The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Friday announced it will amend the reporting timeline for the Provider Relief Fund, giving home health agencies and others more time to prepare required information. The news comes shortly after Congress clarified financial dos and don’ts of the program. Originally, the opening date for HHS’s […]
Category: Home Health Care
Home health mergers and acquisitions got off to a slow start in 2020, then picked up considerably by year’s end. Home health insiders are now predicting a big year for M&A activity in 2021, especially after COVID-19 relief vanishes and economic realities become clearer. The Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) will likewise play a part in […]
The “sugar high” that some cash-strapped home health providers felt after receiving federal assistance linked to the COVID-19 pandemic is coming to an end, top executives from LHC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LHCG) believe. As a result, consolidation is beginning to ramp up again, setting the stage for a potentially record-setting year for dealmaking. Prior to […]
The Acute Hospital Care At Home initiative from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) now has at least 80 participants, Administrator Seema Verma announced Wednesday. Unveiled in November, the initiative has been growing rapidly, especially of late. On its end, CMS hopes the emerging hospital-at-home models can increase acute care capacity and […]
Wage-and-hour litigation, confusing state-level regulations and an increase in federal audits were among the biggest legal trends of 2020. While many of these issues will remain in the year ahead, 2021 will also bring several more legal hurdles for home-based care providers. The decision of whether to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for home health and home […]
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 […]
CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) is partnering with the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) to offer in-home chemotherapy to cancer patients. The partnership is a significant next step for at-home cancer care in the U.S., which has lagged behind other countries in the area. Initially, the two entities will provide chemotherapy to clinically eligible and […]
The majority of health care financial leaders view home care as a key area of investment. That’s according to a recent survey from BDO, a Chicago-based accounting, tax, financial advisory and consulting organization. Released Monday, the survey includes the responses of 100 CFOs at U.S. health care organizations, including home health providers, with revenues ranging […]
Heading into 2020, therapists working in the home health world were concerned over the effects that the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) might have on their profession. Then COVID-19 hit, forcing them to rush into action. A year later, the true impact of the new payment model on therapy utilization is still not clear. “I’m not […]
Home care and hospice workers are now part of the pool of New Yorkers eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The New York State Department of Health originally announced that home care and hospice workers would be eligible to receive the first dose of the vaccine starting on Jan. 11. This placed these individuals in […]