What The ‘Fundamentally Contradicting’ Medicaid Access Rule Includes

The White House teased the finalized Medicaid Access Rule early Monday, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) later revealed more intricate details attached to the rule. Firstly, the timeline of the rule is now clear. Specifically: – In three years, states must “report on their readiness to collect data regarding the percentage […]

Minimum-Staffing Rule For Nursing Homes Finalized, Likely Complicating Post-Acute Care Labor Dynamics

The White House on Monday announced that the nursing home minimum-staffing rule has been finalized. Effectively, the rule requires all nursing homes that receive Medicare and Medicaid funding to maintain a certain staffing threshold at all times. The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) first proposed the minimum-staffing requirement last fall. “Medicare and […]

CMMI’s Proposed TEAM Model Offers Another Risk-Based Opportunity For Home Health Providers

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center announced a new proposed model that will undoubtedly affect home health providers, and also allow them the opportunity to get more involved in value-based care initiatives. The Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM), which would eventually be mandatory if finalized, would have selected acute […]

CMS’ ACO Primary Care Flex Model Could Offer Home-Based Care Providers Risk-Based Opportunity

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new voluntary model Tuesday – centered around primary care providers – that could offer home-based care providers more opportunity to dive into risk-based care. Dubbed the ACO Primary Care Flex Model (ACO PC Flex Model), it will provide one-time advanced shared savings payments and monthly […]

Untangling The History, Causes Behind The Precipitous Home Health Aide Utilization Drop

In the last home health proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency in charge of reimbursement rates sent out a request for information on home health aide utilization. Specifically, the agency wondered why Medicare-covered home health aide visits and utilization had fallen off a cliff over the last […]

Home Health Benefit Will Become A ‘Skeleton’ If Medicare Payment Adjustments Continue, Industry Leader Cautions

As the breadth and depth of home health care continues to grow, providers are exposed to an abundance of opportunities. To get a crack at that upside, however, providers will need to overcome and adapt to a litany of challenges. Those that don’t could contribute to the consolidation that the home health industry is already […]

Another ‘Doomy, Gloomy’ Home Health Landscape Awaits Providers In 2024

Home health providers could be facing a “doomy, gloomy” landscape in 2024, fresh off of two years that could be characterized as, well, doomy and gloomy. On Monday at the Home Care 100 conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare CEO Joanne Cunningham tried to emphasize the positives, while also recognizing the realities. […]