Lifespark has agreed to acquire Livio Health, a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent company of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross). What’s more, the parent company of Blue Cross has landed a minority owner stake in Lifespark through a cash investment made in addition to the valuation of Livio Health. “It’s […]
Nearly five months after the unveiling of the proposed payment rule caused a stir among home health stakeholders and advocates, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final payment rule on Monday. Back in June, CMS proposed a 4.2% aggregate decrease for 2023, a cut the industry at large felt would […]
Home-focused primary care provider — and key Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA) investment target — VillageMD is said to be eyeing a potential merger with Summit Health. The merger would value the combined companies at an estimated $5 billion to $10 billion, according to a Bloomberg News report. Chicago-based VillageMD, through its subsidiary Village Medical, […]
Cigna’s (NYSE: CI) Medicare Advantage (MA) members in certain markets will now have access to home-based primary care through Heal. The provider recently announced that it has formed a partnership with Cigna, and is now part of the organization’s network in Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and South Carolina. “Cigna aims to improve all aspects of […]
DispatchHealth and Home Instead have teamed up to offer clients of the latter access to in-home acute care. Originally launched as an in-home urgent care startup, Denver-based DispatchHealth delivers higher-acuity care – including offering hospital-level care – in the home. Meanwhile, Home Instead is a Omaha, Nebraska-based personal care franchise company that has 1,200 locations […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it has stretched out the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) Model for an additional two years. While the program isn’t home health focused, it’s an opportunity for providers to collaborate with acute care hospitals, physician group practices and other Medicare-certified entities. […]
Now more than ever, Medicare Advantage (MA) organizations are including home-based care services in their plans. While some organizations are giving their members access to these offerings for the first time, others have long embraced home-based care. One of these early adopters is SCAN Health Plan, which is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit MA […]
More individuals are having to take on what’s known as the second or third shift — caregiving duties in addition to being employed. At the same time, there has been an increase in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans offering home-based care, including respite services, coinciding with this rise of informal caregivers. For context, informal caregivers are […]
A next frontier for home health providers looking to expand their business mix: behavioral health care. Earlier this month, Bayada Home Health Care opened up the Bayada Pennsauken Center for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Services. The Pennsauken, New Jersey-based center will offer home-based as well as center-based behavioral support and treatment for individuals with an […]
Home health providers are dealing with a number of headwinds — inflation-induced financial challenges, labor shortages, pandemic pressures and more — that will only worsen if the proposed payment adjustments for 2023 become finalized. That’s the major takeaway from a recent labor cost study from the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH). The study was […]
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