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 […]

OIG: Nonprofit Hospital Can Offer Free In-Home Services Despite Anti-Kickback Rules

A hospital can provide free home care to reduce readmissions, despite a federal ban on giving patients freebies that could influence their care decisions. That’s according to a recent advisory opinion from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG). OIG’s advisory opinion comes in response to a […]

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 […]

LHC Group Plans Backup Headquarters in ‘America’s Aging Capital’

Lafayette, Louisiana-based LHC Group Inc. (Nasdaq: LHCG) — one of the largest home health, hospice and personal care services companies in the country — is planning to soon open a backup headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to being the former headquarter of Almost Family, Louisville, according to some, also stands as “America’s Aging Capital” […]

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 […]

Why Upskilling Caregivers Can Improve Patient Care, Retention

As the demand for home-based care services continues to soar, so does the industry’s shortage of workers, with as many as 7.8 million caregiving positions projected to sit unfilled by 2026. The multimillion-dollar question for agencies remains how to survive the staffing crisis, which industry leaders have identified as the No. 1 challenge within home-based […]

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 […]