Thrive: ‘Maniacal’ Finances, Companion Care Help Homewatch CareGivers Agency Ramp Up Revenue

When Reena Sharma opened her Long Island, New York-based Homewatch CareGivers franchise location in 2013, the odds were stacked against her. New York was coming out of a moratorium, which froze licensing for new agencies. Though the state’s Department of Health was accepting applications from new home-based care providers, there was a processing backlog, leaving […]

Elara Caring CEO: There’s No Curbing Investor Appetite for Home Care

There’s no curbing investor appetite for home care assets — and major payers will likewise continue to drive M&A activity in the home health, hospice and personal care spaces in the coming year. That’s according to Elara Caring CEO G. Scott Herman, who discussed industry consolidation, tailwinds and change during a recent appearance on the […]

How to Handle a Home Health Audit, According to a CMS Auditor

If you operate a home health agency, Laura Long and her colleagues are probably the last people you want to hear from. Long is the Medicare operations lead at AdvanceMed, one of five unified program integrity contractors (UPICs) nationwide hired by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to audit and investigation home health […]

Former Senior Housing Executive Building ‘At-Home CCRC’ Business

A North Carolina startup company launched by a former senior housing executive is trying to move the for-profit continuing care retirement community (CCRC) model into the home. Launched at the beginning of February by CEO Katie Davis, CarePods groups older adults looking to age in place into relatively small, 25-member “pods,” with seniors typically living […]

NAHC’s Dombi: PDGM Discriminates Against Community Referrals, RCD Could Haunt Home Health Providers

With a slew of regulatory and legislative changes on the horizon — from the Patient-Driven Grouping Model (PDGM) to the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) — the home-based care industry is poised for massive transformation. Despite federal challenges, the industry’s outlook is more promising than ever, advocates believe. “The image that you have is so, so […]

LeadingAge, VNAA and ElevatingHome Pursue Affiliation

Long-term care association LeadingAge — behind only AARP and, perhaps, a handful of other organizations when it comes to tackling aging issues in the United States — may soon become an even bigger player in the home-based care arena. Washington, D.C.-based LeadingAge unveiled plans in February to join forces with the Visiting Nurse Associations of […]

Workforce, Financial Challenges Prompt Hospitals to Outsource Home Health Care

As more types of care move into residential settings, an increasing number of hospitals and health systems are turning to outside home health agencies to either replace, reinforce or manage their own operations. Workforce challenges and financial struggles are often the catalysts behind their decisions to outsource home health offerings, M&A experts say. “It’s a […]

Communication Breakdown: 60% of Home Health Workers Lack Adequate Information From Hospitals

As the U.S. health care system shifts towards value-based care, financial incentives are encouraging hospitals to work with home health organizations to improve patient outcomes. But despite the push, 60% of home health workers say they lack adequate patient information from hospitals to inform care, often leaving patients unprepared for treatment. That’s according to a […]

Refinement Bills Are Chance to ‘Get PDGM Right,’ Avoid Industry Destablization

Joanne E. Cunningham took over as The Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare’s executive director in August 2018. Since then, much of her focus has been spent educating policymakers on the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and its potentially industry-shaping impact. So far, those advocacy returns have been promising, recently contributing to PDGM-refinement legislation in the U.S. […]

New Value-Based Agreement with AmeriHealth Caritas Is Bayada’s Largest Yet

Over the past few years, Bayada Home Health Care has entered into several value-based agreements with managed care organization partners, reflective of the U.S. health care system’s broader shift from quantity to quality. The Moorestown, New Jersey-based home health provider announced its latest on Thursday: a new value-based agreement with AmeriHealth Caritas built on reducing […]