In the new year, a number of states will expand their Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) efforts. PACE has been touted not only as a major opportunity for home-based care providers, but also a risk- and value-based program that actually works for seniors when done right. During the height of the pandemic, […]
Category: Medicare
Almost half of Medicare beneficiaries utilizing home health care services have five or more chronic conditions. This is also true when looking at Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries, according to data from the Research Institute for Home Care (RIHC). RIHC recently released its 2022 Home Care Chartbook, a detailed overview of the home health landscape that […]
Nearly five months after the unveiling of the proposed payment rule caused a stir among home health stakeholders and advocates, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final payment rule on Monday. Back in June, CMS proposed a 4.2% aggregate decrease for 2023, a cut the industry at large felt would […]
The idea of a unified post-acute care payment system has captured the imagination of home health industry stakeholders for years. One question that has always loomed large, however, was how one payment system could be applied to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), in-patient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) and, of course, home health providers. […]
A former hospital nurse and now the CEO of Healing Hands Healthcare, Summer Napier is all about home health innovation. That’s why – since opening in 2016 – the Texas-based Healing Hands has launched a multi-faceted hospital-at-home initiative and a home-based oncology care program. It’s also why Healing Hands is so bullish on forward-thinking legislation […]
A number of health care providers that billed Medicare for telehealth services likely did so in a fraudulent or wasteful manner, according to federal watchdogs. That finding and others like it dampen the chances of home health providers being able to bill for virtual care moving forward. That’s one major takeaway from a recent report […]
Homebound seniors contribute to higher overall Medicare spending compared to their non-homebound counterparts, according to a recent study from researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The study examined National Health and Aging Trends data and Medicare fee-for-service claims data to give an overview of health care utilization and spending among homebound […]
On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took the time to map out the federal agency’s strategic plans and key initiatives moving forward. During the national stakeholder call, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, CMS Chief Operating Officer Jon Blum and Deputy Administrator and Director of Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services Dan […]
Home-based care services are a crucial element of medical care. Despite this fact, issues surrounding accessibility have hindered the Medicare home health benefit’s ability to be effective, a new report published in Health Affairs Thursday suggests. The report was authored by Henry J. Kaiser’s President Barbara Lyons, as well as Diane Rowland, the former executive […]
Here I am, yet again, writing about the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule for the home health care industry. But it’s no small deal. Advocates were in Washington, D.C., this week to desperately argue on behalf of the industry that the rule was unfair. In doing that, they displayed the […]