The 21st Century Cures Act, passed in December of 2016, encouraged reform and supplementation in multiple aspects of health-care practices. One component of this act is the need for all Medicaid personal and home health-care providers to implement Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) by January 1, 2019. Failure to meet this deadline will result in a decrease in federal medical assistance for those providers. The federal EVV mandate requires affected providers to electronically verify:

• The type of service performed
• The member receiving the service
• The date of service
• The location of service delivery
• The care provider responsible for the service
• The time the service begins and ends

While the EVV mandate is a part of the federal 21st Century Cures Act, many states, like Texas, have added additional requirements that providers must adhere to in order to be EVV compliant.

In anticipation of the implementation of Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) for Home Health Care Services (HHCS), TMHP took the following actions on January 13, 2023:

Enhancements to EVV Portal: TMHP made improvements to the EVV Portal to ensure its effectiveness and functionality in relation to EVV for HHCS.

The EVV Portal has undergone several updates and changes. Here are the key modifications:

Terminology Updates:

• “Attendant” has been changed to “Service Provider” in all EVV Portal search tabs and reports.
• “Texas EVV Attendant ID” has been updated to “EVV Service Provider ID.

EVV Portal Reports Updates:

• The EVV Implementation Group report criteria drop-down lists now include an option for “Home Health Care Services (2024).”
• The EVV Attendant History Report has been renamed to “EVV Service Provider History Report” and includes the following changes:-The maximum visit date range has been updated to 184 days.
  -Additional fields have been added: Bill Time In, Bill Time Out, and Rounded Actual Hours.
  -The Texas Provider Identifier (TPI) has been removed from the Excel format.
  -The EVV CDS Employer Usage Report now includes new fields: Option on Form 1722, Member First Name, and Member Last Name.

The EVV Clock In/Clock Out Usage Report has been updated as follows:

• It has been renamed to “EVV Service Provider Clock In and Clock Out Report.”
• Member First Name and Member Last Name fields have been added.
• The following fields have been renamed:
• “Texas EVV Attendant ID” updated to “EVV Service Provider ID.”
• “Provider Name” updated to “Provider/FMSA Name.”
• “EVV Clock In/Clock Out Usage Summary” section title updated to “EVV Service Provider Clock In and Clock Out Summary.”

The EVV Reason Code Usage and Free Text Report has been updated with the following changes:

• Additional fields (CSV and Excel Free Text tab): CDS Form 1722 Selection, Bill Time In, and Bill Time Out.
• The field “TX EVV Attendant ID” has been renamed to “EVV Service Provider ID.”
• The EVV Visit Log Report has been updated with the following changes:
• New fields: Bill Time In, Bill Time Out, Actual Rounded Hours, Schedule Type, Phone In, Phone Out, and Location Out.
• The following fields have been renamed:
• “Calculate Attendant Start Date” updated to “Calculate Service Provider Start Date” (visible on report criteria screen).
• “Actual Date” updated to “Date.”
• “Actual In” updated to “Clock In.”
• “Actual Out” updated to “Clock Out.”
• “Actual Hours” updated to “Bill Hours.”
• “Actual Units” updated to “Bill Units.”
• “Actual Location” updated to “Location In.”
• “Actual Phone” updated to “Phone In.”
• The fields “Location ID” and “End Date” have been removed.
• The EVV Claims Match Reconciliation Report has been updated with the following change:
• The field “EVV Attendant ID” has been renamed to “Service Provider ID.”

EVV Portal Search Tabs Updates:

• Accepted Visit Search results have been updated as follows:
• New columns (Excel export): Actual Hours Rounded, Bill Time In, Bill Time Out, Visit    Location Out, Call In Phone, Call Out Phone, and Schedule Type.
• Column titles renamed:
• “Visit Location” updated to “Visit Location In.
• “EVV Attendant ID” updated to “EVV Service Provider ID”
• “Employee Last Name” updated to “Service Provider Last Name” 
• “Employee First Name” updated to “Service Provider First Name”.
• Columns “Provider Region

Who Is Affected?

• Certain home and community-based services provided by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC)
• Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)
• Certain Managed Care Organizations (MCOs)

If you operate within the following programs: STAR + PLUS Dual Eligible Integrated Care Demonstration, STAR Health, STAR Kids, Acute-care Fee for Service, Community Living Assistance and Support Services, Medically Dependent Children Program, Community Attendant Services, Family Care, or Primary Home Care, reach out to Texas Human Health Services to see if you’re affected by the EVV mandate.

What Do EVV Requirements Mean for Your Business?

Health-care providers must use two things to record a service: After providing services, a health-care worker must use an EVV system approved by HHSC and use the client’s landline or an approved HHSC small alternative device.

Providers have a strict deadline to input service data: Providers must enter a comprehensive entry of data into the EVV system within 60 days of when the service was performed.

Providers will be assessed on their compliance with the EVV mandate: HHSC will require an EVV Initiative Provider Compliance Plan score of at least 90% for each review period. This compliance depends on following protocol when changing EVV records already in the system, using provided reason codes.

Providers are free to choose their EVV provider: HHBC allows providers to choose their EVV provider as long as they comply with their technical requirements.

Conclusion

These actions were taken by TMHP on January 13, 2023, in order to prepare for the implementation of Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) for Home Health Care Services (HHCS). The EVV Portal was improved to enhance its functionality, while training materials in the TMHP Learning Management System (LMS) were updated to provide users with the necessary information for a smooth transition to EVV for HHCS. These efforts reflect TMHP’s commitment to ensuring an effective and well-prepared implementation of EVV in the context of HHCS.

About allGeo

Abaqus, Inc. is a provider of a powerful platform, allGeo, an EVV solution for in-home care providers.  allGeo leverages the advancements in the modern technology in the smartphones/sensors, apps, location-based services, and cellular communication to provide you with a scalable and robust in-home care workforce solution to help meet EVV requirements for Medicaid compliance.

If you have any questions or need additional information about the Electronic Visit Verification we offer, please reach us at sales@abaq.us or call us at +1 415-496-9436