Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) is a system that electronically documents the time and location of care that in-home nurses provide.

We have an important update about the in-home nursing services that Home Care Program families receive.

Your nursing agency must now comply with the Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system. This system ensures accurate tracking of home-based healthcare visits. Your nursing agency may have mentioned EVV to you already.

We want to make sure you understand what EVV is and how it affects you and your nursing agency.

What is EVV?

EVV is a system that electronically documents the time and location of care that in-home nurses provide. Using GPS coordinates, EVV automatically collects shift clock-in and clock-out times and locations to access information on care delivery in real time.

The EVV system verifies:

• The nursing service provided
• The participant receiving the service
• The nurse or Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) providing the service
• The date and location of service delivery
• The service start and end times

This information helps ensure there are no care gaps throughout the service schedule. It also helps make sure that nursing hours are billed accurately toward participant nursing hours allocations.

The EVV system overall helps ensure greater transparency and accountability for both caregivers and recipients.

Why is this important to my family? 

The EVV system allows for better tracking than paper time sheets or agency charting that Illinois Medicaid cannot access. This improved tracking allows for better program quality assurance monitoring and access to quality care.

When your nursing staff clock in or out with EVV, it ensures accurate times are available. Therefore, only the true amount worked is billed against your nursing hours allocation.

There is nothing your family needs to do with the new EVV system.

How does this affect my nursing agency?

As a federal requirement under the 21^st Century Cures Act, Illinois Home and Community-Based Waiver programs began phasing in EVV on Jan. 1, 2024.

Following months of townhalls, resources, and flexibility, the official compliance period for EVV begins on Oct. 31, 2024.

All nursing agencies enrolled with the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) will have six months to reach 50 percent compliance and one year to reach and maintain at least 75 percent compliance.

We are helping agencies reach compliance through outreach, education, and remediation plans, if necessary.

All agencies have access to technical support through the state’s EVV vendor, HHAeXchange. You can find more details on the:

• Federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) EVV webpage
• Illinois’ Electronic Visit Verification webpage
• DSCC’s EVV Information and Resources page

We are working with nursing agencies to make this transition as smooth as possible. 

Questions? 

If you have any questions, please contact your DSCC Care Coordinator. You may also call us at (800) 322-3722 or email dscc@uic.edu.

Home Care Program parent praises NurseNet as an easy way to find available nurses in your area

The search for in-home nurses can be exhausting for many families of loved ones with complex medical needs.

Home Care Program parent Shekia Wright understands this challenge.

She recently tried NurseNet to find available nurses for her 1-year-old son, Kaharri Pittman (pictured above). He has a tracheostomy and relies on a ventilator to breathe.

Shekia set up a NurseNet account and entered Kaharri’s nursing needs.

She quickly found two available matches from two different nursing agencies. Overall, she was impressed with how easy NurseNet is to use.

“It was easy to set up the account and easy to find available nurses,” Shekia said. “I would recommend NurseNet to any families looking for nursing.”

NurseNet is a new tool that makes it easier for families to find the in-home nursing care their child needs. We created NurseNet to be an online resource that connects families with available in-home nursing providers throughout Illinois.

Families can use NurseNet to share their nursing needs. Nursing agencies that are enrolled with the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) can see this information and contact families if they have available nurses who match the child’s care needs.

Nursing agencies can also use NurseNet to share information about where nurses are available.

This information can help families find suitable nursing care. It can also help nursing agencies identify opportunities to serve families.

How NurseNet Helps Families

• Easy Access: NurseNet is available 24/7, giving you the flexibility to search for nursing providers at your convenience.
• Comprehensive Listings: The tool includes a wide range of in-home nursing providers across the state, ensuring you have multiple options to choose from.
• Direct Connection: You can contact nursing providers directly through NurseNet, making the process of securing care for your child quicker and more straightforward.

How to Get Started

We encourage you to visit our NurseNet page and explore this new tool. There you’ll find guides and how-to videos to help you get started. 

If you have problems accessing NurseNet, please send an email to dsccexternalhelp@uic.edu.  

You can also talk to your DSCC Care Coordinator to help you get started. Your Care Coordinator can assist with the sign-up process during your next home visit.

We understand how important it is to have reliable, skilled nursing care for your child. We believe NurseNet will significantly improve your ability to find the support you need!

NurseNet helps Home Care Program families connect with nursing agencies to find available nurses in your area.

Finding in-home nurses can be challenging for many families caring for children and adults with complex medical needs.

We’ve created a new tool to help you find and connect with available nursing agencies in your area.

NurseNet aims to bridge the gap between Illinois families who need nursing and home health nursing agencies with available nurses. 

Families of individuals enrolled in the Home Care Program can use NurseNet to share their nursing needs. Nursing agencies that are enrolled with the Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) can share information about where nurses are available. 

This information can help your family find suitable nursing care. It can also help nursing agencies identify opportunities to serve families. 

Anyone can use NurseNet to search for general nursing opportunities across the state. 

The search is set up for families and nursing agencies to find and share what they need easily. As a family enrolled in the Home Care Program, you can log in to NurseNet and enter your nursing needs. 

Nursing agencies can see this information and contact your family within NurseNet if they have a potential nursing opportunity in your area that matches your child’s care needs. You can also use NurseNet to see where nursing opportunities are available throughout Illinois. 

Nursing agencies enrolled with DSCC can log in to NurseNet and enter all areas of the state where they have nurses available. Nursing agencies can also see where families have nursing needs and connect with those families to provide nursing care.  

Visit the NurseNet page on our website to learn about how NurseNet can help both families and nursing agencies. You can also find helpful videos and guides on how to use NurseNet.

We understand the search for in-home nursing can be frustrating and overwhelming. That’s why we created this tool to help you share your nursing needs and connect with nursing agencies with available nurses.

We are excited to offer this tool to help provide nursing connections to our participant families enrolled in the Home Care Program!

Increased rates for in-home nurses will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024.

We have an exciting update for our participants enrolled in the Home Care Program.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid have approved a rate increase for in-home nurses in the new year.

We hope this rate increase can help expand available and high-quality nursing options for our participant families.

This rate increase affects:

• Registered nurse (RN), licensed practical nurse (LPN) and certified nursing assistant (CNA) care
• In-home and facility-based respite care
• Nurse training rates

This increase will take effect Jan. 1, 2024. The rates are as follows:

• RN, $54 per hour
• LPN, $45 per hour
• CNA, $30 per hour

You can see the updated Home Health Fee Schedule on the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) website.

The following rate increases are for participants who are in the Home and Community-Based Services Waiver for Those Who Are Medically Fragile, Technology Dependent (MFTD):

• Nurse training for an RN, $54 per hour
• Nurse training for an LPN, $45 per hour
• In-home respite for an RN, $54 per hour
• In-home respite for an LPN, $45 per hour
• In-home respite for a CNA, $30 per hour

HFS will also increase the maximum amount for nurse training service hours from four to 32 hours per nurse per waiver year.

As a reminder, parents and legally responsible adults who have an RN or LPN license can be paid caregivers. (Parents and legally responsible adults who are CNAs cannot be paid caregivers at this time.)

HFS will increase your nursing resource allocation amounts to reflect the increase.

Your Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) care coordination team can help you with any questions about the rate increase or nursing services.

You can also find more helpful information about Home Care Program services on our website’s Home Care Information Hub.