ProMedica to Blur Acute, Post-Acute Lines with ManorCare Deal

The acquisition of HCR ManorCare, the nation’s second-largest skilled nursing provider, by nonprofit health system ProMedica falls in line with a growing trend of payors and providers building out their care continuum, with one goal being to treat patients more frequently in lower-cost care settings like home health care. On late Wednesday night, ProMedica announced […]

Home Health Aide is Fastest Growing Job Since Great Recession

Home health aide is among the fastest growing jobs since the economy has recovered from the Great Recession. From 2007 to 2017, 296,952 home health aide jobs were added—a 46% increase, according to recently released data from CareerBuilder. The pattern of growth has been well documented over the years, driven in large part by the aging […]

Hospice Carve-In for Medicare Advantage is ‘Inevitable’

While much of the health care system is moving more Medicare beneficiaries into managed care, hospice continues to live on its own island. That’s because hospice is not allowed as a benefit in Medicare Advantage plans. “What the MA structure creates is a bifurcation,” Julia Driessen, assistant professor of health policy and management at the […]

Must-Read News: Hometeam Leadership Shakeup

Happy Monday, home health care news readers. Kick off your week with our must-read news, including stories that caught our eye around the web. Keep reading to see our top stories from last week. Last week, it was announced that former first lady Barbara Bush had passed away at the age of 92. In the […]

Managed Care Plans Forced to Limit Home Care Contracts in New York

Managed care insurers in one of the largest states in the country are facing tough new limits on how many home care providers they can contract with. New regulations in New York will impact licensed home care services agencies (LHCSAs), placing some restrictions on the state’s managed care providers as the number of enrollees continues to […]

Home Care Patients Are Likely Down with Dope

More in-home care patients are probably lighting up and utilizing cannabis, as the number of older Americans that believe medical marijuana is effective for pain relief, appetite loss and anxiety has risen. Four out of five respondents between the age of 50 and 80 said they support allowing medical marijuana if it’s recommended by a […]

Median Home Care Turnover Hit 66.7% in 2017

While just about every provider in the home care space has struggled with turnover, lower wages are tied to higher turnover rates, a new report confirms. The median caregiver turnover rate across the industry was 66.7% in 2017, the highest rate since 2013, according to the 9th Annual Edition of the Home Care Benchmarking Study […]

Home Health, Hospice M&A Spikes at Start of 2018

The home health sector is on a hot streak. In the first quarter of 2018 there were 21 publicly announced transactions in the space, according to data from Irving Levin Associates as reported by HealthCareMandA.com. The number of transactions was 67% higher than the 14 deals seen in the fourth quarter of 2017, and signals […]

Griswold Adds Predictive Analysis to Hire the Right Caregivers

In the arms race for caregivers, one major home care franchisor is beefing up its arsenal with new technology to streamline the recruiting process. Philadelphia-based Griswold Home Care is rolling out a predictive analytics tool that will help assess caregivers that may be the best fit for the company, as its franchisees continue to grow and […]

UnitedHealth Group Encouraged by More MA Benefits

In-home care providers aren’t the only players looking forward to expanded Medicare Advantage (MA) benefits in 2019. Insurers that offer MA plans—notably behemoth UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH)—are also looking ahead and seeing the addition of more benefits as a major bonus. Minnetonka, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group offers medical benefits through its businesses UnitedHealthcare and Optum, which also provides some […]