Staffing and regulations are perennial concerns for home health and home care providers, and these topics dominated the headlines in the last week.
One the regulatory front, a new era for home health has begun, with the sweeping new Conditions of Participation (CoPs) taking effect on Jan. 13. The final interpretive guidelines (IGs) are still forthcoming, though, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is mum on a release date:
Home Health CoPs Come Into Effect
Release Date Still Uncertain for Home Health CoP Guidelines
In terms of staffing, results of a recent caregiver survey were bleak, showing just how quickly these workers will switch jobs. However, providers such as LHC Group (Nasdaq: LHCG) are finding success with some new approaches to scheduling and training:
Nearly 100% of Caregivers Ready to Leave Jobs At Any Time
How LHC Group Cut Turnover with Flexible Approach
In other LHC-related news, the company’s mega-merger with Almost Family (Nasdaq: AFAM) helped drive home health M&A spending to a record-high level for a single quarter, at the end of 2017:
Mega-Deals Drive Home Health M&A Spending Past $4 Billion Mark
Written by Tim Mullaney
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