Proposed Payment Rule Could Trigger $18B Cumulative Cut to Medicare Home Health Reimbursement

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has not proposed a negative aggregate payment adjustment for home health agencies for the following year since 2018. That stable Medicare-reimbursement landscape, in turn, has allowed home health operators to grow their businesses and test out new, innovative care models, while also investing in their workforce. […]

‘A Declaration of War’: Inside the 2023 Home Health Proposed Payment Rule

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) effectively went to war with home health providers when the agency unveiled its 2023 proposed payment rule on June 17. At the heart of the conflict is differing views on how the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) has impacted the industry. Ultimately, CMS estimates that its proposal […]

Humana Adds to Value-Based Home Care Strategy, Outlines onehome Expansion

When industry insiders think about Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) and its home health plans, they immediately go to Kindred at Home, the large provider that’s rebranding to “CenterWell Home Health.” Yet onehome, a home-focused post-acute care organization that operates under a full-risk model, is just as important to the Louisville, Kentucky-based health insurer’s in-home care […]

Contessa Health CEO: Managed Care Strategy Will Separate the ‘Haves and the Have Nots’

The ability to deliver higher-acuity care in the home is now table stakes. That’s especially true for health plans and health systems following the introduction of the COVID-related Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November 2020. Eventually, though, the public health emergency is going […]

Humana Brings ‘CenterWell Home Health’ to Several Additional Markets

Humana’s home health strategy remains firmly on track, with the latest development being the rebranding of Kindred at Home to CenterWell Home Health in several additional markets. A little over a year ago, Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) unveiled the “CenterWell” brand for the Louisville, Kentucky-based company’s range of payer-agnostic health care offerings, which includes senior-focused […]

A ‘Persistence of Patient Harm’: Hospital Failures Highlight Need for Home-Based Care Investments

The traditional brick-and-mortar hospital system is broken, often leaving patients in a condition that’s worse than when they first arrived. That’s according to a May report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The findings throw further support for facility-based care alternatives, including the types of hospital-at-home models […]

Why Care Collaborations Could Shake Up the Home Health Food Chain

In the animal kingdom, there’s strength in numbers, especially among creatures that find themselves toward the bottom of the food chain. This concept is also true in today’s hyper-competitive health care sector. Increasingly, smaller providers with relatively limited resources and reach are teaming up in the form of “collaboratives,” “alliances,” “networks” or “partnerships.” Nowhere is […]

Aging-in-Place Company Homethrive Raises $20M, Plans ‘Aggressive Expansion’ in Payer Marketplace

Aging-in-place enabler Homethrive has raised an additional $20 million in Series B funding. For Homethrive, the funding round – led by Human Capital, with participation from Allianz, 7wireVentures and Pitango HealthTech – will go toward its “aggressive expansion” plans and further technology investments. And for similar senior-focused startups, the infusion of capital shows that VC […]

What HHVBP Means for Managed Care, SNF Utilization

With the nationwide rollout of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model inching closer, home health agencies are feeling confident about their ability to adapt. Not only are operators confident, but some are even excited about what HHVBP might translate to in terms of improved managed care relationships and further diversion away from skilled nursing […]