’t be achieved overnight. That’s why our program tackles administrative requirements in manageable steps, eliminating the last-minute scramble that plagues so many agencies. With decades of experience and materials vetted through daily surveys, we ensure you’re always working with up-to-date, proven processes.
By addressing compliance systematically, we set your agency up for long-term success, not just short-term fixes.
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Curious if our Admin Compliance Program is the right fit for your agency? Check out our article, Is Your Agency a Good Fit for the Admin Compliance Program? for a deeper dive into what we offer. Or, reach out to our team today and start your journey toward stress-free compliance.
*This article was written in consultation with Mariam Treystman.
Topics:
