In case you missed it, here are the most popular stories grabbing Home Health Care News readers’ attention this week:
Massive New iPad for Seniors Program to Support Aging at Home — Apple and IBM are launching a program to put iPads with health care applications in the hands of millions of seniors, as part of a large-scale effort to enable aging people to remain in their homes as long as possible.
CMS Announces Patient Survey Star Ratings for Home Health — Beginning in January 2016, the government will post a new type of star rating for Medicare-certified home health agencies, called the “Patient Survey Star Ratings,” which will be based on data from the Home Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) Survey.
Health System Cuts Hospitalizations 45% with Tech-Driven Home Care — Arizona-based Banner Health undertook the Intensive Ambulatory Care (IAC) pilot program in partnership with technology company Royal Philips, and since its 2013 launch, the telehealth program has enabled Banner to reduce costs of care by 27% and cut hospitalizations by 45%.
Home Health, Senior Living Providers Join Forces for Competitive Edge — Presbyterian Villages of Michigan (PVM) and Homestead Home Health Care Inc. have formed a new, joint venture named Care Sync Solutions, which will provide and facilitate a variety of services, including private duty home care, coordination of ancillary services such as skilled care and transitions programs, transportation, and telehealth-based initiatives.
Inside the New Patient-Driven Star Ratings for Home Health — The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has recently shed more light on the new star rating system for home health agencies, saying that Four HHCAHPS measures will receive a star rating: care of patients, communication between providers and patients, specific care issues, and overall rating of care provided by the home health agency.
Written by Emily Study
