Home Health Sector Adds 2,500 Jobs in April

Home health care services remained a bright spot in the health care industry’s latest employment report, growing by 2,500 jobs in April 2014 according to Labor Department data. Overall, health care gained 18,700 jobs in April from the previous month, a figure the Bureau of Labor Statistics says is “about in line” with the prior […]

AARP Weighs In on “Informal” Senior Caregivers

Despite commonly characterized as “informal” care, the services family caregivers provide is anything but, says a new post on the AARP Blog.  “It’s time to banish the word ‘informal” when referring to the care provided by family members and friends,” writes Lynn Friss Feinberg, a senior strategic policy adverse for the AARP Public Policy Institute.  Doing […]

Invacare Earnings Dragged Down by North America DME Sales

Invacare, a manufacturer and distributer of long-term care and home care medical equipment, reported a first quarter loss as earnings were dragged down by declines in the company’s North American segment. The company reported net sales of $309.1 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2014, down 6.7% from the first quarter of 2013. […]

Push Against Competitive Bidding Goes National

A growing group of professionals with ties to the home care and medical equipment industries are uniting in their opposition to a proposal from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to expand its competitive bidding program to new areas.  From clinicians and advocates for Medicare beneficiaries to home medical equipment providers, manufacturers, and […]

Face-to-Face Rule Burdensome to Home Health Agencies

New government rules meant to prevent inappropriate reimbursements are proving burdensome to many home health agencies who worry it will interfere with their ability to provide care to those who need it.  “The cost of caring for homebound patients is rising, and the government is trying to get a better grip on spending by requiring […]

Home Care Company Improves Outcomes Via Tablet Deployment

A California home care agency has found success in equipping aides with tablets, outlined in a case study describing the process of reaching the decision and how it has benefited the company and its workers.  Sutter Care at Home began searching for ways to integrate mobile health technology into its practice, eyeing benefits such as […]

eCaring Raises $3.5 Million to Develop Aging in Place Tech

New York-based health care IT company eCaring recently secured $3.5 million in Series A funding earmarked for development of home health technology geared toward aging in place. The fundraising round was led by venture capital firm Ascent Biomedical Ventures and private investor Stephen Jackson, who will join eCaring’s board. The company has a cloud-based home care […]

Home Health M&A Takes Quarterly Hit to Start 2014

Home health and hospice M&A activity took a hit in the first quarter of 2014, dropping 40% from the previous quarter, according to an Irving Levin report on M&A in the health care industry.  The sector’s six deals marks a decline from 10 in the fourth quarter of 2013, along with a 33.3% decrease from one […]

Philips Lifeline Launches New Home Health Solution

In early April, Royal Philips (NYSE:PHG) launched a new solution that expands access to its existing medical alert service, Lifeline. HomeSafe Wireless System enables seniors without a home phone line to still utilize Lifeline. More than a quarter of U.S. households do not have landlines, concurrent with increasing usage of cellular phones, according to Census […]

Visiting Nurse Service of New York to Cut 775 Jobs in Mass Layoff

The Visiting Nurse Service of New York has announced plans to cut 775 jobs, citing significant and ongoing changes to the home and community-based health care system happening under Obamacare. The not-for-profit home care organization’s planned layoff will represent a 4% reduction in its workforce, according to Crain’s New York Business. Eliminated positions include both […]