The Medicare enrollment process undergoes annual changes at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to ensure it remains up to date with evolving regulations, policies and health care practices. A number of changes went into effect on Jan. 1, and several of them will affect home health agencies. Here’s what home health agencies […]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
In light of the increasing need for post-acute care, hospitals are grappling with challenges tied to ensuring patients are directed to the most suitable post-discharge care setting. While referral volume to home health agencies continues to be higher than pre-pandemic levels, rejection rates continue to be a major pain point for providers. Home health agencies […]
The Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model is one of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s (CMMI) only cost-saving successes, which is why it was expanded nationwide on Jan. 1, 2023. Just six of 49 CMMI payment demonstrations have produced savings, with HHVBP standing out in a major way. HHVBP is expected to save […]
The Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) has received a set of diverse reactions since it has been live. Some home health providers find it useful and others find it to be yet another administrative burden. Either way, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) seems intent on expanding it. Broadly, the goal of RCD […]
In the first six years of the Home Health Value‐Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model demonstration, the nine participating states saved Medicare $1.38 billion, a 1.9% decline relative to the 41 non‐HHVBP states. That’s according to a new study from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that evaluated the first six years of HHVBP […]
Home health providers have been hearing about the bipartisan support they have in Washington, D.C., for a long time. But last week, they were able to see it in a way that they hadn’t been able to before. That’s at least the case for those that live streamed – or attended in person – the […]
Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) is suing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) due to its attempt to claw back billions of perceived overpayments from Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which is a part of HHS, finalized a rule in January that would allow the agency […]
The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) continues to save Medicare over a billion dollars annually. And some of the highest-performing, most innovative Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) participating in the program continue to generate savings by effectively using home-based care. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Thursday that MSSP saved Medicare $1.8 […]
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has dismissed a class action lawsuit that accused the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of failing to properly administer the Medicare home health benefit. The plaintiffs had argued the home health services required under Medicare law were wholly insufficient. Medicare law authorizes coverage […]
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has signed off on the home health payment rule finalized by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last month. After its review, the GAO found that CMS appropriately determined the impact of the difference between assumed versus actual behavior change on estimated aggregate expenditures for home health […]
Subscribe
Receive industry updates and breaking news from HHCN