Although the concrete details are unknown, the federal government appears to be taking steps toward distributing point-of-care COVID-19 diagnostic tests to home health agencies, which have largely been prioritized behind skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and other congregate aging services providers. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced on Aug. 27 that it […]
Home-based care agencies and their workers are getting some rare time in the national spotlight during this year’s political cycle. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and VP pick Kamala Harris, for example, have gone out of their way to recognize the work that home-based care workers do on a regular basis. They’ve particularly heralded their […]
In an effort to ease the cash flow challenges associated with the COVID-19 emergency, many home health providers took on advance and accelerated payment loans from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Now, the time has come for the recoupment process to begin. But CMS has been quiet on the matter, creating […]
Nearly half a year has gone by since the start of the COVID-19 public health emergency. During that time, home health organizations have faced volatile census swings, rising equipment costs, unpredictable staffing situations and a bevy of other challenges. While not all operators have weathered the storm, most have. Now, as the home health landscape […]
The COVID-19 emergency has made the hospital-at-home model more relevant than ever. Despite incredibly promising results from multiple programs, the hospital-at-home model had previously been slow to gain traction in the U.S. But now, the model’s ability to forgo the hospital setting makes it the perfect care model for this particular moment in time, many […]
Addus HomeCare Corporation (Nasdaq: ADUS) has decided to close up shop in Nevada due to recent cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates in the state. Frisco, Texas-based Addus provides a mix of personal care, hospice and home health care services. Prior to shutting down operations in Nevada, the company provided those services to about 43,000 individuals […]
Home health giant AccentCare Inc. is forming a new post-acute care business, building upon its long-time partnership strategy with large health systems. The Dallas-based AccentCare revealed Tuesday it has been in talks with Fairview Health Services to take over the health system’s home health and hospice business in Minnesota. Under the newly announced deal, AccentCare […]
Earlier this month, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will not immediately pursue a full-blown restart of the Review Choice Demonstration (RCD), a regulatory initiative designed to reduce improper billing in home health care. Instead, CMS outlined how it will move forward with a “phased-in approach” to RCD that gives […]
Hoping to create new revenue streams, home health agencies are more frequently turning to Medicare Part B. In fact, some agencies are finding that delivering services under Part B is a natural progression for them. In the case of First Choice Home Health and Hospice, deciding to offer Medicare Part B services was a case […]
Spending on home health care services is down substantially under the Patient-Driven Grouping Model (PDGM), a recently unveiled analysis suggests. While the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 requires PDGM to be budget neutral, spending on home health care has actually been about 21.6% lower than projected, according to a detailed analysis from Dobson DaVanzo & […]