Trumpeted New Medicare Advantage Benefits Will Be Hard For Seniors To Find

Home Health Care News Perspective: With certain non-skilled in-home care services allowable under the Medicare Advantage program in 2019, the home care industry has made landing partnerships with health plans a top priority. But significant opportunities may not arise until 2020, experts predict. Just 3% of MA plans will next year offer in-home support services such as […]

Medicaid Officials Target Home Health Aides’ Union Dues

Home Health Care News Perspective: Union fees for home care workers have long been in the crosshairs. HHCN previously reported on how the home care industry paved the way for the Supreme Court’s landmark Janus ruling and how workers have begun to file lawsuits seeking reimbursement of union fees in the wake of that case.  […]

Latest Trump Immigration Proposals Raise Alarms in Home Health

Since President Donald Trump took office last year, home health industry advocates have been raising red flags over his administration’s positions on immigration. The latest proposals, related to so-called “chain migration” and the expiration of protected status for Haitians, are no exception. Both The New York Times and Kaiser Health News recently reported on the […]

Bill Calls for Hospices to Destroy Opioids After Patients Die

As the country is gripped by an opioid addiction crisis, the role of hospices in the epidemic has come under a spotlight. A new bill in Kentucky would aim to address some of those issues by improving the disposal of medications in the hospice setting after a patient’s death. A rising problem surrounding hospices has […]

Hospice Investigation Reveals Rampant Missed Visits and Neglect

Missed visits and neglect are widespread for patients dying at home, according to an investigation of the hospice industry from Time and Kaiser Health News. The investigation took a look at 20,000 government inspection records, some of which described horrific cases that left patients in pain in their final days and families unsure of what to […]

Some Seniors Just Want to be Left Alone, Which Can Lead to Problems

Home Health Care News perspective: Not all seniors are ready to accept help at home through home health care or private pay home care. However, refusing home health care services after a hospital can have negative impacts, including higher rates of rehospitalization. Meanwhile, patients that accept home health care services generally report a higher quality of life following […]

Severe Shortage of Home Health Workers Robs Thousands of Proper Care

Home Health Care News Perspective: The caregiver shortage is undoubtedly happening, and providers routinely name recruiting qualified caregivers their No. 1 challenge. While low wages are negatively impacting the much-needed boost of new health care workers, it’s not the only influence plaguing this home care industry issue.  By Judith Graham, originally for Kaiser Health News Acute […]

Hospital Elder Units Help Seniors Go Home

The need for specialized hospital units for seniors is high and growing—and the proven ability of these units to return seniors to live at home independently could spell good things for the home health care industry. Approximately one-third of patients older than 70 years of age and more than half of patients older than 85 are discharged from […]