In the midst of an ongoing labor crunch, one electronic health monitoring company is rolling out a virtual caregiver named “Addison” and is positioning itself to work with private-duty home care agencies. SameDay Security has raised $35 million to make it happen. The funds, of which about $32 million came from the recently completed Series […]
Humana Announces Strategic Leadership, Care Delivery Changes Insurance giant Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) has hired a new chief strategy and corporate development officer. Vishal Agrawal, M.D., previously of Washington, D.C.-based financial services and investment firm the Carlyle Group, steps into the position on Dec. 10. In the new role, Agrawal will spearhead advancing the company’s […]
While overall U.S. health care spending growth continued to slow in 2017, home health spending growth held steady with its 2016 rate, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Health care spending across all sectors grew at a rate of 3.9% in 2017, compared to rates of 4.8% in 2016 and 5.8% […]
With a small fraction of Medicare Advantage (MA) plans set to offer newly allowed in-home services in 2019, many home care agencies are still unsure what the changes mean for them. But one prominent Southern California insurer is offering the benefits and says the new rules create opportunities for agencies of all sizes. “We’ve benefitted […]
A large proportion of home health workers in the U.S. are immigrants, according to a new study compiled with census data. But stricter immigration policies proposed by the Trump administration could reduce the number of foreign-born health care workers and further fuel the nationwide caregiver shortage, some experts say. More than 23% of home health, […]
For years, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) has been ramping up efforts to battle Medicare fraud — including in home health and hospice. Now, a new OIG semiannual report is showing the agency’s progress, to the tune of $2.91 billion in expected investigative recoveries for fiscal year 2018. […]
With an increasing number of older adults calling rural and suburban communities home, home care in low-density areas must grow in order to catch up, according to a new Harvard report. Older adults who live in less populated areas are less likely to have access to the services they need to age in place, the […]
The shortage of home care nurses is keeping children who need their services in the hospital longer, according to a new study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Such delayed discharges come at a cost, considering how much more expensive inpatient hospital care is, compared with at-home care. The study, which looked at […]
For decades, companies have used noncompete clauses to retain top executives and protect trade secrets. But now, similar agreements are becoming more common among low-wage home care workers, which experts say can be a double-edged sword. As the caregiver shortage continues and the demand for home care increases, restrictive agreements will only become more common, […]
A group of home health aides will receive a $4 million settlement to resolve a suit that claims they weren’t paid all the wages a New York company owed them. After granting preliminary approval in June, a U.S. District judge granted final approval to the class and collective settlement Tuesday. In 2016, plaintiff Allison Hypolite […]
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