‘We Need A Break, Please!’: Home Health Providers Sound Off On CMS Over Rate Cuts

“Opposed.” That was the one-word response a home health provider left for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) during the comment period on the 2025 home health proposed payment rule. This comment was an anomaly, in terms of its brevity. While most respondents expressed similar sentiments, they chose to utilize more words to […]

Health Literacy Challenges Increase Costs, Client Concerns

Nearly nine out of 10 adults in the U.S. need help with health literacy. This makes it difficult to understand health coverage and navigate the complex health care system, leading to increased costs and adverse outcomes. This tends to be the case for home care beneficiaries, or potential home care beneficiaries, too. “Health literacy is […]

With The Election Nearing, Candidates Battle Over Home-Based Care

Less than a month before election day, the Democratic and Republican candidates for president are dueling over home-based care plans. Vice President Kamala Harris announced on “The View” this week a proposal that would allow home care to be administered through traditional Medicare. On the same day, former President Donald Trump and his campaign released […]

Home Health Referral Rejection Continues To Create ‘Bottleneck’ Issue For Hospitals

As hospital-to-home health referrals continue to climb, provider acceptance rates remain low, a new report from WellSky found. WellSky’s latest report pulls data from the company’s network of more than 2,500 hospitals, accountable care organizations (ACOs) and physician practices, as well as 130,000 providers across the country. WellSky is an international software and professional services […]

8 Charged In $68M Home Care, Adult Day Fraud Scheme

An indictment was unsealed on Wednesday in Brooklyn, New York, charging eight defendants with allegedly scheming to defraud Medicaid of approximately $68 million. This was done through the operation of two social adult day care organizations and a home care financial intermediary that paid kickbacks and bribes for services not provided. According to court documents, […]

Why Behavioral Health Care Became Table Stakes For Amedisys, Bayada

Mental and physical health are vital components of overall wellbeing and can influence each other in many ways. Yet, individuals with mental health conditions may encounter challenges in accessing adequate health care, which can impede their ability to manage their physical health. Home health care providers, however, are increasingly stepping in to bridge this gap. […]

‘A Deteriorating Industry’: What Home Health Provider Margins Actually Look Like

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) paints a rosy portrait of home health margins. But an analysis of cost reporting data – that considers both traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage (MA) payments – shows that providers are generally not sitting atop a hill of money. Instead, they are struggling to stay above water. Kalon Mitchell […]

PACE Programs Emerge As ‘Natural Allies’ To Home-Based Care Providers

Home-based care providers and Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) organizations are in a unique position to strengthen the work one another is doing to care for seniors. No one understands this better than Alivia Care, a home-based care provider that also has PACE programs under its umbrella. In 2021, Alivia Care opened […]

VitalCaring Pilot Program Shows Promising Results For Cognitively Impaired Patients 

VitalCaring has announced the results of a seven-month AI-driven cognitive care pilot program. The program provided personalized therapy to patients with cognitive disorders using Constant Therapy’s digital speech, language and cognitive therapy platform as part of its home-based services for selected patients. Based in Dallas, VitalCaring provides home health and hospice care to patients in […]

VNS Health Research Leads To New Diagnostic Code, Aiding Post-Acute Care Providers 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) added a new diagnostic code to their annual update of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) list. The new code, z512A, supports providers in hospitals and health facilities by alerting home care clinicians and other post-acute care providers when a patient is being discharged to aftercare following […]