Hospitals improperly coding for post-discharge services contribute to hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicare overpayments. And the majority of incorrect payments are often related to home health services. That’s according to a new audit report from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG). The purpose of the OIG […]
Category: Home Health Care
When it comes to acquiring home health care agencies, buyers can afford to be picky. There are more than 10,000 home health providers nationwide, but typically, only a few dozen deals close per year. Between 2011 and 2014, the market saw an annual average of 80 transactions, according to data from the investment banking company […]
Since the worst stretch of the public health emergency, LHC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LHCG) has seen a decrease in weekly COVID-related missed visits and improved its average daily census. It has also added thousands of new physician referral sources, a win for the company considering many institutional sources are at a standstill. Those are just […]
Despite being on the front lines of care during the COVID-19 emergency, New York City caregivers often felt “invisible” and faced a higher risk of contracting the virus. That’s according to a study published Tuesday by JAMA Internal Medicine. As part of the study, researchers interviewed 33 caregivers who were employed by 24 different home […]
Humana’s (NYSE: HUM) long-standing home- and community-based focus served the insurer well in Q2 2020 — a quarter dominated by the COVID-19 emergency. The coronavirus pushed more senior care into the home, boosting business for Louisville, Kentucky-based health insurance giant. As a result, the insurer doubled down on home-based care initiatives in Q2 2020 and […]
In the build-up to 2020 and the Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM), many home health providers began shifting their referral strategies to focus more on hospitals, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and other institutional sources. Generally, providers realized that patients coming from such settings likely meant more Medicare dollars under PDGM, especially when patients were also classified […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a new rule that would make certain COVID-19-related telehealth flexibilities introduced over the past few months permanent for Medicare beneficiaries. The move comes in conjunction with an executive order from President Trump to improve rural and telehealth access. While CMS’s proposed rule potentially paves the […]
As home health leaders look to the future, the lessons learned from the COVID-19 emergency will likely continue to shape their efforts for years to come. In terms of business planning, it will likely be a long while before there’s a return to a world where the coronavirus isn’t the central driver of health care […]
While the coronavirus has ravaged the nation’s aging population and stretched the U.S. health care system to its limits, every cloud has its silver lining. For home health care providers, one silver lining comes in the form of increased recognition and expanded opportunities. Agencies are seeing higher levels of service demand, fewer recruitment and workforce […]
Across the U.S., ongoing protests against police violence toward Black Americans and other people of color have caused many companies to take a closer look at issues pertaining to workplace diversity and inclusion. For some companies, this time has been a call to action, with many announcing plans to develop initiatives aimed at addressing inequality […]
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