It’s been 48 days since the start of “no-pay RAPs” in home health care. During this time, providers have had to navigate a sea of challenges and unexpected speed bumps while adjusting to the new process. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) kicked off no-pay RAPs on Jan. 1 of this year. […]
Category: CMS
In January, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed plans to expand the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model — a Medicare demonstration that aims to tie reimbursement to quality of care. While HHVBP has gained popularity within the home health industry, some experts believe there are potential downsides to scaling the […]
There’s a new name being circulated for President Joe Biden’s top pick to lead the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Chiquita Brooks-LaSure — a former policy official who played a key role in guiding the Affordable Care Act through passage and implementation — is now the likeliest candidate to run CMS, according […]
The federal government saw $2.2 billion in civil fraud recoveries in 2020. Roughly 82% of those settlements and judgments — about $1.8 billion — were from matters related to the health care sector. That’s according to a recent report from Nashville, Tennessee-based law firm Bass, Berry & Sims. The report examined significant health care fraud […]
Among payment-related policy changes for the home health industry in 2021 is the elimination of traditional Requests for Anticipated Payment (RAPs) — and the introduction of the “no-pay RAP.” While the change is a potentially costly one for home health agencies, they’re not the only ones struggling to keep up. Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) have […]
In somewhat of a surprise move, U.S. health care policymakers unveiled plans last week to expand the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model, a nine-state Medicare demonstration designed to better align reimbursement to quality of care. Despite backing from most of the home health industry, the HHVBP Model — first implemented in 2016 — had […]
Home health providers are getting one of their biggest wishes granted. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Friday that it is expanding the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model. First implemented in 2016, the HHVBP Model is currently active in just nine states: Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Florida, Washington, Arizona, Iowa, […]
UNC Health is throwing its hat in the hospital-at-home ring. The North Carolina-based health system announced Monday that it has plans to launch an acute hospital care at home program in partnership with Medically Home. UNC Health is a state-owned integrated health care system based in Chapel Hill. The organization is made up of 12 […]
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has approved a handful of new hospitals under its rapidly growing hospital-at-home initiative, Administrator Seema Verma announced on Monday. Originally unveiled at the end of November, CMS’s “Acute Hospital Care at Home” initiative is designed to give hospitals “unprecedented” and “comprehensive” regulatory flexibilities to treat certain […]
Under the Trump administration, federal health care policymakers have long been vocal about the ability of Medicare Advantage (MA) to lower costs and improve outcomes among vulnerable populations. A recent report from the Washington, D.C.-based Better Medicare Alliance (BMA) and consulting firm Avalere Health is now putting hard numbers on that claim, particularly around home […]