Editor’s Picks: Bundled Payment Programs Galore

Home Health Care News revolved around bundled payment programs this week, as a private duty provider became a partner in one and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) joint replacement bundled payment initiative went into effect. Readers also tuned in to learn about home health apps taking cues from different social media sites and a new Amedisys, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMED) partnership set to cultivate real-time data.

Here in the newsroom, we fell in love with a 90-year-old man and his newly adopted dog, Penny.

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Private Duty Provider Joins Bundled Payment Program—Home health agencies are becoming more involved with bundled payment initiatives by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), but the private duty side of home care may have a harder case to make to become a partner in these programs. However, one West Coast non-medical provider has managed to prove the value of its cost-effective services and join a bundled payment program.

Home Health Apps Take Cues from Facebook to Cut Readmissions—When it comes to engaging caregivers and family members in a patient’s home health care, emulating popular social media platforms may be the way to go. Two innovative mobile solutions for at-home caregivers have taken cues from social media and achieved demonstrable success in reducing hospital readmissions.

Bill to Delay Joint Replacement Bundles Has Unlikely Path Forward—A bundled payment initiative from CMS set to go into effect next month could be pushed back by two years, if a bill that proposes to delay the implementation gets approved. However, the measure faces an unlikely path forward, as home health and home care industry groups have seen the initiative as largely positive.

Amedisys Forges Partnership to Cultivate Real-Time Data—Another of the largest home health providers is going big on data in a partnership unveiled earlier this week. Amedisys has partnered with Strategic Healthcare Programs, a provider of health care analytics to aid in performance improvement for post-acute care providers, to establish real-time data and benchmarking solutions in an effort to improve patients’ care quality and their home health experience overall.

Weekend Reads

10 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring a Home Care Agency—Consider these 10 questions before hiring a home care agency to care for you or your loved ones in order to be as informed as possible about the agency and caregiver you choose.

Why Everybody Loves Seniors on Airbnb—Americans aged 60 and older are the fastest-growing and best-reviewed demographic on the home-booking website Airbnb.

90-Year-Old Man Breaks the Internet With Sweet Photos of His New Adopted Dog—Adopting an animal has been proven to help elderly people reduce stress, stay mentally stimulated and increase social interactions and physical activity. This 90-year-old man and his newly adopted dog, Penny, are a prime example.

Written by Kourtney Liepelt