“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 […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
There might be some recourse for home-based care providers that aren’t able to meet the requirements of the “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” rule’s 80-20 provision. “We heard, consistently, that there were concerns about the applicability of the 80% threshold to small providers,” Melissa Harris, the deputy director of the Medicaid and benefits health programs […]
A senior Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) official stood behind the “80-20 rule” — which has drawn major pushback from the home-based care industry — during a congressional hearing Tuesday. Last week, the “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” rule was finalized. The impetus behind the rule is to strengthen access to home- and […]
Some of the best stories are the ones that might not have made the biggest splash, initially. That’s why, as the year comes to a close, Home Health Care News wanted to take a look back and call attention to some of our favorite under-the-radar stories. These stories cover the most well-known companies in the […]
Every year, industry stakeholders anticipate the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) release of the home health proposed payment rule and the final rule. The final rule’s provisions and updates determine what the Medicare home health landscape will look like for the foreseeable future, but sometimes providers aren’t well-versed on the ins and […]
At the end of last month, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its home health proposed payment rule for 2024. The proposal, almost immediately, drew a negative response from key home health stakeholders. The main headline was CMS’ decision to propose a home health payment decrease of 2.2%. The proposal also […]
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 […]
Total Medicaid managed care spending across all 50 states saw an increase last year. In fact, spending checked in at $420.5 billion in 2021, compared to $359.6 billion in 2020, according to data collected in the annual CMS-64 Medicaid expenditure report. Additionally, home and community-based services make up a big chunk of this spending. At […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s (CMS) Independence at Home demonstration aims to find out if delivering comprehensive, home-based primary care can lead to positive outcomes and lowered costs. One demonstration participant, Northwell Health, has been able to realize this goal. Broadly, the Independence at Home demonstration allows Medicare beneficiaries who have multiple chronic […]
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 […]