How The Sausage Gets Made: Inside CMS’ Home Health Payment Rulemaking Process

Every year, industry stakeholders anticipate the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) release of the home health proposed payment rule and the final rule. The final rule’s provisions and updates determine what the Medicare home health landscape will look like for the foreseeable future, but sometimes providers aren’t well-versed on the ins and […]

Home-Based Care Providers Break Down ‘Unintended Consequences’ Of CMS’ Proposed Medicaid Rule

A proposed rule from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – which would require at least 80% of Medicaid reimbursement for home- and community-based services go toward worker compensation – received over 2,100 submissions during its public comment period. Many of the comments included gratitude and appreciation for CMS regarding its efforts […]

CMS Allows States To Extend PHE-Era Flexibilities For HCBS

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has extended a COVID-19 pandemic-era waiver that will allow home- and community-based service (HCBS) providers to take advantage of flexibilities in their state programs. The Appendix K waiver allowed HCBS providers more wiggle room during emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. CMS introduced the waiver to […]

How Home-Based Care Providers Can Harness The Power Of CMS’ New Dementia Care Model

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model this week. Stakeholders are already weighing in on how the model may affect home-based care agencies. “We’re very pleased with that announcement, and it is certainly something that we’re going to explore,” Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS) COO […]

Preserving Access To Home Health Act Introduced In The House

The Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 – which aims to block cuts to home health payments – has been introduced in the House of Representatives. In a significant step for the legislation, Reps. Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Adrian Smith (R-NE) introduced the bill in the House Tuesday. The bill was initially introduced […]

With Access To Care In Question, Number of Medicare-Certified Home Health Agencies Continues To Fall

The number of Medicare-certified home health agencies in the United States continues to dwindle, the latest data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) reveals. While not a dramatic drop, the decrease in the home health provider ranks is important considering pending cuts from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Advocates fear […]

NAHC, PQHH Sound The Alarm Over ‘Irreparable Fracturing Of The Foundation Of Skilled Home Health Care In America’

Two of home health care’s biggest advocacy organizations have joined forces on a proposed payment rule pre-comment letter addressed to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). On Friday, the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH) submitted a joint comment letter that called for […]

Study Highlights Physical Therapy’s Clinical, Financial Benefits Among Medicare Beneficiaries

Increased physical therapy (PT) utilization is associated with significant reductions in hospitalizations and emergency room visits, more evidence shows. Meanwhile, home health providers are still grappling with how to manage physical therapy under the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). A new study from the Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation (APTQI) showed that an increase […]