The Medicare fee-for-service improper payment rate has fallen once again, thanks largely to the cleaner paperwork and ongoing compliance efforts of U.S. home health providers. Despite clear and steady progress in bringing improper payment rates down, though, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is unlikely to relax its oversight anytime soon, industry leaders […]
LHC Group hires chief information officer LHC Group (Nasdaq: LHCG) has a new IT chief. Earlier this month, the Lafayette, Louisiana-based LHC Group announced that former health insurance veteran Mohammad Ali will join the company as its chief information officer. Ali’s tenure as CIO will officially begin Dec. 2. In his role as CIO, Ali […]
With a focus on institutional referrals and changes to therapy reimbursement, the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) is going to rock the Medicare-certified home health world in 2020. But private-pay and non-medical home care agencies may also see bottom-line impacts tied to PDGM. Specifically, PDGM will likely create new opportunities for home care agencies looking to […]
A bill that would eliminate Medicare’s physician-certification policy has drawn industry-wide support. But the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) may first opt to test non-physician certification through Medicare Advantage (MA) in lieu of traditional Medicare. The Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2019 — H.R. 2150 — was introduced in April. If […]
Regulatory changes and renewed interest from private equity firms has had a major impact on the home health market over the past few years. That impact is easily observed just by looking at the list of largest home health providers in 2019. In order, Kindred at Home, Amedisys Inc. (Nasdaq: AMED) and LHC Group Inc. […]
More than three out of every four Americans age 50 and older say they prefer to remain in their current community — and likely their individual homes — for as long as possible, according to AARP statics. Combined with technologies that enable aging in place, that preference is positioned to “upend” the U.S. senior housing […]
An increased focus on social determinants of health and the financial well-being of caregivers will shape the home care industry in 2020, AlayaCare founder and CEO Adrian Schauer told Home Health Care News. A rise in technology partnerships and in-home care providers’ strategic efforts to diversify payer streams will likewise factor into next year’s industry […]
With less than two months left on the clock before home health agencies take their shot at the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), questions regarding industry preparedness and education continue to swirl. Some, however, say those questions are better aimed at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Similar to home health providers, CMS regulators […]
Currently, there’s the Peace Corps for U.S. volunteers looking to make a socioeconomic difference abroad. Soon, there might be something for prospective caregivers looking to make a difference at home. In the midst of the dire caregiver crisis plaguing the home care industry, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) is now working to establish a […]
LHC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LHCG) — one of the two largest, independent home health, hospice and personal care companies in the U.S. — has hit a major milestone in its 25-year history. The Lafayette, Louisiana-based company officially crossed the 100,000-patient mark. In addition to being a personal achievement for Chairman and CEO Keith Myers — whose […]