Hospital readmission rates are one of the most important markers of success in the post-acute and long-term care spaces. But a large number of home care agencies still don’t keep track of those metrics. Overall, 75% of home care agencies did not track readmission rates at all in 2019, according to recently released data from […]
FirstLight Home Care
Over the years, training and “upskilling” in-home care workers has been a key strategy to improve retention for providers struggling with turnover. But as the COVID-19 public health emergency continues, providers who are actively recruiting will now have to navigate new obstacles when preparing recently hired caregivers to work in the home setting. Since mid-March, […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has granted further flexibility to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to offer more benefits to beneficiaries during the COVID-19 crisis. For home care providers, that could mean more business opportunity. The Special Supplemental Benefits for the Chronically Ill (SSBCI) program was announced in 2019 for the 2020 plan […]
While the coronavirus initially caused a dip in demand for home-based care services, many have characterized that period as the calm before the storm. Since then, the need for in-home care has picked up quickly, with several providers telling Home Health Care News they’re receiving more inbound requests than ever before. Inquiries are pouring in […]
Many senior living and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) continue to struggle with the COVID-19 virus, as their residents are often vulnerable older adults who live in fairly close proximity. In some cases, coronavirus concerns have prompted such congregate living facilities to turn away outside caregivers and home health aides; in others, the struggle has led […]
Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, the Medicare Advantage (MA) landscape looked like a promising business opportunity for in-home care providers. That was, in part, thanks to two major expansions of MA supplemental benefits in 2018 and 2019. But the U.S. is now more than a month removed from a coronavirus public health […]
Home care providers waiting to see how they’ll be affected by new federally mandated paid sick leave policies tied to the COVID-19 emergency will likely have to wait a little longer. On Wednesday evening, President Donald Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) into law, which — broadly — gives workers guaranteed paid […]
Alignment lands $135 million in Series C Medicare Advantage (MA) startup Alignment Healthcare has deepened its pockets. The Orange, California-based MA player announced March 4 that it has raised $135 million in Series C funding, led by Fidelity Management & Research Company. Additional funding came from funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates […]
FirstLight Home Care’s 2019 success was a catalyst for lofty 2020 aspirations. One of the major drivers of last year’s prosperity was employee-assistance programs (EAPs). EAPs are specially designed employee benefit packages offered by certain employers. Over the past few years, they’ve more frequently included caregiver benefits, prompting home-based care agencies to take notice. Some […]
For many in-home care providers, new payment models such as the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) serve as the impetus for technology adoption in 2020. The expanding reimbursement stream of Medicare Advantage is also a major driver. These are some of the key findings from the 2020 Home Health Care News Outlook Survey and Report, released […]