The low-wage industry is made up of jobs that pay less than $45,000 annually, and of the industry’s  job gains since 2008, positions in the home health care sector account for 15%, according to FPI. The home health care industry, with a net gain of 31,000 jobs since 2008, ranks only behind restaurants and educational services other than colleges in number of jobs gained. 

Increases in New York home health care job opportunities closely mirrors the national trend for home health employment. Nationally, the number of home health care employees has shown significant growth over the past 20 years, and according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010’s measure of 1.9 million home care workers is expected to see a 69% increase by 2020. 

While jobs in the New York home health care industry are on the rise, the number of middle and high wage jobs are declining. The state has seen an overall loss of 144,000 middle wage and 29,000 high wage jobs since July 2008. The state-wide unemployment rate has hovered at or above 8% for the past three and a half years, making for the longest period unemployment has been this high since the mid-1970s. 

The report also cites recovery from the most recent recession as the slowest on record since the 1930s. 

Written by Erin Hegarty

The post New York Home Health Industry Shows Growth Despite High Unemployment appeared first on Home Health Care News.

The new Bristol partnership will offer comprehensive home health and hospice services to residents in the Portland, Oregon area and plans to base care off of Bristol’s current care and management model. The home care aspect of the partnership will provide home health aides, skilled nurses, therapists and medical social workers for patients.  

As Bristol establishes its initial home care and hospice programs in Clackamas County, Oregon, the company plans to join the Community Health Accreditation Program which requires companies to adhere with high performance and quality standard, according to Prestige. Both companies believe this move will help enhance their commitment to high-quality home and hospice care. 

“Our mission to embrace a reverence for life and build a Continuum of Care that serves the entire community fits seamlessly with Prestige’s values-driven approach to providing quality care,” said Christie Franklin, president of Bristol Hospice and Homecare, Northwest, LLC.

Bristol expects its hospice component of the new partnership to provide physical and spiritual care for their patients and families though services including nursing, counseling, spiritual support and grief counseling will be offered to patients and families.

Written by Erin Hegarty

The post Prestige Care, Bristol Hospice Bring Comprehensive Home Care to Portland appeared first on Home Health Care News.

As an average monthly cost of $3,350 was reported, AALTCI reports that claims for nursing home care account for less than one-third of last year’s newly opened claims.

Long-term care insurance, many seniors are realizing according to Jesse Slome, executive director of AALTCI, allows beneficiaries the option to stay out of assisted living facilities and receive more economical care in their homes. While the monthly cost of assisted living facilities saw the 5% increase, from 2006 to 2011, home health care saw just under a 1% annualized increase, according to Slome.

“People today want choice and control about where they are going to live as they age,” said Slome. “They want to be as independent as possible for as long as possible and the benefit of having long term care insurance is that it provides the funds to permit just that.”

In addition to the increase in monthly costs, AALTCI also found a wide range in the monthly rates assisted living facilities charge. Monthly rates in Kansas City alone vary by more than $3,000 according to the sourcebook.

While prices will inevitably continue to rise, according to Slome, the aging generation will continue choosing the long term care option that best matches their economic situation.

“Assisted living is a wonderful option for the  people who can afford it,” said Slome. “But you have a large generation of Americans that has no plan for living a long life. Most people don’t have a plan, so they stumble along. Those who have a plan, they have any options available to them.

AALTCI also reports the average age of seniors moving into assisted living communities is 84.6, and residents stay in facilities for an average of 22 months.

Written by Erin Hegarty

The post Increased Assisted Living Costs Driving Seniors to Explore Long-Term Options appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Dayton projects proposed efforts would save “tens of millions over the next few years” for the state and its taxpayers. Overall, the proposal aims to lower the cost of health care, provide more effective and high impact care, and shed the reliance on more expensive health care in nursing home facilities.

In 2010 61% of Medicaid eligible seniors lived in a community setting rather than an institutional one, and currently over 22,000 patients use the state’s Personal Care Assistance (PCA) program, according to the proposal. The proposed initiative, Reform 2012: Pathways to Independence, was submitted to CMS Aug. 24 aims to continue Minnesota’s commitment to keeping patients in their homes and out of hospitals and nursing facilities for as long as possible, according to Dayton’s letter. 

“We will keep [vulnerable Minnesotans] in their communities longer and out of expensive facilities and programs,” wrote Dayton in his letter to HHS. “We are creating more consumer-directed options to allow clients to select their own services and hire their own staff.”

A long-term care realignment waiver section of the proposal reiterates the state’s Feb. 13 submission, Long-Term Care Realignment Section 1115 Waiver to CMS. It aims to modify criteria and make it more difficult for patients to enter nursing homes in attempt to steer more seniors toward in-home and community care. The section also proposes extending community and in-home care services to seniors who need assistance with daily activities but cannot afford a nursing home. 

The proposal also aims to strengthen the state’s current Return to Community transition program for nursing home patients and bring home care to patients currently receiving ineffective or expensive care, according to the proposal. 

Read Dayton’s letter and full proposal here. 

Written by Erin Hegarty

The post Increased Flexibility, Savings for Minnesota Home Health Care? appeared first on Home Health Care News.

FHC was founded in 1966 and is based in Spokane, Wash. The company serves the Washington and Idaho home care markets and employs more than 400 in-home aides, nurses and physical therapists. 

Gentiva is largest home health and hospice provider in the U.S. based on revenue, and sees the acquisition as an opportunity to grow their patient-base in Washington and Idaho. 

“The combination of Family Home Care and Gentiva enables us to increase our market density in eastern Washington and northern Idaho and provides us significant long-term growth opportunities as we leverage our home health and hospice capabilities in these markets,” said Gentiva CEO Tony Strange. 

Gentiva will use its cash reserves to fund the transaction. 

Written by Erin Hegarty

The post Gentiva Acquires Washington-Based Home Care Agency appeared first on Home Health Care News.

The campaign aims to tell the country’s more than 40 million caregivers that their needs are just as important as the needs of those they care for as they provide 40 billion hours of unpaid home care annually, according to AARP’s Public Policy Institute. AARP and the Ad Council use television, radio, print and outdoor PSAs to demonstrate the isolation and frustration caregivers often face, according to the Ad Council.

“Only those who care for others know what it’s really like to care for others. That’s why we created a community where caregivers can connect with experts and others facing similar challenges,” said Barry Rand, CEO of AARP.

Many adults providing care for aging family members and friends view their role as obligatory and expected, according to AARP. The campaign aims to validate the role of caregivers and raise awareness of the resources and expert help that is available to them. 

More than half of caregivers report needing additional help in caring for their parents or loved ones, according to a survey conducted by AARP and the Ad Council. The campaign seeks to reach those caregivers in need who additionally experience fatigue, financial strain and emotional guilt, according to the survey.

“We’re proud to join with AARP on this important and moving campaign aimed to bring awareness to the issue of caregiving,” said Peggy Conlon, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “Our research shows that caregivers feel alone and don’t know where to turn for help. Our PSAs and the wonderful resources and network provided by AARP have the potential to change that.”

Written by Erin Hegarty

The post AARP to Caregivers: You Are Not Alone appeared first on Home Health Care News.

SB 863 proposes fee schedules for home health care and a recalculation of home health service expenses once the fee schedule is implemented. The fee schedule’s goal would be to reduce costs by establishing a more fixed fee for home health services. 

“Just calling for a fee schedule doesn’t reduce costs, ” said Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau (WCIRB) actuary Dave Bellusci. 

WCIRB also estimates in its analysis of the bill that it could increase compensation costs for employers and health care insurers by $300 million in the next two years. 

The bill aims to help the state save on workers’ compensation and expects to decrease costs by up to $1 billion per year.  Increases in workers’ compensation benefits and decreases in medical and legal costs would follow if the bill is approved. 

While the bill as a whole proposes increased health care service compensation, state residents could face more difficulty in qualifying for them, according to the California Applicants’ Attorneys Association (CAAA) in its analysis of the bill. 

Also in the bill’s analysis, CAAA said it “strongly opposes” the bill because of the increased challenges it would impose on workers seeking benefits. 

Senator Kevin DeLeon, D-Los Angeles introduced the bill, and the state’s legislative session ends Friday. 

Read the proposed bill here. 

Written by Erin Hegarty

The post Calif. Bill Could Mean New Challenges For Home Health Recipients, Insurers appeared first on Home Health Care News.

Jawad Ahmed managed home health agency Physicians Choice Home Health Care LLC (Physicians Choice), and used the company to deliver kickbacks to recruiters who supplied him with billing information of Medicare beneficiaries. Ahmed then billed Medicare for home health services that were never needed or performed, according to court documents. 

Through Physicians Choice, Ahmed also allegedly gave kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries who pre-signed forms and visit sheets saying they received health services that were never actually performed, according to court documents. 

Ahmed also managed Phoenix Visiting Physicians LLC from May 2010 to Sept. 2011. Co-conspirtator Dwight Smith signed home care referrals for Medicare beneficiaries he had not seen or treated, and the company employed non-lincensed doctors who performed unnecessary home care evaluations to non-homebound patients. 

In a one year period, Ahmed and co-conspirators additionally acquired First Care Home Health Care LLC, Quantum Home Care Inc., and Moonlit Home Care Inc.

Ahmed will face a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines at his sentencing on Nov. 28. 

Written by Erin Hegarty

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Home Visit Doctors, a house call physician practice, has been operating in the Philadelphia region for 13 years with its two physicians, Alfred Stillman, MD, MACP and Alan Berg, MD, PhD. 

VNA of Greater Philadelphia sees on average 1,600 home care and hospice patients daily, and will add Home Visit Doctors’ services of physician exams, prescription and medication management, and referrals to physician specialists. 

With the acquisition for Home Visit Doctors, VNA has become the first and only home health agency with certified physicians in the region. 

Keeping up with healthcare reform is becoming a difficult task for health care companies, a Washington Post article reported earlier this week.  The decreased profit margins and larger compliance costs that will most likely follow the Affordable Care Act have driven smaller health care companies to join larger companies and share in their resources, according to the article. 

The acquisition not only allows the two-phsyician house call practice more resources, but also benefits VNA, Stillman told American Medical News. 

“We found ourselves unable to make sufficient money to cover our expenses as private practitioners,” said Stillman. “Now we’re doing what we love, and we’re getting paid for it. In return, the VNA is getting something very valuable: two senior clinicians.”

 Written by Erin Hegarty

The post Home Health Agency Acquires Physician Practice in Groundbreaking Deal appeared first on Home Health Care News.

The program was first implemented in 2008 and allows states to choose nursing home audiences they wish to target in their programs. The MFP program further reached out to seniors after the Administration on Aging helped award 25 programs with additional funding in 2010, bringing the total amount of funding to $4 billion, according to Mathematica. 

Texas, Washington and Ohio lead the program in highest number of transitions with the three states accounting for 40% of all new transitions since the program’s start, the report found. Texas’ elders accounted for 34% of all new transitions from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2011. 

Although, according to the progress the report, the program saw a 65% increase in the cumulative number of transitions from Dec. 2010 to Dec. 2011, the program first had to decrease the cumulative transition goal for the majority of states in the first two years of implementation due to the challenges of implementing a new program.

“The reports we have published so far have shown nearly 20,000 transitions,” said Carol Irvin, the report’s project director. “They also address how challenging is has been for some states to get this up and going. You need the right kind of people who know how to handle transition coordination and you need good knowledge of community resources and what they can support.” 

An initial goal of 37,731 transitions over a five-year period that was established at the bill’s initial awarding of state grants dropped to 23,353 in Feb. 2010, according to the 2009 annual report. 

“It’s fairly common for a demonstration like this to have initial optimistic goals,” said Irvin. “The goal lowering reflected reality and they are doing a better job at meeting those realistic goals.”

After the program’s goal adjustments, MFP most recently saw a 23% increase in annual transitions at the end of 2011, according to the progress report, and a cumulative 19,728 transitions from nursing facility to home or community care have been made. The program could also expand to serve 47 grantees by the end of 2013. 

Additionally, eight out of 10 patients are satisfied with their living conditions after making the transition, compared to six out of 10 who are satisfied before the transition, and 25 states reported advanced in securing housing for participants, according to the June 2012 progress report. 

The next annual report is currently in progress, according to Irvin. 

View the most recent progress report here. 

Written by Erin Hegarty

The post Research Shows CMS Program Helps Seniors Transition to Home Care appeared first on Home Health Care News.