The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a clarified definition of ‘homebound’ regarding eligibility for Medicare-reimbursable services. Individuals can be considered “confined to the home,” or homebound, if they meet two criteria that more closely align the Benefit Policy Manual to the Social Security Act’s definition, says CMS. The first criteria requires […]
Category: CMS
Users of durable medical equipment (DME) have called upon a home health advocacy group in their efforts to voice hardships caused by the latest round of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Competitive Bidding program. Round 2 of CMS’s Competitive Bidding Program went into effect July 1, 2013, and since then more than […]
In the wake of the government shutdown that left many government agencies under capacity for 16 days, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced this week it will be postponing the release of its Home Health Prospective Payment System Final Rule until “on or before” November 27. The rule will take effect January 1, […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced on Oct. 1 the single payment amounts for Round 1 Recompete of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program. Payment amounts for DME will decrease by a projected 37%, on average, from Medicare’s fee schedule rates across the six categories included […]
Nearly 150 House Representatives have sent a letter to the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) expressing concern regarding proposed cuts to Medicare home health reimbursements and how they could affect patient access to skilled home health care. The 142 bipartisan lawmakers signed a Sept. 25 letter urging CMS to conduct a complete analysis […]
Trade groups representing the home health industry are voicing support for several aspects of the Commission on Long-Term Care’s final report to Congress, which includes a recommendation that would expand access to Medicare coverage for home care. The vision of the bipartisan, federally-appointed long-term care panel is to create “a more responsive, integrated, person-centered, and […]
Last week the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requesting more evidence to back up the agency’s estimate for the impact of its proposed rule to adjust the home health prospective payment system. CMS published a proposed rule on July 3, 2013 […]
Fears of closing and possible mergers are on the minds of home health agencies as they are expected to operate under proposed Medicare cuts, reports Crain’s Detroit Business. The resulting impact under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed rule can lead to many home health agencies either closing their doors or as acquisition opportunities […]
Seniors vastly oppose additional cuts to the Medicare home health benefit, with nearly 90% voicing concerns that cuts would do more harm than good, according to new polling data from Bring the Vote Home. An initiative created to help seniors, disabled Americans, their family members and their home healthcare clinicians participate in the nation’s democratic […]
The home health sector accounted for nearly a third of all health care job growth in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent jobs report. Since 2012, home health has contributed more than 93,000 new jobs to the U.S. economy, with 9,500 added in August. That represents more than 30% of the […]
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